I
was a former engineering student from Tohoku University, Japan. Right now, I am back in Singapore, still pursuing my interest in Zhong Ruan.
Playing the Zhong Ruan has been my favorite pastime ever since I started joining
the Chinese Orchestra in my junior high school [Chung Cheng High School (Main)]
when I was 13 years old. However this was not the case in the beginning.
Influenced by my father and my sister who are both adept Chinese flute players,
I originally wanted to learn the flute or the more popular erhu. But as I joined
the Orchestra later than most students, I was assigned the Daruan, or the Bass
Ruan. Though at 1.64m, my hands are smaller than most people of my height and I
struggled with much difficulty to play even the simplest pieces.
It was only when I was 15 that the conductor introduced me to NTUC Chinese
Orchestra, a amateur Chinese Orchestra that was of a pretty high standard, that I
started learning Zhong Ruan. Originally I was a little apprehensive and I wanted
to stick to Da Ruan, but the Zhong Ruan instructor, Ong Eng Lam, inspired me to
stay on learning. It was then that I started to love playing the Zhong Ruan.
Sad to say, NTUC Chinese Orchestra is now defunct but I joined more Chinese
Orchestras outside school every weekend. In 1997, I started learning under Ding
Xiao Yan, a renowned Zhong Ruan player, who introduced playing Zhong Ruan using
fingers instead of the usual pick. However due to other commitments, I had to
stop taking lessons. In the same year, I took the Zhong Ruan Graded Examinations
offered by the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing for the first time in
Singapore’s history.
In 1999, a year before I left for Japan, I studied under the tutorage of Zhang
Nian Bing, a former professor from Shanghai Conservatory of Music who encouraged
me to perform my first solo in Da Ruan in my first concert performance.
Leaving for Japan was a difficult choice for me as I had to stop learning Zhong
Ruan. But I was offered more opportunities to perform. Starting from small
performances in elementary schools, I was asked to put up a 20 minute
performance in a restaurant in Sendai. In May 2003, I held my first Zhong Ruan
concert recital at Ryoku Suian Sendai. In the same year, I was lucky enough to
meet someone who is interested in doing a Piano-Zhong Ruan ensemble.
Still
fired by my passion for Chinese Orchestra and Zhong Ruan, I joined the Hsinghai
Art Association Chinese Orchestra in May 2005 after my return to Singapore and
have been performing in its concerts on a regular basis, including a number of
solo performances. In the same year, I obtained a Grade Nine (Distinction)
in the annual Zhong Ruan Graded Examinations offered by the Central Conservatory
of Music Beijing.
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