By the Confucius Institute at Miami University

On October 15, the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Music Culture Week came to an end with a festival at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The event was jointly organized by the Confucius Institute at Miami University (CIMU) and the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Music Association. CIMU director and staff, leaders of the Cincinnati Chinese Music Association, and four judges from Miami University and University of Cincinnati’s music departments were invited to attend the festival.

The competition was divided into two parts: vocal and instrumental. Students from nearly 30 programs were chosen to participate in the competition, including more than 50 contestants from Cincinnati and Dayton, as well as a number of local secondary schools and primary schools. American students learning the Chinese language performed popular Chinese songs such as "True Hero," "Chrysanthemum Balcony," "When You Are Old," and "Manual of Youth.” The students gave wonderful performances.

Participants from St.Xavier High School performed "True Hero"The student from Miami Valley Middle School read the modern poem "Facing the Sea and Springing Blossom" in Chinese, which received a warm applause. In the end, "Fish," "Chrysanthemum Balcony" and "When You Are Old" won the unanimous favor of the judges, winning first, second, and third prizes.

The second part of the Music Festival was a contest for instrumentalists. Students played traditional Chinese music with the Western or Chinese instruments, including the erhu ensemble "My Country,” the western musical instrument ensemble "Horse Racing," the flute solo "Singing on the Fishing Boat," an opera medley, and the ruan solo “Gallop.” Next, students performed music with Chinese instruments, including the hulusi solo "Deep Bamboo,” the piano solo "Zhang Shuai, third movement," and the erhu solo "Erquan Yingyue" which won the top three prizes. The beautiful music was well-received by the audience.

Students from Miami Valley School played the guitar and sang "When You Are Old"The second part of the Music Festival was a contest for instrumentalists. Students played traditional Chinese music with the Western or Chinese instruments, including the erhu ensemble "My Country,” the western musical instrument ensemble "Horse Racing," the flute solo "Singing on the Fishing Boat," an opera medley, and the Ruan solo “Gallop.” Next, students performed music with Chinese musical instruments, including the Hulusi solo "Deep Bamboo,” the piano solo "Zhang Shuai, third movement," and the erhu solo "Erquan Yingyue" which won the top three prizes. The audience enjoyed the beautiful performances.

Participant from Miami Valley School performed the violin solo "Butterfly Lovers". Participant from Mason Intermediate school played the Ruan solo “Galloping”, while a student from Mason High School played the Jinghu solo "Peking Opera Medley".

It is also worth mentioning that CIMU, the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Music Association, and two local schools in the United States established and expanded the flagship project of hulusi teaching. In the contest, some of the students from the two schools reported on their progress in learning to play hulusi, a classical Chinese instrument. The students, who had been studying for a month, delivered a beautiful rendition of the song "Peacock."

The 2017 Cincinnati Chinese Music Culture Week kicked off with a performance from the Chinese State Council Overseas Chinese Mid-Autumn Performance Troop at the Memorial Hall in Cincinnati. During the week, the locally well-known CCM XinShiJie band visited two local schools, sharing wonderful music performances. The Chinese musicians of the GCCMS, joined by students from CIMU Chinese Classical Music Ensemble, also brought the Chinese folk music performances to the Families with Children from China association. The children interacted enthusiastically with the performers. Finally, the Greater Cincinnati Youth Chinese Music Festival brought the week to a satisfying conclusion.

The Music Week is a successful example of cooperation between CIMU and local art groups, with a large number of participants, a wide range of activities, and rich content. The event provided an opportunity for Chinese language learners to display their language and music talents, gain a better understanding of Chinese culture, and motivate their enthusiasm and interest in learning Chinese. The event provided a platform for American-Chinese music and cultural exchanges.

Music Festival organizers and judges in a photo together