NAGA guqin events for 2005 Chinese New Year

Dear Qin Friends,

The Year of the Rooster is coming in February. To celebrate, NAGA is organising and co-sponsoring three Chinese cultural events:

• February 10 th : A guqin and xiao concert by master Li Xiangting and Wang Fei

• February 11 th : The second in the series of Guqin Master Classes, with Li Xiangting

• February 3 rd -27 th : Scholarly arts of China with Li Xiangting and Wang Fei

Chinese Music Concert with Li Xiangting and Wang Fei in the Asian Art Museum

A chance to hear haunting traditional pieces and lyrical improvisations on the guqin (Chinese 7 string zither) and xiao (Chinese vertical bamboo flute) played by recognized world-class master Professor Li Xiangting. Professor Li will be accompanied by Wang Fei on guqin and guzheng (another type of traditional Chinese zither with 21 strings). Professor Li is Distinguished Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Wang Fei is director of the North American Guqin Association (NAGA).

This is a rare opportunity to see a world class master play live in the US. For those who already play the guqin , experiencing a master of Professor Li's calibre will considerably enhance their own playing.

Thursday, February 10th, 2005 (the second day of the Chinese New Year) at 7:00 pm ,

Samsung Hall  
Asian art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco
CA 94102

Tickets are available online or from the Admission Desk.

For details and online ticket purchase, please visit: http://www.asianart.org/performances.htm#concert

This event is sponsored by NAGA and the Asian Art Museum.

Second Guqin Master Class with Professor Li Xiangting

The second in the series of guqin master classes will take place on February 11 th . In this session, we will continue our study of guqin learning and technique. Professor Li Xiangting will give talks on:

• “Reflective summary of guqin learning” ( tan qin luyao).

• Guqin dapu (recovering guqin pieces from old scores)

• Guqin improvisation.

4.    Basic right and left hand techniques.

5.    How to play Guanshan Yue, Yang Guan Sandie and other pieces. Every participant who so wishes will have the opportunity to play and get advice from Professor Li.

As it will be Chinese New Year, we hope the atmosphere will be relaxed and convivial. We will drink Chinese tea together as we listen to the master's lecture and talk about the beauty of guqin music with qin friends from various countries and states, united by our passion for guqin music. This will be a beautiful Chinese New Year gathering, especially for those whose families are far away.

This Master Class will be held on Friday, February 11 th from 7pm to 10pm . The cost is $60 for people who are not currently enrolled in Wang Fei's class, payable either in advance online (preferably), in which case the address will be given upon receipt of your payment, or at the door (cash only then). The class will take place in San Francisco city. Since parking is always hard to find in San Francisco , please try to arrange carpool with other students, and allow plenty of time. Please don't be late!  

These classes are open to all who are interested in knowing more about the guqin . For those currently learning to play from Ms. Wang Fei, they are an important component of the curriculum. The classes also provide necessary foundation knowledge before you learn to play from a reputable guqin teacher, as they are often very selective about which students they will teach.

Our master classes are held once a month. Please see details at http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/newsletters/guqinmasterclass.htm
Places are limited, so please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Scholarly arts of China with Li Xiangting and Wang Fei: Chinese painting, calligraphy, xiao, guqin and guzheng demonstrations

In Imperial China, a well educated scholar was expected to be skilled in four arts:

• Qin (the guqin)

• Qi (the game of Go)

• Shu (calligraphy) and

• Hua (painting).

To Celebrate the Chinese New Year, NAGA and the Asian Art Museum will co-sponsor a presentation of the Scholarly Arts of China. Professor Li will present painting, calligraphy, xiao (Chinese vertical bamboo flute) and guqin (Chinese 7 string zither) demonstrations from February 3 rd through February 13 th . Wang Fei will present Chinese zithers ( guqin and guzheng ) demonstrations from February 17 th through February 27 th . For more information, please visit http://www.asianart.org/asiaalive.htm . The address is:

Samsung Hall  
Asian art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco
CA 94102

These events provide a very rare opportunity to experience Chinese high culture in the US. Please distribute this information to any of your friends who might be interested, and help NAGA, who promote guqin music and Chinese culture with great passion outside China , to bring it to others who might share the same great interest. We hope these events will help people to better understand and appreciate Chinese culture and the important place the guqin held in Imperial China. If you have any question, please email to info@guqin.org.

We wish everyone a great Chinese New Year!!!

North American Guqin Association

http://www.guqin.org

Email: info@guqin.org