DATE & TIME: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 10AM- 12PM

LOCATION: CENTRAL LIBRARY, LEVEL 0 0-04 BMO COMMUNITY ROOM - 800 3 ST SE, CALGARY, AB T2G 0E7

ADMISSION: FREE

LIMITED SPACE. FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

As a quintessential part of Chinese culture, Peking Opera is familiar to most Chinese people but rarely understood. A lecture on Peking Opera in Calgary, delivered by a Chinese opera expert, is an extraordinary opportunity to learn about this traditional art form!

On September 14th, 2019, 10am at the Calgary Central Library, Facet Music will be presenting a public lecture titled “Mysteries of Chinese Opera Revealed!”. This is the first of a 2-part educational program exploring Chinese Opera, partnered with the Calgary Central Library and supported by the Calgary Chinatown Lions Club. 

Under opera expert Alina Chen’s guidance, you will appreciate the exquisiteness, delicacy, and broadness of Peking Opera. The presentation will unpack the origin and development of Peking Opera, its main roles and schools, the four famous Peking opera singers, their respective artistic features and representative works. 

Interspersed with various demonstrations and interactions, the lecture is designed to be educational and entertaining for everyone. At the end, you’ll be treated to a short performance of opera excerpts by Mrs. Chen herself. 

Chen’s presentation will be presented in Mandarin, but interpreted in English as well, allowing this Chinese traditional art to reach out to the Calgary general public.

Bring your friends and family! Come to the Central Library to enjoy this feast for the senses, take part in this unique and unforgettable experience! 

About Alina Chen -

Born into a family of artists, Alina Chen was influenced by the Peking Opera art form at a young age. In 1994, she started to learn Peking Opera - “Cheng Style main female role” （程派）, from Peking Opera master Jin Fang in Beijing. Chen apprenticed with Peking Opera master Zhong Rong in 2000. As an opera advocate, Alina actively gave Peking Opera presentations and workshops to schools in Beijing before moving to Canada.

Pipa, also known as the Chinese lute, was being played as early as the Qin Dynasty (around 210 BC ). Loved and praised by both the common people and artists, the unique sound of the instrument was once described as “the sound of the golden rock”, or “the sound of falling beads on a jade plate”. Pipa master Hao-Yifan, the 4th generation “Wang” style pipa player and a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, is excited to perform Chinese classics for you on her favourite instrument.

Mentored by the masters of “Pu-dong”-style and “Wang”-style, Ms. Hao’s playing “…Carries the authentic spirit… natural and liberal” (Lin Gu fang - renowned music commentator); and is described as sounding like“…brewing storms on the sea, or like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water…” (Jing Zuo Ren - renowned music commentator).

Ms. Hao specializes in traditional repertoire and has recorded several albums, including her solo album “The Best Of Famous Traditional Pipa Music” in 1993, and “Abing Album” in 1996. She has performed all over China and toured in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and many countries in Europe. Recent performances include a concert at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 2016; a turn as guest soloist with the China National Symphony Orchestra in 2015 playing the concerto version of the “The Warlord Takes Off His Armour”; and a solo performance at the “Master Lin Shi Cheng Memorial Concert” in the same year.

In 2001, Ms. Hao’s master Li Guang-zu passed to her the ancestral pipa of the “Wang”-style — one of the five main pipa schools in China associated with the solo tradition — officially marking her position as the current master of the “Wang”-style tradition. Since then, she has translated the “Wang”-style music collection from Gongche notation to Chinese number notation, helped her teachers review and edit old music and scores for publishing, and since 2012, she has produced annual “Wang”-style pipa concerts.

Date And Time: Sat, 11 August 2018, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM MDT

Location: TransAlta Pavilion, Taylor Centre for the Performeing Arts, 4825 Mt Royal Gate SW, Calgary, AB

This June we have a very special event planned that will tell The Story Behind and In Front of a Chinese Opera Stage.

Traditional Chinese Opera is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China and evolved gradually over a thousand years. Over time it has incorporated various Chinese art forms such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, costume and make-up art, as well as literary art forms to become what we know today as traditional Chinese opera.

We have invited two Chinese Opera experts Vivian Lee and Alina Chen to share with us the charms of Chinese Opera from backstage to front of stage. We also have guest musicians from the Calgary Chinese Orchestra joining us!

1:30pm - 4:30pm - Make-up and Dress of Chinese Traditional Opera Live Show + Q&A. A wonderful casual and social event with a cash bar! As this will run over a 3 hour period, we will keep the door open so that you can join us anytime during this!

4:45pm - 5:30pm - Chinese Traditional Opera and Opera Music Live Show.

"Warehouse Live" is presented in cooperation with Wu & McHugh, their space is an combination of rough industrial chic and Chinese antique and vintage furniture and will be perfect for this special event!

Space is limited, so save your seat now!

Vivian Lee - With a Masters Degree from the Department of Drama of Taiwan Cultural University, specializing in drama theory and Kunqu opera performance, Vivian Lee was a full-time researcher and experimental artist of the first Kunqu Opera School in Taiwan. She performed traditional Chinese opera at Taiwan's National Theatre, various universities and schools including Calgary Chinese Culture Centre, City Hall, Jack singer Hall, Jubilee and University of Calgary.

Alina Chen - Born into an artistic family, Alina Chen was hugely influenced by the art form from a young age. In 1994, she started to learn Peking Opera - “Cheng Style, main female role”, from Peking Opera master Jin Fang in Beijing. Apprenticed with Peking Opera master Zhong Rong in 2000.Actively giving Peking Opera presentations and workshops to primary and middle schools in Beijing before moving to Canada.

Calgary Chinese Orchestra - is a registered non-profit organization founded by a group of Chinese-Canadian music enthusiasts in 1997. Throughout the years, Calgary Chinese Orchestra have performed at community and cultural events, various charities and fundraising activities, as well as hosting their own annual concert. An ensemble made up of a variety of ancient instruments, Calgary Chinese Orchestra is dedicated to carrying on the tradition, as well as expanding and innovating the local arts scene through collaboration and by embracing musicians from all backgrounds and cultures.

Date And Time: Sat, 8 June 2019,1:30 PM – 5:30 PM MDT

Location: Wu & McHugh, 9727 Horton Road Southwest, Calgary, AB T2V 2X5

After the huge success of the sold-out 2018 Chinese New Year Concert, we're coming back in February 2019 with an even bigger bang to celebrate this holiday with the Chinese community and all Calgarians!

The concert will represent 4 elements of the Chinese New Year — honor, wishes, food, and celebration — weaving a tapestry from Chinese traditions, Western art, and contemporary culture.

The concert includes the 4th generation “wang-style”pipa master Hao Yifan from China, award-winning flutist Jiajia Li, cutting-edge performance artist Barbara England, Calgary’s own Kensington Sinfonia, and the experimental youth choir, Artio. A thread of Chinese poetry will run through the concert, featuring poetry reciters from the local community selected from the Chinese poetry recitation audition held in November 2018.

Let the holiday celebrations continue! The Family Package (4 tickets) is a great way to treat your friends and loved ones to this extraordinary event! With just a "Click" You can book seats for one of the most spectacular cultural experiences in Calgary! Click Here for tickets or call Mount Royal Box Office: 403.440.7770 !

Lidong (Start of winter) is one of the 24 Chinese solar terms and falls on November 7 this year. Chinese celebrate this day with different customs and traditions, bringing some joy and warmth to the cold season. We will do the same on this event in Calgary!

This is the 2nd episode of the Warehouse Live Series - a salon-style music gathering. It is a unique experience set in Wu & McHugh warehouse an antique Chinese furniture store in Calgary, where you’ll witness outstanding musicians performing up-close. Hosted by Facet Music and Wu & McHugh, this episode will feature one of the city’s most versatile musicians, Nate Waters, as well as the one and only Calgary Chinese Orchestra playing on beautiful ancient instruments.

Nate Waters is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist from Calgary, and has performed and recorded in a number of disparate musical iterations. He has contributed to the city's musical fringe as half of the freely improvised Friesen/Waters Duo and as a part of the minimalist quartet Nobody Say Anything, while performing more conventionally with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Prime Time Big Band. Last year he released his first recorded foray into straight-ahead jazz, the Nate Waters Quartet's Fact Contrafact EP. He has also featured in pop groups such as Cable-Knits and Hunter-Gatherer, and recorded and appeared with Samantha Savage Smith, Aleem Khan, Prepared, and Raleigh.

Calgary Chinese Orchestra is a registered non-profit organization founded by a group of Chinese-Canadian music enthusiasts in 1997. With the goal of promoting and creating awareness of Chinese music and instruments, the orchestra has been successfully operating for over 20 years with the western world in mind. Throughout the years, Calgary Chinese Orchestra have performed at community and cultural events, various charities and fundraising activities, as well as hosting their own annual concert. An ensemble made up of a variety of ancient instruments, Calgary Chinese Orchestra is dedicated to carrying on the tradition, as well as expanding and innovating the local arts scene through collaboration and by embracing musicians from all backgrounds and cultures. It also provides a fun and casual environment for anyone interested in learning and experiencing the art of Chinese culture and music.

Time: 7:30pm

Date: Saturday, October 27th, 2018

Location: Wu & McHugh Warehouse - Unit 3, 9727 Horton Rd SW, Calgary AB