Photo courtesy of MTSU News and Media Relations
Story by Joshua Seward / Staff Writer
The Confucius Institute Center for Chinese Music and Culture hosted a Chinese music and dance ensemble Wednesday evening to celebrate the 2,567th birthday of Confucius.
The event was held at the Hinton Music Hall and showcased traditional Chinese music. Each presentation was either composed, arranged, choreographed or performed by Chinese artists.
“Confucius states in his book of music ‘Yue Ji’ that all music rises from the human heart,” said Dr. Mei Han, Director of the Center for Chinese Music and Culture and internationally recognized ethnomusicologist. She is also an associate professor at MTSU and a virtuoso on the zheng, a traditional Chinese instrument.
Performers played various Chinese instruments, including a bamboo flute and an instrument called the Yangqin. The Yangqin is a large, trapezoid-shaped instrument with a range of over four octaves and over 153 strings that are hammered instead of plucked.
“The experience of learning about different cultures, and the opportunity to interact with people from those cultures, is a very powerful thing,” Han said.
The Confucius Institute at MTSU opened this past March and is partnered with the Hangzhou Normal University of China. Their mission statement is to “enhance the understanding of Chinese language and culture, facilitate engagement with China and create opportunities for exchange and collaboration between communities in Tennessee and China.” The center offers music workshops, lectures and concerts.
Beginning this fall semester, the center is offering a special topic course to all MTSU students. The course description includes learning and performing on Chinese musical instruments. Registration requires permission from Dr. Han and the music department.
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