Chinese lute concert on tap in Sisters

World-renowned Pipa (Chinese lute) artist Zhou Yi will visit Sisters schools and perform in concert on Friday, October 7.

David Perkins, who founded the Mandarin language program in Sisters schools, told The Nugget that he has been working with Portland State University to bring Zhou Yi here.

"She is giving a concert at PSU Wednesday, October 5, and then will travel to Sisters to do a demo for the Americana and Chinese students in the choir room at 12:30 p.m. October 7, and then a free concert that evening in our auditorium at 7 p.m."

As a child prodigy, Zhou Yi started to learn music at the age of five and gave her first public recital at six. She trained for four years on the pipa before enrolling in the elementary school of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, similar to the Julliard School of Music in New York City. Two pipa students out of thousands were selected for the position in the school.

At the age of 8, she won the first prize of the Shanghai Spring Music Festival. At

12 years old, she claimed the Outstanding Performance Award of the Art Cup international Chinese traditional instruments contest. At the age of 16, her music was recorded and published by New Era Sound & Video Company of Guangzhou and Nanjing Video Publishing House of China. These recordings are used for future generations of music students to study as ideal renditions of these

pieces.

As a concert soloist, Zhou Yi has toured Europe, Asia, and North America.

Zhou Yi is a co-founder of the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of New York. She also plays the qin (zither), liuqin (high-pitched lute), ruan (alto lute), sanxian (three-stringed lute) as well as the piano. Zhou Yi currently resides in New York City.

The event will be a night of cultural exchange for Sisters.

"I'm having the three Chinese teachers prepare some Chinese dumplings and other eatables to offer free of charge to concert attendees in the commons prior to the concert," Perkins said. "Basically, we would like to do a 'Chinese night' for the kids and their parents."