A Journey to Lhasa without an air ticket

I’ve been a part of the Chinese Orchestra since I was 13 years old, back when I was still in high school but no one believes that I can play Chinese instruments. Don't I look like a musician? I actually joined the Chinese Orchestra because my dad. He was a huge fan of oldies songs! At first, my dad wanted me to learn Erhu but I wasn't really interested in Erhu so I chose Yang Qin (which is also known as the Chinese Dulcimer) and Percussion. There are many instruments in the Chinese Orchestra such as Yang Qin, Erhu, Pipa, Zhong Ruan, Liu Qin, Shuo Na, Sheng, Di Zi and Percussion. I’ve joined the orchestra for 5 years straight and have also had the chance to participate in its anniversary music concert during my 5th year - it was my first and very last chance to participate in a music concert.

was preparing early in the morning

the opening ceremony

The theme of the anniversary music concert which was held in 2010 was “A Journey to Lhasa” which happened to be our orchestra’s 7th music concert. To prepare ourselves for this music concert, we’ve rehearsed for more than a year. Even though, we’ve encountered numerous problems throughout the preparation period, like arguments, we’ve still pulled through to offer the audience an unforgettable performance.

On 31st July 2010, all the performers were really excited, they were all smiling and laughing but I could see that they were as nervous as I was deep inside. I guess what really made me nervous was because of my solo role in the first song which was playing timpani that made butterflies in my stomach. I’m sure you guys have heard of a timpani right?

Well, here’s a short introduction to the theme (:
A Tour to Lhasa is a song written by a Guan Nai Zhong, a composer foreign to the land of Lhasa in Tibet. There are four movements to this piece : Potala Palace, Yarlung Zangbo River, Heavenly Burial and Beating Ghost. Guan Nai Zhong used the New Music approach to picture Lhasa, with clashing and opposing rhythms creating a fiery yet mysterious atmosphere. The theme of this song is conveyed in three of the movements, portraying the strongly inherited beliefs of the people in Lhasa.

The pilgrim makes his way towards Potala Palace with sincerity. How grand and godly the palace stood! Situated on the Mabu hill, the towers of the palace reflect the blue sky and its white, whisoy clouds. With every step the pilgrim takes, the magnificient palace grows larger. When a mysterious blare of a horm radiates from within the palace, the pilgrim's heart starts to fill with pleasure : he will soon be able to fulfill his pilgrimage!

Yarlong Zanbo river is the heartbeat of the Tibetan's life which originates from the melted snow of the Himalaya ranges. It started of in trickling streams, later expanding into a river which flows swiftly through lush green meadows. Yarlong Zanbo river flows far and wide, giving life to the grass of the meadows and brining comfort and nourishment to the hearts of the people.

The deceased is wrapped in a white cloth and sent halfway up a mountain, where the funeral parlour is. The mountain wind howls loudly, accompanied by the soft chanting of the Lhamas (high priests). A bald eagles soars past, circling the air above the funeral procession, eyeing the carcasses with its piercing glare. The eagles snatched and fought for the bones and meat of the carcass. It is the belief of the Tibetans, that when the carcass of a deceased had been completely feasted upon, the soul of the deceased rises, slowly into the air, high above the clouds.

Beating Ghost is an annual ritual performed by Lhamas at the end of the first lunar month. The Lhamas encircle the performing area in a dance with masks that represents the different gods, symbolizing the arrival of those gods to mingle among the people. The festive air is filled with songs of worship, mingled with the clatter and cheer of the people's merry-making. The downfall of the Devil marks the end of this ritual, whereby followers kneel to embrace peace and blessings.

part time in Gu Zheng *wink!*

During the performance, I felt so nervous but mysteriously everything seemed to click. I even began to feel a little proud of myself when I heard the applause roar from the crowd. After we had finish performing our 8 songs, the crowd even asked for an ENCORE! So we chose 2 additional songs for encore which is the illustrious song "Matsuri" by Kitaro and "A Man of Determination".

The music concert ended up with the 2 far-famed encores. It's was just spectacular.
The performers felt so blissful, that the stress just vanished after the music concert.
We used up more than one year to prepare for this music concert, but it only used up 2 to 3 hours to perform it. That night, I really felt proud to be a part of the orchestra.

group photo of all concert performing members

members of YangQin & Percussion

It was a memorable day on 31st July 2010 :D