Qin Qian’s Biography

​Qin Qian started learning the erhu and accordion from her father in her childhood. Ms. Qin entered the Guangxi Art College in Nanning at 16, majoring in erhu performance. She studied the erhu with Professor Huang Qidu（Graduated from China Central Conservatory of Music. The second-generation successor of Mr. Liu Tianhua, the master of modern Chinese folk music and the originator of the erhu, under the tutelage of Mr. Chen Zhenduo and Mr. Lan Yusong）and Zhang Yuming （Erhu Master of the former China Oriental Song and Dance Company）. After she graduated, she worked as an erhu performer and teacher. In 1986, she began work as a reporter, music program editor and program host for the Nanning city radio station. In this job, she was able to interview many famous Chinese musicians. The music program she hosted and the paper she wrote won the second prize at the national level (China).

​覃茜自幼跟随父亲学习二胡和手风琴， 16岁考入广西艺术学院音乐系本科二胡专业，师从二胡教育家黄其度教授(毕业于中央音乐学院/中国近代民族音乐一代宗师、二胡鼻祖刘天华先生的第二代传人，师从陈振铎先生、蓝玉崧先生)学琴四年，在大学期间还得到了著名二胡大师张玉明先生（原中国东方歌舞团的二胡演奏家）的悉心指导。 毕业后她从事二胡演奏和教学工作。 1986年，她开始在广西南宁市广播电台担任集记者、音乐编辑、音乐节目主持人为一身的工作，采访了许多中国著名的音乐家。她主持的音乐节目及 撰写的论文曾获得国家级别二 等奖（中国）。

Qin Qian also plays the piano, monochord, and ruan; a string instrument that resembles a banjo. She likes to write and has written two books, “My Dreams Soar With Music” (2003) and “A Musical Journey in America” (2005).

覃茜还会弹钢琴、独弦琴、阮（ 一种类似于班卓琴的乐器）。 她喜欢写作，曾在中国出版了两本散文随笔集《梦随音乐飞》（2003 年）和《琴缘美国》（2005 年）。

In 2003, she gave a very successful concert in Nanning in which she played the erhu and monochord and was accompanied by the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra. Makes her the first person to give a solo concert on a Chinese radio show host. In 2005, her first CD, “A Romantic Musical Journey,” which featured her work on the erhu and monochord, was released, and she received wide attention from Chinese music lovers.This is the first music record published by a radio host in China, showing Qin Qian’s multi-talented life. ​She obtained the deputy senior title (Editor-in-Chief) at Guangxi Nanning Radio Station and worked as a music editor and music show host for 19 years.

 2003年，覃茜与广西交响乐团合作，成功地在广西南宁剧场举办了一场二胡、独弦琴独奏音 乐 会，使她成为了在中国电台音乐节目主持人开独奏音乐会的第一人。轰动一时，好评如潮！2005年首张二胡、 独弦琴ＣＤ唱片《琴缘—浪漫的音乐之旅》专辑问世，在唱片中，除了担纲演奏全部乐曲，她创作的七首乐曲也收录其中，受到了听众的广泛关注！这是中国第一张电台 主持人出版 的音乐唱片，展示了覃茜多才多艺的人生。​她在广西南宁电台获得了副高职 称 （主任编辑）并担任音乐编辑及音乐节目主持人长达19年之久。

In 2005, Ms. Qin moved to the United States and started promoting traditional Chinese music. The next year, she started teaching erhu at the Ming De Chinese School in Radnor, Pa.

2005年，覃茜旅居美国，开始推广中国传统音乐。 第二年，她开始在宾夕法尼亚州拉德诺的明德中文学校教授二胡。

Her private students come from many different backgrounds and ethnic groups, and range in age from 5 to 80. Teaching gives her tremendous satisfaction, and she often performs in concerts with her students. Her musical work has taken her to many places, including Australia, England and ​Curacao.

她的私人学生来自许多不同的背景和种族，年龄从5岁到80岁不等。教学给了她极大的满足感，她经常和学生一起在音乐会上演出。 她的音乐作品将她带到了许多地方，包括澳大利亚、英国和库拉索。

In 2008, Ms. Qin performed in the musical “The Mirror Effect,” playing solo pieces on the erhu and monochord and others with a jazz band. In July 2008, she accompanied the musical group Siris, led by the American singer Michael Maley, in the song “God Bless Sichuan,” which was sung in Chinese and raised money for earthquake relief. The video, on​Youku.com​, received more than 6 million views in six months, Her erhu playing gave the song a unique Chinese flavor and mood of sadness.

2008年1月参与了美国音乐剧《The Mirror Effect》（镜中效应）演出，与爵士乐队一起演奏，同 时担任二胡及独弦琴的独奏部分，出色的表演赢得了观众的喝采。 2008年7月与美国赛日 （SIRIS）乐队合 作，歌手迈克尔．马雷(Michael Maley)用中文演唱的《上天祝福四川》，为抗震救灾筹款。该视频在优酷网上六个月内获得了超过 600 万次观看量！ 二胡的独奏部分使这首歌充满了中国风味和悲剧的色彩，显现了二胡独特的魅力！ 

In 2009, Ms. Qin went to Australia and recorded eight songs with the guitarist Vincenzo Andreacchio. Five were traditional Italian tunes, expanding the erhu’s musical territory.

2009年8月，覃茜远渡澳大利亚与吉他演奏家Vincenzo Andreacchio 合作录制了8首 乐曲，其中五首是意大利的传统音乐，这组乐曲赋予了二胡新的风格和味道， 令人耳目一 新。 

In 2010, she joined a band, the Obsoleets, to learn and play different varieties of American music. In addition, that same year, her student Arthur Zhang, then 15, performed successfully as the featured erhu soloist in a concert devoted to Chinese music. It shows Qin Qian’s extraordinary achievements in erhu performance and teaching.

2010年加入美国的OBSOTEETS 乐队，用二胡演奏不同风格的美国音乐，覃茜的 二胡之路越走越宽了。同年，跟随她学琴的15岁学生钟昭华（Arthur Zhang）在费城成功地举办了 《钟昭华—钟情华乐二胡独奏音乐会》，旨在宏扬中国传统音乐，显示了覃茜在二胡演奏和教学上的不凡成绩。

The following year, she gave a successful concert in Philadelphia, “The Emotive Beauty of the Erhu, With Qin Qian”. She was accompanied by harpist Gloria Galante and pianist Gloria Collins.

In 2012, her student Arthur Zhang won first prize at the 2012 Princeton University International Chinese Music Competition. Another of Ms. Qin’s students, Sophia Blystra, played the monochord and won second prize. Qin Qian was named outstanding teacher.（In this music festival, eight students of Qin Qian participated in the competition and won different awards.）

2011年12月，覃茜与钢琴演奏家Gloria Collins、竖琴演奏家Gloria Galante 在费城 举行了 “覃茜—–二胡的情感之美”二胡独奏音乐会 (“The Emotive Beauty of the Erhu With Qin Qian”),获得了听众的一致赞赏。

2012年，她的学生钟昭华（Arthur Zhang）参加“普林斯頓国际中国音乐节中国音乐大赛”，获一等 奖。在这次比赛中另一位来自宾州首府 Harrisburg 的学生Soffia Blystra演奏独弦琴，获 二等奖。覃茜也获得了该音乐节组委会颁发的“优秀教师奖”(在这次音乐节中有八位覃茜的学生参赛均获不同的奖项)。 

In 2013, Ms. Qin started a program, ​“The Pentatonic Music of Yang Sheng Qigong,” a simple, relaxing, and easy way to practice qigong, an exercise of the mind, body and spirit. She believes that enjoying music on the five-tone pentatonic scale and practicing qigong every day will provide many health benefits. She integrated Qigong state into her erhu performance, and felt a different kind of wonderful sound!

2013年，覃茜开始专注于” 五音养生气功”，她相信古人的五音疗法。她希望能以自然、放松、简单的方式让更多的人在享受音乐的同时达到身心健康的境界。她把气功态融入到二胡演奏当中，感受到另一种不同的美妙之音！

In 2014, her student Kelvin Wang, then only 10 years old, won first prize at the Princeton International Chinese Music competition and second prize at the First Philadelphia Regional Talent Show. Qin Qian and American pianist Wu Di performed with the famous Arpeggio Jazz Orchestra at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. This concert featured classical and country music music, jazz, and Chinese music, sometimes fusing the differing styles. Later that year, with pianist Graeme Burgan, she held a concert, “When the Erhu Meets the Piano,” in Norristown, Pa. This concert received high praise from music lovers.

2014年4月，覃茜与旅美钢琴家吴迪、著名的​琶音爵士乐团，在费城艺术大学（ University of the Arts）的Elaine Levitt演奏大厅上演了一场别样的音乐会。 从古典的乡村 音乐、爵士乐（《Giant Steps》、《Round Midnight》、《Space City》）、中国风到 现代音乐， 尤其是中国传统民乐融合爵士乐的演奏给观众带来了耳目一新的感觉。​9月， 覃茜在宾夕法尼亚州诺里斯敦（Norristown）与钢琴家格雷姆·布尔根（Graeme Burgan）举行了一场《当二胡遇见钢琴》音乐会, 深受爱乐者的好评。​10月，​她年仅10岁的学生王翔参加“普林斯頓国际中国音乐节中国音乐大赛”，获一等奖。  

The next year, she held the “Double String and Five-Tone” concert at the Philadelphia Free Library. She played traditional Chinese and Western music with the erhu and introduced music as therapy, using the pentatonic scale for health. Such musical therapy dates back 2,000 years, from the medical book “Huang Di Nei Jing” (“The Emperor’s Inner Canon”).

2015年4月，覃茜在费城自由图书馆举行《双弦与五音》音乐会。用二胡演奏中国传统音乐和西方音乐，同时介绍中国2000多年前《黄帝内经》中的“五音疗法”与健康的关 系， 覃茜还邀请其部分学生参与到音乐会中，边讲边演的形式让受众获得更多的文化资讯 ， 广受欢迎！ 

In 2016, with pianist Kathryn Woodard, percussionist Joseph Tayoun, and bassist Brent Edmondson, she appeared twice at composer Andrea Clearfield’s salon. The repertoire included famous erhu solos in “The River of Sorrow,” “The Grapes Are Ripe,” and “The Charm of the Tianshan Mountains.” The salon has been continuing for 30 years and is an important part of the music scene in Philadelphia. In September, Qin Qian and harpist Gloria Galante held a concert at the West Chester University of Pennsylvania​, bringing the audience an unforgettable night!

2016年，覃茜与乐队成员钢琴家Kathryn Woodard、 打击乐演奏家 Joseph Tayoun,、低音提琴演奏家Brent Edmondson​ ​两度出现在著名的作曲家在安德列. 克利菲尔音乐沙龙 Andrea Clearfield’s Salon）中，演出的曲目包括《江河水》、《葡萄熟了》、《天山风 情》等著名二胡独奏曲，​此​音乐沙龙至今已办了30年，总是高朋满座，许多音乐家都以 能在此演出为荣，它已成为了费城一道亮丽的音乐风景。同年9月， 覃茜与竖琴演奏家 Gloria Galante 在宾州西彻斯特大学​ （​West Chester University of Pennsylvania) 举行音乐会，给观众带来了一个难忘之夜！ 

In 2017, Ms. Qin played the erhu with Danish cellist Steve Kramer and American pianist Lance Wiseman to premiere ”Mountain Stream,” a composition by Ms. Qin, at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. In addition, her student Kelvin Wang won the gold medal in the “Super Baby” competition organized by China Central Television and others.

2017年， 由覃茜创作的​二胡与大提琴、钢琴的《山谷小溪》在费城Saint Joseph’s University chapel 世界首演，参与演出的有来自丹麦的大提琴家史蒂夫 · 克莱默（Steve Kramer ）和美国钢 琴家兰斯 · 怀斯曼（Lance Wiseman ），大获成功！ ​同年，覃茜13岁的学生​王翔（ Kelvin Wang) 参加由中国中央电视台等多家单位举办 的 《超强宝贝》比赛中荣获金奖。

The following year, Ms. Qin participated in the Port City Music Festival in Wilmington, N.C. She teamed with violinist Luigi Mazzocchi, cellist Stephen Framil, and pianist Daniel Lau in a concert of Chinese and Western music. With Russian violinist Sasha Ki（Alexandr Kislitsyn）, she also gave a special performance at the Mid-Autumn Evening Party at the University of Delaware. She also participated in famous Chinese composer Wang Liping’s global stop in Philadelphia. Her performance of “A Windy, Rainy Evening by the Autumn Window,” with guzheng player Wang Junling, was well-received.

2018年6月，覃茜参加在北卡罗来纳州威尔明顿市举行的“港口城市音乐节”（​North Carolina－－​Port City Music Fesitval ） 与小提琴家路易吉 · 马 佐奇（Luigi Mazzocchi）, 大提琴家斯蒂芬 · 弗拉米尔（Stephen Framil）, 钢琴家丹尼尔 · 刘（ Daniel Lau） 合作，为观众送上了一台中西合壁的音乐会​ ​，这是一次很棒的组合！ 9月20 日覃茜与来自俄罗斯的小提琴家萨沙·基（sasha ki ）在特拉华大学举行的中秋晚会上作专场演出 ， 第一次尝试小提琴与二胡的二重奏形式，令爱乐者耳目一新。10月13日参加中国著名 作曲家王立平作品全球巡演费城站的演出，与古筝演奏家王君玲一起演奏的《秋窗风雨 夕》深受好评。

September 2018, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News published a featured article by Bethany Ao, entitled “Notes Of Old—This erhu specialist is working to make Chinese music more visible in Philly”, centering on Ms. Qin. The article explored the spread of the erhu and Chinese music in the United States over the years. Qin Qian’s student Kelvin Wang won the gold medal in New York’s “Teen’s Talent Show,” which was organized by American Chinese TV. October 2018, Ms. Qin was a guest instructor and performer for an international music class at the world-famous Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She introduced Chinese music and played the erhu for the students, which made these talented people feel the infinite charm of Chinese music!

In 2019, Qin Qian was invited by the Philadelphia Museum of Art to plan and perform a concert called: “Pentatonic Tones from China ” with erhu and monochord in the museum’s reception hall of the Zhao Gongfu. (from the 16th century) The concert title was inspired by the reception hall’s five characters of blessing. It symbolizes the five blessings that have descended upon the house. and It is a perfect match with the five tones around the beam ! Qin Qian’s parents also performed with her on the stage as guests, they are playing the zhong ruan and xiao ruan, and percussion. The band members who participated in the performance also included: harpist Gloria Galante, violinist Sasha Ki, harpsichordist Benjamin Katz, this Chinese-Western band played traditional Chinese songs based on the pentatonic scale, which was well received by the audience. Praise!

In 2020, Qin Qian played the erhu for a movie  “The Laundry on the Corner”, director Tetsuki ljichi and composer Adam Vidiksis asked her to improvise, and also played the work from French composer Joseph-Maurice Ravel “ Pavane pour une Infante défunte”（Pavane For A Dead Princess） , the melancholy tone of the erhu played a role in creating the sorrowful atmosphere in this film.

In 2021, due the COVID-19, Qin Qian began to teach erhu and ruan  online. College students from Swarthmore continued to follow Qin Qian in online classes. The prospect of online teaching is promising.

In 2022, Qin Qian was invited to participate in one of WaWa’s series of activities to celebrate the Independence Day of the United States. The theme of the Philadelphia Electric Power Company’s special sponsorship was: “PECO Go 4th & Learn: A Cultural Journey”.Qin Qian organized a performance group  of nearly 50 people. Her students and some of the guests and the Philadelphia “Friends senior Care Center’s chorus and band” participated in the performance.

2018年9月，著名的《费城问询者报》（Philadelphia Inquirer ）和《费城每日新闻报》 (Philadelphia Daily News)同时刊登了该报记者Bethany Ao 采访覃茜的文章 “古老的音符 —-这位二胡专家正尽其所能让中国音乐在费城更令人关注”。 该文对覃茜这些年来在美国传播中国音乐和二胡的教学方面作了深 入的报道，图文并茂， 传播很广。具有一定的影响力！这一年，她的学生​王翔（14岁） 在纽约参加由美国中文电视举办的《天生我才》比赛中荣获金奖。​同年金秋十月，覃茜应邀在著名的柯蒂斯音乐学院为学习外国音乐课程的学生们介绍中国音乐，为学生们现场演奏二胡，让这些天之骄子们感受到了中国音乐的无穷魅力！ 

2019年，覃茜受费城艺术博物馆之邀策划并用二胡、独弦琴演出了一场主题为《来自中国的五声音调》音乐会，此音乐会主题的灵感来自于馆内建于明代约1600年的赵公府大殿，又称“理郡王府大殿”里的五个福字！象征着五福临门，配以五音绕梁，绝配！覃茜的父母作为嘉宾也与其同台演出，演奏中阮和小阮、打击乐。参与演出的乐队成员还有：竖琴演奏家Gloria Galante, 小提琴家Sasha Ki，大键琴家 Benjamin Katz, 这个中西结合的乐队向听众演奏了以五声音阶为基调的中国传统音乐，深受听众的好评！

2020年，为电影《街角处的洗衣店》演奏音乐，导演Tetsuki ljichi 和作曲家adam vidiksis要求覃茜用二胡即兴演奏，同时演绎法国作曲家约瑟夫-莫里斯-拉威尔的作品《悼念公主的帕凡舞曲》，二胡忧郁的音色在这部影片中起到了烘托悲伤氛围的作用。

2021年， 由于受到新冠疫情的影响，覃茜开始在网上远程教授二胡、阮等乐器，来自Sworthmore collge 的大学生们继续跟随覃茜在线上课，网上教学前景可观。

2022年，覃茜应邀参加WaWa庆祝美国独立日系列活动之一，费城电力公司特别赞助的主题为：“学无止境，一次文化艺术之旅” 的表演活动，覃茜组织了一个近50人的演出阵容，她的学生和部分嘉宾及费城“好朋友老人活动中心合唱团及乐队”均参与这次演出。

There are no borders in music, Her work has become a bridge for cultural interchange. She wishes more people would enjoy the erhu and learn to play it, and would like to see this traditional instrument become ever more popular in the United States.

音乐无国界，她的二胡音乐成为了传播中国文化的桥梁，覃茜希望更多的人喜欢二胡，演奏 二胡，让中华文化代代相传，发扬光大。 并希望看到这种传统乐器在美国越来越流行！