Live from Chinatown – May 29, 2011

Please join us Sunday, May 29 from 5:30-6:30 PM in Chinatown Square for a FREE outdoor concert of traditional and contemporary works from the CFAS repertoire featuring classically trained cellist and hip hop artist KATO, and dynamic guzheng duo Judy and Sherry Tseng.

Chinatown Square
2133 South China Place
Chicago, Illinois 60616
5:30-6:30 PM

PROGRAM

Judy and Sherry Tseng – Guzheng duo

Song of the Grasslands
Battle of Typhoon
Great Wall Ballad
Happy Days

Kato – Classically trained cellist and hip hop artist

Brilliante
Arioso
Lamentoso
Appassionato
Notturno
Col Legno

PERFORMER BIOS

• Kato, composer, actor, musician, and performer. Classically trained in cello, Kato blends various genres into hip hop styled songs and composes classical melodies to act as counterpoints – using his cello as a second voice. He has written and recorded for Grammy winning artists and toured around the country, performing at festivals such as SXSW and appearing at various MTV events.

• Judy Tseng, guzheng player. Ever since a TV show sparked her interest in guzheng, Judy Tseng has performed at multiple cultural events around Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and even Canada. Even though she is attending college, she doesn’t let her studies get in the way of her musical passion. Judy still tries to attend as many performances as possible in collaboration with her cousin, Sherry Tseng, to spread this musical culture to others.

• Sherry Tseng, guzheng player. Having started learning to play guzheng around age 9, Sherry Tseng has since visited and performed at various venues to demonstrate the beauty of traditional Chinese guzheng music. Even now as an incoming first-year in college, her love for the instrument hasn’t changed, and neither have her efforts to spread cultural appreciation and understanding through her performances.

PROGRAM NOTES – GUZHENG MUSIC

Song of the Grasslands
This song reflects heavily on the lives of the many herders who have lived out in the
grasslands. The sound of running horses is strongly stressed in this song to further
emphasize the importance of this animal to the herders. The horse was also a wonderful
playmate to the children of the herders as you can hear through the joyful tunes in this
song.

Battle of Typhoon
This song was about the workers at a harbour when a typhoon would come in.
The music in this song was composed to sound like the winds of a typhoon as
the workers battle with it for hours until it would go away. And at the end of this
song, there is a feeling of relief as the workers know that they have made it.

Great Wall Ballad
This is an old folk song that contains lyrics about the majestic Great Wall that cuts across the great lands of China. It provides a soothing tone that allows the people of China to know that they are safe within the walls of their great protector, the Great Wall.

Happy Days
This song was composed to express the feelings of the civilians living in Jiang
Nan during different holidays. The fast pace and happy melody all contribute to
allowing the listeners to connect with the joy and happiness that the people were
feeling at that moment in time.