Recently, the China Central Television Network (CCTV) has revealed the semi-finalists of the China Musical Instruments TV Competition. The GZU College of Music’s Lusheng Orchestra is on the shortlist for their performance, "Joy of the Harvest".  

By sponsoring this competition, CCTV aims to promote traditional Chinese culture, showcase the charm of Chinese musical instruments, introduce new talents and their performance, and eventually enhance societal prosperity. This event is the first national musical instruments TV competition since the last one held in 2009.

The leaders of the College of Music were intrigued by the news of the upcoming competition and invited Mr. Yang Changjie to organize practices for the Lusheng Orchestra. A classic Lusheng program, Joy of the Harvest, composed by Yang Changshu, a famous Lusheng instructor, performer, and composer; and Mr. Hou Yvchen, was selected for rehearsal. Based on Miao People’s Lushang melodies, which are most popular in the southeastern Guizhou, the music, particularly at the last segment, vividly reflects the charm of the Lusheng. The music paints a panoramic picture of the local people's lives under the leadership of the Party and the government. It presents a happy and auspicious scene of the golden autumn, in which the ethnic minorities of Guizhou are celebrating a good harvest while singing and dancing.

The Lusheng Orchestra of the Music College was founded in July 2016, aiming to promote traditional Chinese culture and spread the culture of Guizhou featuring ethnic customs. Most of the Orchestra members are Miao, Dong, or Buyi minorities, specializing in singing, dancing, and music at the College of Music and the College of Science and Technology of GZU. The orchestra mainly consists of reed-pipe Lusheng, popular with Miao, Dong, Shui, and Yao People in the southwest of Guizhou, and some other traditional musical instruments from Guizhou’s ethnic groups. The Orchestra has won a great number of awards both at home and abroad for their performances and has performed abroad on several occasions.

The semi-final will be held in Beijing in early July. The Lusheng Orchestra is currently busy rehearsing, hoping to showcase the best image of GZU on the CCTV stage in July.

Text: Liao Jue (College of Music)

Photography: Zhou Xiaobing (College of Music)

Chief Editor: Liang Yukun

Senior Editor: Tang Juan

Translator: Li Xiaorong

Proofreading: Zoe Novak, Zhou Jie