Cheng Yu (musician)
Encyclopedia
Cheng Yu is a Chinese musician. She is internationally renowned as a performer of the pipa
, a Chinese four-stringed lute, but also plays the guqin
, a seven-stringed zither, and is a virtuoso, scholar and specialist of Chinese music.
She gained a BMus in China and an MMus in the United Kingdom. She completed her PhD
studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS) in London on Ancient Xi'an
Music and regularly performs throughout the UK.
She plays, records and researches widely on traditional and contemporary Chinese music as well as cross-cultural music collaborations in the UK, Europe and other places. In her recent project in 2005, she successfully re-created a modern version of the lost Tang Dynasty
five-stringed pipa, based on the study of old Tang dynasty pipas and lutes from the East Asian cultures.
She is the founder of the UK Chinese Ensemble
in 1994 and the London Youlan Qin Society
in 2003.
. She studied the southern Pudong style of pipa with her father from the age of seven and was further trained by pipa masters in the north-western Pinghu style later. She also studied and graduated with distinction in the Xi'an
Conservatory of Music in 1987 for the guqin. She won the "outstanding pipa player" award in China in the same year she was selected as a pipa soloist in the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing.
She moved to London in the 1990s and currently teaches pipa and guqin as well as research at SOAS, University of London
.
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
, a Chinese four-stringed lute, but also plays the guqin
Guqin
The guqin is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family...
, a seven-stringed zither, and is a virtuoso, scholar and specialist of Chinese music.
She gained a BMus in China and an MMus in the United Kingdom. She completed her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
(SOAS) in London on Ancient Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
Music and regularly performs throughout the UK.
She plays, records and researches widely on traditional and contemporary Chinese music as well as cross-cultural music collaborations in the UK, Europe and other places. In her recent project in 2005, she successfully re-created a modern version of the lost Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
five-stringed pipa, based on the study of old Tang dynasty pipas and lutes from the East Asian cultures.
She is the founder of the UK Chinese Ensemble
UK Chinese Ensemble
The UK Chinese Ensemble is an internationally recognised UK Chinese music ensemble that was founded in 1994 by Chinese virtuosi resident in Britain. The ensemble seeks to promote a wide variety of traditional repertoires as well as exploring contemporary styles...
in 1994 and the London Youlan Qin Society
London Youlan Qin Society
The London Youlan Qin Society is a London based qin society serving guqin players in the UK. Of the three major qin societies of the West , this society is the most informal and the most active in terms of regular events and yajis.The Society began to adopt a constitution in 2011 and has begun to...
in 2003.
Biography
Cheng Yu was born in Beijing, but grew up in Gansu Province in Northwest China when her family was exiled during the Cultural RevolutionCultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. She studied the southern Pudong style of pipa with her father from the age of seven and was further trained by pipa masters in the north-western Pinghu style later. She also studied and graduated with distinction in the Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
Conservatory of Music in 1987 for the guqin. She won the "outstanding pipa player" award in China in the same year she was selected as a pipa soloist in the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing.
She moved to London in the 1990s and currently teaches pipa and guqin as well as research at SOAS, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
Collaborations and projects
- Asian Music CircuitAsian Music CircuitThe Asian Music Circuit is a UK-based organisation based which produces tours and concerts internationally, holds educational and outreach events in the UK and works generally to promote the music of Asia. Registered in Hemel Hempstead, its office and museum are based in West London...
: Chinese Music Summer School from 2003 - ARC MusicARC MusicARC Music Productions International Limited is a specialist world music and folk music label based in West Sussex, United Kingdom. It was established in 1976...
- SOAS
- Music House
- Zomba
- Extreme Music
- Realworld
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- Karl JenkinsKarl Jenkins-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
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- Fabien Tehericsen
- London SinfoniettaLondon SinfoniettaThe London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
1996 - Lyon Ensemble Orchestral Contemporian 2000-01
- Avignon Orchestra 2003
- Edinburgh String Quartet 2004
- Youth Music: Faber Music Songbook 2005
- Jan Kuiper
- Purbayan ChatterjeePurbayan ChatterjeePurbayan Chatterjee is an Indian sitar player and composer who lives in Kolkata, India. He is noted for amalgamating traditional Indian classical music with contemporary world music genres....
- Zoumana Kiarra
- Jan Hendrickse
- Tim Garside
- Stephen Dydo
- Gillian Carcas
- Gyewon Byeon
External links
- UK Chinese Music Her official site with up-to-date news and events