Deep Night | 夜深沉

About the Artists

Yun Song (erhu) has established herself in China as one of the most prominent Erhu performers of her generation. Her extraordinary musical gifts became apparent when, at age 17, she received the First Prize from the Traditional Music Grand Prix organized/hosted by the Ministry of Culture, China. With her brilliant technique and real emotional depth, she won numerous awards, including Erhu solo, Concerto Competitions in Beijing, and nation-wide TV annual strings performing competitions in the following years. And she became one of the most sought-after young Erhu artists, appearing from city to city. She has been invited to represent China’s Young Musicians to participate in festivals and concerts around the world, including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, and Finland. After that, she joined the Central National Song and Dance Troupe as a Erhu soloist and performed frequently. And, as well, she became the member of China Musicians Association, and the Director of Chinese Erhu Artists Association.

Ge-Ling Jiang (zhong ruan) is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist who started her professional training at the age of 10. After graduating from Wuhan Music Conservatory, she became a member of the Chime Bell Ensemble of Hubei Province. As a 20 year member of the ensemble , she recorded numerous radio broadcasts, TV programs, and films; and toured in the United States, Japan and Singapore. Trained initially as a sanxian (three-string fretless lute) player, she also regularly plays the zheng, liuqin, ruan, and Jing-erhu. From 2004, after immigrating to Canada, she joined several contemporary music ensembles based in Vancouver and performed across Canada, the US, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Philippine and China: she was a zheng player in Orchid Ensemble; now sanxian, ruan and zheng player in Red Chamber; ruan, sanxian and zheng player of Cloud Bell Ensemble. She has been a guest musician working with the Vancouver Symphony, the University of British Columbia (UBC) Symphony, the Elektra Women’s Choir, and a Chinese music instrument coach at the University of British Columbia School of Music. She is not only an excellent musical interpreter for composers, but also a good improviser with different musicians.

About the Instruments

Erhu: a bowed instrument from China with a long neck and two strings between which a horsehair bow is placed. The strings are tuned to a fifth. The sound box may take different shapes – hexagon, octagon, round, or ellipse – and is covered on one side by snakeskin. The erhu performs an essential role in Chinese classical music as well as in the folk music tradition. It is held vertically to play – the left hand plays without a fingerboard, while the right hand holds the bow and plays one string at a time.

Sanxian: a long necked fretless lute with three strings. In Chinese, “san” means three and “xian” means strings. The resonating body is made of a round wooden box covered with snake skin, just like an erhu. The instrument is played with a plectrum and is widely used to accompany singing.

Yueqin: also known as the moon guitar, moon lute, gekkin, wolgeum, or la-ch‘in; a traditional Chinese string instrument. It is a lute with a round, hollow wooden body, a short fretted neck, and four strings tuned in courses of two (each pair of strings is tuned to a single pitch), generally tuned to the interval of a perfect fifth. It is an important instrument in the Peking opera orchestra, often taking the role of main melodic instrument in lieu of the bowed string section. 

Video Production Credits

Videography – Alistair Eagle, assisted by Don Xaliman & Camillia Frey

Audio Engineer & Mix – Sheldon Zaharko

Filmed and recorded on December 2-3, 2020 at Deep Cove Shaw Theatre in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

For the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra:

Producer – Mark Armanini

Senior Project Manager – Farshid Samandari

View the full programme for The Longest Night: Music for Solstice (Solace).