Some Pictures from the Evergreen Farmer’s Market Performance

A very big thank you to all those who came out in show of support last Saturday at Evergreen Brick Works, and a warm welcome and Happy New Year to all our new friends since then. We wish you a happy and safe Year of the Water Dragon, and without further ado, let us review the events of that day:

January 21, 2012 Evergreen Brick Works Performance Itinerary

 First Session: 30 mins

Yayue – Book of Songs – Lu Ming (8 mins) TQS
(Intro speech: New Year, about Hanfu – 3~4 mins) Juni Yeung
Guqin Solo – Pei Lan (7 mins) Juni Yeung
Suona – Hua Mulan (5 mins) – Gongyu Xu
Guqin + Group Song – Guanshan Yue (3 mins) Esther Zhang, TQS group

 Second Session: 30 mins

Yayue – Book of Songs – Si Mu (7 mins) TQS
(Welcome back speech: New Year, about Yayue – 3~4 mins) Juni Yeung
Guqin Solo – Longxiang Cao (7 mins) – Yanyan Zhu
Sheng Solo – Fenghuang Zhanchi (4 mins) Gongyu Xu
Dizi – Gusu Xing (5 mins) –   Frederick M.H. Yiu

Kudos to Yanyan Zhu and Bill Wilson for photography.

Happy New Year 4710!

This is an Official Announcement of the TQS.

願在壬辰之歲,天地定位，陰陽協和。星辰順度，日月昭明。寒暑應候，雨暘以時。山岳靖謐，河海澄清。草木蕃廡，魚鱉咸若。家和戶寧，衣食充足。禮讓興行，教化修明。風俗敦厚，刑罰不用。華夏歸仁，四夷賓服。邦國鞏固，宗社尊安。景運隆長，本支萬世。

We wish you:

In the year of Yin-shen the Yang Water Dragon, Heaven and Earth sets its place, Yin and Yang is in harmony. The stars and constellations are in order, the sun and moon shine brightly. Heat and cold reflect the seasons, rain and shine come in timely schedule. Mountains and valleys are safe and tranquil, the rivers and seas are clear and calm. Trees and foliage manifest, fish and whales are prosperous. Families are happy and clans at peace, clothing and food be abundant. Ritual and propriety take its place, and civilization enlighten us all. May human nature be honest, and not have to resort to punishment. May Huaxia return to its humane doctrine, and foreigners from the four directions be impressed. Land and country be strong, the ancestral lineage be respected and kept safe. May good fortune be everlasting, and continue like a tree into the future.

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As usual, Toronto Guqin Society is involved in the production and events of Hanfu Chunwan. Be sure to go over and check out their ever more impressive lineup of shows and events on Chinese culture!

Also, we have completely uploaded the 3 pieces of the Shijing Yuepu performed series onto Youtube. You can see them by reading more below.

Thank you for your support and participation with Toronto Guqin Society, and stay in touch for further event updates. If you have any requests for when/where to hold gatherings, please also feel free to leave a reply or send an email to Juni Yeung at jt_revolution@hotmail.com.

TQS/TCO Joint Performance @ Evergreen Farmer’s Market, January 21, 2012

What are we up to?

 In celebration of the 2012/4710 Chinese New Year of the Water Dragon, the Toronto Guqin Society (TQS) has partnered up with the Toronto Chinese Orchestra (TCO) and Mr. William Ho of The ONE Gallery in Unionville, to bring you authentic traditional ritual music used in the Guanli coming-of-age ceremony. Recorded in High-Definition, this is the first time since TQS performed the piece in partnership with the Chinese Students and Scholars Associations of Ontario Universities (CSSAOU) in the 60th anniversary of the PRC in 2009.

The three stages of the coming-of-age ceremony are reflected by the three pieces of music used – consecutive pieces “Lu Ming”, “Si Mu” and “Huanghuang Zhe Hua” from the “Small Elegant Airs” section of the Book of Poetry. The score used is the Imperial Commissioned Score of the Book of Poetry, titled by Qianlong of the Qing period (in the 18th century). The score was part of a larger cultural reform at the time, and the republication of the work in the Republican era (early 20th century) did not make any amendments. Juni Yeung from TQS has spent two years in studying the system, in attempt to revert the changes from the 14-pitch scale back to the 12-pitch one, and strike a balance with contemporary instrumental and performance contexts.

 TQS and TCO will be publically performing these pieces on Saturday, January 21, 2012, from 10AM to 11:30am, at Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., Toronto, ON, M4W 3X8. Music lovers, families, and curious minds are encouraged to attend and experience this rare opportunity in celebration of the year of the dragon! This celebration will take place during the weekly Farmers’ Market. For more information, see:

Toronto Guqin Society: https://torguqin.wordpress.com
Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market: http://ebw.evergreen.ca/whats-on/farmers-market#jan21

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為迎接公元2012年﹑黃帝4710壬辰龍年之際﹐多倫多古琴社以高清高質視聽錄像模式﹐與多倫多中樂團在和萬錦於人村歷史Main街區『壹藝軒』何靖恆老師再度合作 , 為全球華人送上傳統成人冠笄禮的禮樂。這是繼2009年多倫多古琴社與安省高校中國學生學者聯誼會(CSSAOU) 協辦『中國風﹐海外情』國慶60周年暨中秋晚會中『成人禮』(冠禮笈禮)表演之后﹐再度隆重推出傳統雅樂演奏節目.

冠禮笈禮三加所用之音樂為《詩經﹕小雅》的連續三首《鹿鳴》﹑《四牡》﹑《皇皇者華》。使用的樂譜為清代《乾隆欽定詩經樂譜》﹐為當時禮樂制度改革的一部份。民國年間這本《詩經樂譜》公開出版, 並無對清代版本作任何改動。多倫多古琴社社長楊雪亭耗時兩年對古代樂制潜心研究﹐並且嘗試把十四律制音樂轉換回現代十二律制﹑並且找尋現代民族樂器律制之間的平衡。

 多倫多古琴社將於2012年1月21日(周六)上午10:00時至11時30分﹐在Evergreen Brick Works國家常青自然文化社區中心(550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4W 3X8 Canada)向公眾推出中國傳統雅樂和古琴音樂演奏活動﹐歡迎愛好音樂的家庭来參與﹐齊接喜慶水龍年﹗屆時本節目將與當地每週農夫市場(Farmers’ Market)同時進行。

詳情請瀏覽以下網站﹕多倫多古琴社https://torguqin.wordpress.com, 常青會農夫市場http://ebw.evergreen.ca/whats-on/farmers-market#jan21

Below is a sneak preview of what’s to come:

4709 New Year’s TQS Greeting Video

This is the complete version of the Toronto Guqin Society’s submission to Hanfu Chunwan 2011, unedited. We wish everyone a happy, prosperous, and active New Year of Xinmou, the metal Rabbit!