Performers Liwen Jiang and Yuet Ching offer students the opportunity to sample a slice of oriental culture when they perform music from both Eastern and Western masters this Friday, Mar. 31, 2006, on campus.

The performance, sponsored by the BYU Chinese Students and Scholars Association, carries the theme, "Music from the East and West." The concert features music from Western figures such as Beethoven and Vivaldi alongside pieces such as "Chinese Butterfly Lover," "Yellow River" and the theme from "Schindler's List." The concert also features "Heartstrings," a song by a Norwegian new-age group named Secret Garden.

"We believe this is a good chance to let Asians better know Western classics and the Westerners enjoy Chinese music at the same time," said Jiang, who plays violin. "It's an international music communication expressing the sound of the East and the West."

The concert includes four Eastern songs and four Western ones. Jiang said she personally chose each song and they are all her favorites.

"It [the concert] is like a eight-course menu, so the audience would have the chance to taste different flavors, one after the other," Jiang said.

Both Jiang and Ching, who plays piano, are from China. Jiang is from Shanghai, while Ching is from Hong Kong. Jiang is a master's student in communications, while Ching is a microbiology major. Jiang began playing violin when she was five, and Ching began learning piano when she was four.

Jiang said their heritage, combined with their musical experiences, made both of them want to bring oriental cultures into their music, and this concert gave them the chance to do so.

"Like what the university says, 'The world is Our Campus,' students here have much more international experiences and broader eyesight," Jiang said. "Also, this is the first concert in this semester that brings music various in types and country of origins in this one single concert."

The concert will also feature guest artist KrisAnn. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. in 151 TNRB and is expected to last for an hour. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.



Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Mar 2006