Master Class: Music From China

Music From China is a chamber ensemble that performs a dual repertoire of traditional and contemporary Chinese music. The group was founded in 1984 by Director Susan Cheng and is under the artistic direction of erhu virtuoso Wang Guowei. Performing on traditional instruments, the musicians invoke the sonorities of age-old musical traditions and interpret the music of today. Music From China has performed at colleges and universities including Princeton, Duke, Pittsburgh, Yale, Wisconsin, Dayton, Bucknell, Vermont, Colgate, Indiana, Bard, Vassar, Dartmouth, Lafayette colleges, Peabody Conservatory, and Eastman School of Music. Other appearances include the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Weill Recial Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, San Diego Museum of Art, Chautauqua Institution, 92nd Street Y, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, American Folk Festival, and the Library of Congress. A proponent of new music, Music From China has performed works by Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bright Sheng, Bun-Ching Lam, Dorothy Chang, James Mobberley, Vivian Fung, Tan Dun, Lei Liang, Yu-Hui Chang, and Derek Bermel. Music From China is recipient of an Adventurous Programming special commendation from Chamber Music America and ASCAP for creative programs that combine the music of East and West. As part of its music education program, the ensemble founded the 35-member Music From China Youth Orchestra which performs year-round under Artistic Director/Conductor Wang Guowei in the NY tri-state and other East Coast areas.