Rising Dragon, Soaring Merlion

At the ANNEX

Sound of Dragon Ensemble presents Rising Dragon, Soaring Merlion with Ding Yi Music Company

The ensembles will perform a program of music written for the combination of Chinese and Western instruments by Canadian, Singaporean, and Chinese composers. This concert is Singapore’s prestigious Chinese chamber ensemble Ding Yi Music Company’s Canadian debut. Taiwan’s internationally acclaimed conductor Chih Sheng Chen and Ding Yi’s conductor Dedric De Li Wong will share the podium to lead the ensembles.

While the dragon represents Asian heritage, the merlion, a mythical creature with a lion head and fish body, is a symbol for Singapore, referring to the city’s origin as a fishing village and its original name — Singapura, meaning lion city. “Rising Dragon, Soaring Merlion” is the meeting of two world-class chamber ensembles of Chinese roots from Vancouver and Singapore!

The concert will present an exciting program performed by the joined force of the two ensembles. Alice Ping Yee Ho‘s dramatic “Four Dragons” draws on an ancient tale deeply rooted in Chinese mythology, folklore, and culture. The four dragons in the Eastern Sea scooped up sea water and sprayed rain from heaven to save people from a drought. Then they turned themselves into four rivers – Black Dragon River, Yellow River, Yantze River, and Pearl River, to nurture the people on this land. Farshid Samandari‘s “sine verbis” symbolizes the effort to communicate against various types of censorship. Moshe Denburg‘s “Ocean of Tears” is a sonic picture of sadness and reflection written during the pandemic. Jordan Nobles‘ “Foreign Oceans” depicts an imagined underwater world. Jian Min Wang‘s Dream of Angels is a quintet of Chinese instruments. The thought-provoking melody depicts the graceful movements of a female dancer. Nixia Li’s The Seven Sages refers to China’s seven scholars from 200 A.D. They were known to gather in the bamboo forest to sing, play musical instruments, and recite poetry that criticized the government. Chenwei Wang‘s “Winds of Affinity” is a double concerto featuring Ding Yi dizi soloist Ng Hsien Han and Sound of Dragon flutist Paolo Bortolussi. The piece depicts an encounter between two musicians whose friendship gradually blossoms. Chenyao Li’s The Allegory speaks of the passing of time, history, and personal stories.