The world-renowned GRAMMY Museum just announced that Chinese Orchestra is spotlighted for the first time to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year. South Coast Chinese Orchestra (SCCO) from City of Irvine, California will be the first-ever Chinese Orchestra to perform at Grammy Museum. The highly anticipated performance is scheduled on Sunday, February 25th at 1:30pm at 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles. The Chinese concert led by Conductor Bin He and Artistic Director Jiangli Yu is a feast of Chinese music that encompasses the traditional, the classic and even the pop music. Audiences will enjoy classic Chinese songs such as "Yi Dance," "Spring in the Pamirs," "War Horse Runs,” or popular Chinese songs like "The Descendants of the Dragon," "In That Faraway Place," or "The Girl of Dasaka City," or famous ones as "Asian Dream Song," "Angry Birds," and "Game of Thrones”.
This Lunar New Year Concert is sponsored by Preferred Bank. The mother of Preferred Bank President was Mrs. Yu, a pioneer of traditional Chinese music in Southern California. Mrs. Yu immigrated to Los Angles in 1979 and established "Spring Thunder Music Society”, one of the oldest Chinese music groups in LA. Mrs. Yu devoted herself to promoting the Chinese culture through music until she passed lately.
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South Coast Chinese Orchestra performed "Mulan" at Segerstrom Concert Hall in 2019.
The Chinese concert at Grammy Museum also reveals the development of Chinese music history in Southern California. At the beginning of 20th century, Chinese musicians came out from the Chinese community comfort zone and were eager to push the envelope of Chinese music. For example, Bin He and his wife Jiangli Yu founded “String and Bamboo Music” in 2002, which focused on creating new possibilities for Chinese music instruments and music. Together they created and recorded many classic and popular western songs through Chinese music instruments such as James Bond, King of Kung Fu, the video game Warcraft, True Crime and for many Disney movies pieces. Invited by Chung Yulan, CEO of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, and with the full support of its Board member Janie Taso, Bin He and Jiangli Yu jointly created the South Coast Chinese Orchestra (SCCO) in 2017. Its goal is to enhance the understanding of Chinese culture through music and to advocate cultural diversity in the US.
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"Monkey King" performed at OC Lantern Festival event in 2023.
In 2019, SCCO debuted at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County Lantern Festival to present the first original Chinese musical "Mulan". The musical was based on the classic Chinese story with original Chinese music composed by Bin He. It was a huge success. In 2020, SCCO came up with another impressive musical, "The Monkey King" musical, was a big hit again. The musicals were overwhelmingly welcomed by both Chinese as well as non-Chinese audiences. The success reassures SCCO’s goals can be achieved through creative cultural performances.
February 25 will mark down in the Chinese music history as the first ever Chinese Orchestra at GRAMMY Museum. It tells a story of Chinese immigrants who have the courage to chase their dreams through the musical journey since 1970s. And it proves music is universal to mankind. Music truly can bring people together!
Lunar New Year Celebration Information
About South Coast Chinese Orchestra
聞名世界的葛萊美音樂博物館（GRAMMY Museum）宣布，將於2月25日(週日)下午1:30pm, 首次推出慶祝農曆新年節目,來自加州爾灣市的「南海岸中華樂團」應邀演出，這也是中國國樂團首次登上葛萊美的舞台。由指揮何彬和古箏演奏家余江荔偕同資深團員擔綱演出。音樂會除了有經典國樂曲目《彝族舞曲》《帕米爾的春天》《戰馬奔騰》，還有華人耳熟能詳的《龍的傳人》《在那遙遠的地方》《達阪城的姑娘》，加上演奏主流電影和電玩的樂曲《Asian Dream Song》《Angry Birds》《Game of Thrones》，是一場含括了古今中外，傳統與經典的音樂盛宴！
此次重量級的演出獲得保富銀行（Preferred Bank) 贊助支持,保富銀行俞董事長的母親, 就是南加州的國樂先驅 -- 人稱「俞媽媽」。俞程競英女士在1979年移民洛杉磯後，成立了頗具盛名的「春雷國樂社」，為國樂初期的發展奠下基石。 何彬回憶說, 自己在23年前剛來到美國時有緣結識俞媽媽，當時就被她對國樂文化的熱情所深深感動。當時俞媽媽也鼓勵何彬，國樂文化的傳播，是要有你們年輕專業的這代人接棒的。
2月25日的演出也勾勒出早期華人在南加州推推廣國樂的發展軌跡, 進入二十世紀初期， 年輕的音樂家更勇於跨出傳統的華人圈, 努力拓展中國民族音樂的藝術版塊。例如何彬和余江荔夫婦2002成立的「絲竹國樂社」，就為萊塢大片007、功夫之王、電玩War Craft、True Crime以及Disney 等進行錄音配樂工作。 來自年輕藝術家的熱情和努力, 讓中國民族音樂在海外有了更多的可能性。
在多元文化快速發展的今天，何彬認為, 一個族群的認同通常是從文化的認同開始，而音樂就是最佳的橋樑。因緣際會，2017年在「南海岸中華文化中心」執行長鍾幼蘭女士力邀，理事吳健女士鼎力支持下, 成立以創新國樂為特色的「南海岸中華樂團」，目標是把國樂推向更大的舞台，讓更多不同族裔的人了解中華文化的內涵，減少文化隔閡，促進社會和諧。由何彬出任指揮，余江荔出任藝術總監。
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"木蘭"於2019年在Segerstrom Concert Hall演出
2019年「南海岸中華樂團」於橙縣元宵燈節之際，在Segerstrom Concert Hall推出了首部以中國民族音樂為基底的原創音樂劇「花木蘭」，用四個樂章全新演繹了木蘭代父從軍的故事，好評如潮，引起了熱烈的反響！演出除了包含傳統樂器古箏，二胡，笛子，揚琴，琵琶，中阮等傳統國樂器，還包括了小提琴，中提琴，大提琴，低音提琴的弦樂，並加入了百人的合唱團，劇情表演部分則以中國民族民間舞蹈的方式來呈現。
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2023橙縣元宵節"美猴王"演出反響熱烈
2022年初推出第二部原創音樂劇《美猴王》，運用了中西樂器的對決，如二胡與小提琴，古箏與豎琴，竹笛與西洋長笛同時搭配演出的樂段更是精彩，為了讓國樂更有時代感，更是加入電聲樂團的電吉他，電貝斯和爵士鼓，在保持了國樂音樂旋律的優美之外，音樂的韻律動感十足，超級震撼！同時融入了京劇與流行音樂的演唱，舞台表演除了舞蹈之外，更是有中華武術表演的加盟，整場演出更是繽彩紛呈，讓觀眾有聽覺於視覺的並行的震撼，目不暇接，嘆為觀止！兩部原創音樂劇演出均獲得巨大的成功，也堅定了樂團堅持中西合璧、原創音樂劇的信念！
2024年南海岸中華樂團首次登上葛萊美音樂博物館的舞台，象徵著在一代接一代人的努力下中國民族音樂在加州的發展已經漸趨成熟, 證明了音樂是無國界的, 更是跨越文化鴻溝的橋樑。