The Chinese Classical Music Ensemble
The Chinese Classical Music Ensemble integrates Chinese and Western music and instrumentation in order to present the finest contemporary Chinese influenced music. The ensemble’s instrumentation includes the dizi (bamboo flute), yangqin (butterfly harp), zheng (long zither), pipa (lute), sheng (mouth organ), erhu (fiddle), violin, viola, cello and bass. The ensemble performs special programs for educational, cultural and entertainment purposes, including Chinese music, dancing, and acrobatics. Their mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through music.
Director Zhiming Han, winner of the Henry Mancini Award for Film Composition, plays the yangqin and dizi within the ensemble. As a producer, composer and musician, Han has worked with Oscar-winning Hollywood composers such as James Horner and John Williams and has performed on Disney’s Mulan 2 soundtrack, Xbox’s video game soundtrack for Jade Empire and in Jackie Chan movies. He has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and has held concerts in Europe, Asia and the United States. His CD Celestial Echo is now available.
Program Coordinator Cynthia Hsiang, player of the zheng (long zither), has premiered works with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Sacramento Camellia Symphony and Madrid International Theater Festival. She has released two albums entitled Nocturne in Autumn Palace and High Mountain and Flowing Water.
