Back to Press Release List > 09/30/2009 - Ancient Paths, Modern Voices Events in Manhattan and Queens Community Venues

(For Immediate Release, September 10, 2009)—From October 21 to November 10, 2009, Carnegie Hall presents Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture, paying tribute to China’s diverse and vibrant culture and its influence around the world with 21 days of events at Carnegie Hall and New York partner institutions.

Bringing the citywide festival out into local communities, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute will present four concerts, a master class, and two Chinese instrument workshops—all part of Carnegie Hall’s free Neighborhood Concert Series—at venues in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Flushing, Queens. For over 30 years, Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series has presented free concerts that reflect both the diverse sounds of the city and Carnegie Hall’s ever-expanding programming. These concerts are free and open to the public with some geared toward family-friendly audiences.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices Neighborhood Concerts are:

Ba Da Chui, Hosted by Wu Man
October 24 at 3:00 p.m., The Performance Project @ University Settlement
Wu Man, a virtuoso pipa player, hosts a free Neighborhood Concert featuring Chinese percussion group Ba Da Chui at University Settlement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Promising to be a feast of sound, this concert will be fun for families who enjoy loud, fast-moving music. The group’s name, which means “eight great hammers,” is illustrative of the gargantuan sound made by their music.

Class of 1978 with Ensemble ACJW
October 25 at 2:00 p.m., Flushing Town Hall
The famed “Class of 1978,” the first graduating class from music conservatories after China’s Cultural Revolution, included composers like Tan Dan, Chen Yi, Bright Sheng, and Chen Qigang. This free Neighborhood Concert at Flushing Town Hall in Queens includes chamber music by this extraordinary generation of composers performed by Ensemble ACJW, a young, energetic ensemble made up of fellows of The Academy.

Zhang Family Band
October 25 at 3:00 p.m., Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement
Performing “Old Tune” traditional music of China used in village rituals like temple fairs, weddings, and funerals, the Zhang Family Band incorporates shadow puppetry into their program at this free Neighborhood Concert at Henry Street Settlement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The band’s music can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, and is still deeply rooted in the daily lives of Chinese villagers today.

Chinese Instrument Workshop: Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
October 28 at 10:30 a.m., Flushing Town Hall
October 29 at 4:00 p.m., University Settlement at the Houston Street Center
Members of one the world’s leading symphonic ensembles of traditional Chinese instruments—the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra—offer a close look at the four main types of traditional Chinese instruments. Led by Associate Conductor Chew Hee Chiat, these public workshops include a talk and demonstration of bowed, plucked, wind, and percussion instruments from the orchestra. The audience will be given an opportunity to try the instruments themselves, following the workshop.

For more information and a complete schedule of Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts throughout the season, please visit: carnegiehall.org/neighborhoodconcerts.

In addition, in conjunction with the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival, Carnegie Hall has launched a special web site: carnegiehall.org/chinafestival. This online companion features the most up-to-date information on all festival events, video interviews and performance excerpts from featured artists, as well as insights into Chinese culture and festival programs.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture is made possible by a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices
This fall, Carnegie Hall presents Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture, paying tribute to China’s diverse and vibrant culture and its influence around the world with 21 days of events at Carnegie Hall and New York partner institutions, presented from October 21 to November 10, 2009. An exciting new alliance between Carnegie Hall and Segerstrom Center for the Arts will also bring select Ancient Paths, Modern Voices programming to Costa Mesa, California, resulting in a festival presented simultaneously by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and partner institutions on the West Coast from October 11 to November 24, 2009.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices features performances by leading international musicians, including some artists traveling outside China for the first time. Festival performances will feature many genres of music—from Western symphonic and chamber music influenced by Chinese culture to Chinese traditional folk music and contemporary music, including premieres by internationally recognized Chinese composers Chen Qigang, Tan Dun, and Angel Lam. The festival exploration also includes a wide variety of other offerings on each coast, including traditional marionette theater, dance, film screenings, calligraphy, panel discussions, and art exhibitions, offering insights into a world that mixes the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the cutting-edge.

With over 30 events, the reach of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices in New York will be extended throughout the city through partnerships between Carnegie Hall and other prestigious cultural institutions including: Asia Society, China Institute, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, The Joyce Theater, The Juilliard School, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Chinese in America, and The Paley Center for Media, as well as through a series of free Neighborhood Concerts presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in the community venues of Flushing Town Hall in Queens, Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement, and The Performance Project @ University Settlement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall
The Weill Music Institute creates broad-reaching music education and community programs that play a central role in Carnegie Hall’s commitment to making great music accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Woven into the fabric of the Carnegie Hall concert season, these programs occur at Carnegie Hall as well as in schools and throughout neighborhoods, providing musical opportunities for everyone, from preschoolers to adults, new listeners to emerging professionals. With access to the world’s greatest artists and latest technologies, The Weill Music Institute is uniquely positioned to inspire the next generation of music lovers, to nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and to shape the evolution of musical learning itself. The Weill Music Institute’s school and community programs annually serve over 115,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young music professionals, and adults in the New York metropolitan area and across the US, as well as 65,000 people around the world through its online and distance learning initiatives.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/exploreandlearn.

Program Information
All events are free. Please contact the performance venue for specific reservation information.

Saturday, October 24 at 3:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: BA DA CHUI
The Performance Project @ University Settlement
184 Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002
Public Phone: 212-453-4532
RSVP Required. Limit two per person.

Ba Da Chui, Percussion Quartet
Hosted by Wu Man

This native Chinese percussion quartet, whose name means “eight great hammers,” promises a feast of sound.

This Neighborhood Concert is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.
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Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ENSEMBLE ACJW
Flushing Town Hall
The Theater
137-35 Northern Blvd. (at the corner of Linden Place)
Flushing, NY 11354
Public Phone: 718-463-7700 x222
Seating is limited. First come, first serve.

CLASS OF 1978

The illustrious Class of 1978, the first graduating class from music conservatories after the Cultural Revolution, included composers who would revitalize Chinese contemporary music. This concert includes chamber music by this extraordinary generation of composers.

CHEN QIGANG Instants d'un Opéra de Pékin for Solo Piano
CHEN YI Qi for Flute, Cello, Percussion, and Piano
BRIGHT SHENG String Quartet No. 3
GUO WENJING Parade for Six Peking Opera Gongs, Op. 40
ZHOU LONG Taigu Rhyme for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Percussion

The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—is made possible by a leadership gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, The Irving Harris Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Martha and Bob Lipp, Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., Judith and Burton Resnick, Susan and Elihu Rose, and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional support from Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Susan and Ed Forst, Mrs. Nancy A. Marks, The William Petschek Family, Suki Sandler, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

The Academy School Partnerships benefitting NYC public school students are made possible, in part, by Bank of America.

The Academy and Ensemble ACJW are made possible, in part, by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Recovery Act, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
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Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ZHANG FAMILY BAND
Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement
Playhouse
466 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
Public Phone: 212-598-0400
Doors open 2:30 p.m. Seating is limited.

Zhang Family Band (Old Tune Traditional Music with Shadow Puppets)

This native Chinese ensemble performs traditional music used in village rituals, including temple fairs, weddings, funerals, and seasonal festivities. Their inimitable music can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, and is still deeply rooted in the daily life of Chinese villagers today.

This Neighborhood Concert is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.
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Wednesday, October 28 at 10:30 a.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: HONG KONG CHINESE INSTRUMENT WORKSHOP
Flushing Town Hall
The Theater
137-35 Northern Blvd. (at the corner of Linden Place)
Flushing, NY 11354
Public Phone: 718-463-7700 x222
Seating is limited. First come, first serve.

Members of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Chew Hee Chiat, Associate Conductor

Members of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, one the world's leading symphonic ensembles of traditional Chinese instruments, offer a close look at four main types of traditional Chinese instruments. The workshop, led by Associate Conductor Chew Hee Chiat, includes talk and demonstration of bowed, plucked, wind, and percussion instruments from the orchestra. Stay afterwards for a chance to try the instruments.
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Thursday, October 29 at 4:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: HONG KONG CHINESE INSTRUMENT WORKSHOP
University Settlement at the Houston Street Center
273 Bowery (on the corner of Bowery and Houston)
New York, NY 10012
Seating is limited. RSVP Required: 212-475-5008.

Members of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Chew Hee Chiat, Associate Conductor

Members of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, one the world's leading symphonic ensembles of traditional Chinese instruments, offer a close look at four main types of traditional Chinese instruments. The workshop, led by Associate Conductor Chew Hee Chiat, includes talk and demonstration of bowed, plucked, wind, and percussion instruments from the orchestra. Stay afterwards for a chance to try the instruments.
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Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts are sponsored by Target.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture is made possible by a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.

Sponsored, in part, by Deloitte LLP

Additional funding from Roche and China Merchants Bank

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

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