Stretching Americans’ ears with Chinese hits

Joel Fan, an “impressive pianist”, according to The New York Times, takes his repertoire tailored for the Chinese ear to a Washington audience next week.

Fan will be performing on June 17 as part of the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage YoungArts free performance series, presented in collaboration with the National Young Arts Foundation.

A prizewinner at multiple international competitions, Fan first played with the New York Philharmonic at age 11. He was selected for the YoungArts series, as he is both a YoungArts winner in music and a US Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

The hour-long solo program Fan will perform includes works written by Chinese composers and favored by Chinese audiences, such as Butterfly Lovers and Castle in the Sky.

The performance is entitled “From China with Love — Connecting Cultures through Music”. Fan said he was inspired to create the program by touring in China over the past three years.

Fan said he found it interesting how “even though China is the world’s fastest growing market for classical music and pianos, the taste of the audience is very different from that of Western audiences.”

Fan found that the Chinese tend to appreciate music that is familiar to them, and also pieces that are very “virtuosic”.

Fan decided to try bringing his China-tailored repertoire to the Kennedy Center in DC and try to show American audiences what the Chinese love, and bridge the cultural difference by “stretching their ears”, he said.

Although he himself was born and raised in the US, Fan’s parents came from Taiwan. His parents instilled in him the hardworking and optimistic Chinese work ethic, said Fan, 45, who has studied at Julliard, Harvard and the Peabody Conservatory.

These aspects of a Chinese heritage contribute to one’s success in becoming a pianist, he believes.

Touring in China over the past three years, Fan was especially fascinated by how, as the economy booms, people in China have an increasing appreciation for the arts.

“In the States, it seems like the arts are always struggling,” Fan said, comparing the commitment to arts funding of the two countries.

“It’s just so good to go to China, where they have those halls and that huge demand for classical music. It’s wonderful to perform in that environment,” Fan said.

“The halls are gorgeous too, and the way they treat pianos with such respect.”

Fan described how well the “white glove” treatment and beautifully shaped pianos he encountered in China resonated with his love and respect for the arts.

Of the artists that inspire him, Fan said that Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma is at the top of the list. Fan collaborated with Ma on the Silk Road Ensemble, and found the experience educational.

“It was a great experience just in terms of watching a truly great master behind the scenes,” Fan said.

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Pianist Joel Fan, noted for his work with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, as well as his solo virtuosity and eclectic repertoire, is set to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington on June 17.