Calgary 
Events Description
对话传统 琵琶大师郝贻凡与芥蓝乐团
To celebrate Asian Heritage Month, Gai Lan Ensemble is thrilled to invite renowned Chinese pipa master Ms. Hao Yifan (郝贻凡) back to Calgary, joining them for an afternoon concert on May 4 at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre.
Ms. Hao is the current master of Wang-style pipa (汪派琵琶), and a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing). She specializes in performing traditional music and repertoire, and her evocative style has been described as “like the tides are turning… sometimes like a dragonfly skimming the water…” (China Culture Daily). Ms. Hao is looking forward to performing for Calgary audiences again since her last sold-out performance in 2019 at Bella Concert Hall.
The concert will introduce two sides of the Chinese music landscape, featuring traditional Chinese music including the classic pipa piece “The Moon over the River on a Spring Night” (春江花月夜）as well as new compositions written for Chinese chamber ensembles.
The afternoon event will begin with an artist talk between Ms. Hao and her daughter, award-winning flutist Jiajia Li.
About Gai Lan Ensemble
Gai Lan Ensemble nourishes your senses with their fresh repertoire, customized arrangements, and enthusiastic performances. Led by virtuosic flutist Jiajia Li, the chamber ensemble is made up of the finest Chinese instrumentalists in Alberta. The members’ diverse musical experience — from Chinese opera, Chinese orchestra, classical, jazz and pop — resulted in Gai Lan’s wildly successful first live performance at Calgary’s TD Chinatown Street Festival in 2022. Other notable performances include a packed performance at Studio Bell in 2023, a collaboration with Cirque de la Nuit at Chinook Blast 2024, and an appearance in St. Albert for the Plaza Series this past summer. Follow Gai Lan Ensemble on Instagram at @gailanensemble.
About Hao Yifan 郝贻凡
Ms. Hao Yi-fan is the 4th-generation master of “Wang”-style pipa and a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Mentored by the masters of “Pu-dong”- style and “Wang”-style, Ms. Hao’s playing “…Carries the authentic spirit… natural and liberal” (Lin Gu fang – renowned music commentator); and is described as sounding like“…brewing storms on the sea, or like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water…” (Jing Zuo Ren – renowned music commentator).
Ms. Hao specializes in traditional repertoire and has recorded several albums, including her solo album “The Best Of Famous Traditional Pipa Music” in 1993, and “Abing Album” in 1996. She has performed all over China and toured in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and many countries in Europe. Notable performances include a solo recital at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 2016; a turn as guest soloist with the China National Symphony Orchestra in 2015 playing the concerto version of the “The Warlord Takes Off His Armour”; a solo performance at the “Master Lin Shi Cheng Memorial Concert” in the same year; and a guest appearance at Calgary Chinese New Year Concert in 2018.
In 2001, Ms. Hao’s master Li Guang-zu passed to her the ancestral pipa of the “Wang”-style — one of the five main pipa schools in China associated with the solo tradition — officially marking her position as the current master of the “Wang”-style tradition. Since then, she has translated the “Wang”-style music collection from Gongche notation to Chinese number notation, helped her teachers review and edit old music and scores for publishing, and since 2012, she has produced annual “Wang”-style pipa concerts.
Who is it for?
All ages
HOW MUCH
Tickets : Included with General Admission
Adults: $24.50
Students/Seniors (65+): $19.50
Youth (ages 4-12): $16.50
Children (3 and under): Free
NMC Members: Free
Seniors Wednesdays (65+): $10
How to get tickets?
Phone: 4035435115
Email: info@studiobell.ca
WHEN & WHERE
Date: Sunday May 4, 2025
1:00 pm
Venue & Address
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, 850 4 Street SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1R1
Wheelchair accessible
Accessible by Public Transport
