Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year celebrations aren’t about winter—they mark the beginning of spring, with all the color and festive moods of the season of rebirth. That joy, celebrated for centuries, shines through in this program as it introduces students to various cultures and musical traditions of Asia. Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture conjures dramatic parades and fireworks, but by using a traditional folk melody, it also offers a quiet prayer for good fortune and peace. Peking Opera musicians take center stage for a concerto featuring the jing hu, a traditional instrument like a vertical fiddle. Orchestra member Rui Du demonstrates in The Butterfly Lovers how his violin can deliver musical gestures characteristic of China’s unique operatic tradition. Malay poems set to music plus Vietnamese and Korean works round out this extraordinary concert.

This program will be available to stream online for free after its premiere.