Zhang Ying 3111 Harriet Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55408 (612) 823-6942 fax (612) 823-6942 zhangying_eaglemusic@yahoo.com Work Samples Audio: Hulusi Gu Di (turky bone) Qu Di To hear the work samples, Windows Media Player is required. If you do not have it installed, you can download it for free here: Download Windows Media Player

Zhang Ying Chinese music When I was 12, I apprenticed to a traveling flute master in China. Now, after more than 40 years as a professional musician in China, I have been recorded in the Register of Great Musicians, been awarded the title of First Class Composer, and have received the Wen Hua prizeóChina's highest national arts award. Since moving to the U.S., I received a Bush Fellowship, McKnight Composer's Fellowship, Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, Cultural Collaboration grant, and two commissions from the American Composer's Forum. I have performed throughout China, Asia, and the U.S. I perform for concerts, festivals, lecture-demonstrations at schools and colleges, and at parties and banquets. My audience varies greatlyófrom the Ted Mann Concert Hall to the Minnesota State Fair. I play traditional Chinese music on a variety of woodwind instruments: xun, hulusu, bawu, qu di (bamboo flute), band di, kou di, xiao, mabu, pili, and gu di (turkey bone flute dating back 9,000 years). I play music that comes from China's historical dynasties, and also music from the minority peoples of China with whom I have studied and lived. I also play Peking Opera percussion, and the fo, a clay bowl percussion instrument with a 2,000 year history. My performance can include chanting and singing of ancient Chinese stories. I also recite poems of the great masters of China, in traditional song-style. Available: Anytime Space: Can adapt to any space. Need small table, chair and microphone if room is large. Fee: Negotiable

Additional Information:
Zhang Ying plays traditional Chinese folk music on a wide variety of woodwind instruments.

As a small boy, Zhang saw shepherd boys ride by, perched backwards atop water buffalo, playing bamboo flutes. This image stayed with him, and he often thought of how great it would be to do that. At the age of 12, he and a friend sneaked into a concert to hear Liu Guan-Yeh, a traveling flute master who was visiting their town. Afterwards, Zhang met the man and begged to become his student. He was accepted as an apprentice, and studied with this master until he was good enough to get his first job as a soloist in an orchestra of traditional instruments. Zhang's first instrument was the di, a transverse bamboo flute that is very popular in Chinese folk music. Archaeologists recently found di-like flutes in China that were used over 8000 years ago. Zhang plays the di in both North and South styles. The Southern style is slower and more melodic, while the Northern is hard, fast, and tends to sound more technically impressive. Not long after learning to play the di, Zhang began to study the xiao, a different form of bamboo flute that is held vertically and played by blowing at one end. Later in his life, as the resident composer and conductor with the Beijing Singing and Dancing Troupe, he broadened his skills to include a wide range of traditional woodwind instruments. Twice a year, he would travel in the countryside, living with members of different ethnic groups and studying with their master musicians. In the process, he would learn new instruments and listen to and notate some of the traditional repertoire from each community. Today, in addition to the di and xiao, Zhang is a soloist on the xun (an ocarina-like clay vessel flute), bawu (a free-reed flute that produces "talking" sounds), hulusi (gourd flute), bang di (short flute), gu di (turkey bone flute), and various other instruments.

While he was living in China, Zhang was recorded in the national Register of Great Musicians. In recognition of the excellence of his more than 300 original compositions, he was awarded the Wen Hua Prize, China's highest honor for artists. Since moving to the U.S. in 1993, he has been granted fellowships from the Bush and McKnight Foundations and the Minnesota State Arts Board. He has received a Cultural Collaborations grant and two commissions from the American Composer's Forum. Zhang has collaborated with many local groups, including the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble, The Dale Warland Singers, Heart of the Beast, and Theater Mu. He has appeared as a lecturer and soloist at local concert halls, museums, colleges, universities, fairs, clubs, and other venues. He offers varied programs, including formal concerts, lecture demonstrations, residencies, and informal playing for wedding banquets and private events. Zhang's special program for young audiences, "Dragons, Flutes, and Monkeys", introduces children to traditional Chinese instruments and styles of composition, as well as the legends and tales that accompany them. He also offers private instruction in di.

Zhang recommends the Ancient Melodies page for good sound files of traditional Chinese music. He also likes Melody of China, which has a nice section with photos, descriptions, and sound clips of many traditional Chinese instruments.