SRJC orchestra to unite eastern, western cultures in October performance of ‘Butterfly Lovers’

Don’t miss an exciting presentation of the beloved and iconic ‘Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto,’ performed by the Santa Rosa Junior College Orchestra on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The orchestra will perform under the direction of its Music Director Cynthia at the Burbank Auditorium on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus, 1501 Mendocino Ave. General admission tickets are on sale at Eventbrite: $12 adults, $6 students, seniors and children.

This very special concert features violinist and SRJC student Quinn Han performing the beloved and iconic Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto composed by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang in 1959. The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend and romantic love story about two lovers, Liang Shan-bo and Zhu Ying-tai. To the Western audience, this piece is regarded as the Chinese Romeo and Juliet. The story of Liang Zhu has been arranged into many different artistic forms: mainly music, and also into theater, opera, film, television drama, and animation. The violin concerto was considered significant with its refined usage of Chinese folklore and traditional musical traditions, which opened a new opportunity for the Western audience to appreciate Eastern music.

In addition to the ‘Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto,’ the orchestra will also perform:

• “As the Heart Soars,” by Chun Wai Wong, 2016 – This performance is a California Premiere! This piece was written for the people living in Hong Kong. “The impetus of the music depicts Hong Kong as a vibrant city while the fusion of a wide range of musical styles from the East and West reflects the city as a multicultural metropolis.”
• “Overture to Alessandro Stradella,” by Friedrich von Flotow, 1844 – This romantic opera is loosely base on the colorful life of the 17th century Italian composer and singer Alessandro Stradella. The overture opens with a beautiful melody played by a quartet of French horns, which is followed by a dramatic and exciting Allegro.
• “Symphony No. 8, Unfinished,” by Schubert, 1822 – This piece has a complex history. Schubert’s manuscript contained two fully scored movements and sketches for a third. The two complete movements were premiered in 1865, nearly 40 years after Schubert’s death. Schubert’s two completed movements are more than enough to show that his considerable gifts and ability to write beautiful melodic lines translated brilliantly to the symphonic form.

The 56-piece SRJC Orchestra represents college students and community members from ages 17-80 that come from all over Sonoma County.

About soloist Quinn Han

Violinist Quinn Han started learning classic violin at four years old in Shenyang, China. From 1993-2000 she served as concertmaster for several youth orchestras and ensembles throughout China and South Korea. In China, Quinn won a golden medal in the Solo Instrumental Competition (1998) and golden medal in the National Acoustic Music Competition (1999). She recorded a solo album, Collection of popular songs for violin, published by Chunfeng Literature and Art Press in 2005. As the founder of the Zhi Yin music club at Beijing Dance Academy, her club was awarded the city “Pioneer Union” of Beijing in 2009. She also played electric bass for the Chinese National Drama Theater for 600 performances between 2008 to 2010. Quinn taught in Chinese universities and received a higher education teacher certificate in China.

Currently Quinn serves as concertmaster of the SRJC orchestra, and she has also performed with the Sonoma County Philharmonic. She plays electric violin at the New Vintage church and has played for several local church ensembles for 300+ services since 2016.

Quinn has earned three Master’s in Qrts degrees in Depth Psychology, Leadership and Dancology (Dance Theory). Even though Quinn has not earned a degree in music yet, her music goal is to earn a master’s degree in music in the next 7 years, fulfilling her music dream in the US, coaching/mentoring college students, bringing diversity and voices to music, and transforming people by music.

Bio for Music Director/Conductor Cynthia Weichel

Music Director, Cynthia Weichel, is on the faculty of the SRJC, where she teaches Music Appreciation, Music History and is the studio violin/viola instructor. Weichel is a native of Santa Rosa and an alumna of SRJC. She received her Bachelor’s degree in music from Sonoma State University and a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from CSU, Sacramento. Ms. Weichel has been conducting orchestras in Sonoma County for over 35 years. She is currently the Founder/Conductor of the North Bay Sinfonietta and the popular Symphonic Reading Orchestra. She was previously the conductor of the SRJC Orchestra from 1999-2012, and was also the Assistant Conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestras for over 10 years. As a professional violinist, she has been a member of the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Napa Valley Symphony for over 20 years. As a violin instructor Ms. Weichel has taught for numerous schools in Sonoma County. As a professional arts administrator, she spent almost 20 years as Manager and Education Director for the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra, and was also the Operations Director for the California Symphony.

For more information about other SRJC Music events, visit https://music.santarosa.edu/events

To purchase tickets visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/srjc-orchestra-concert-east-meets-west-tickets-716363371127?aff=oddtdtcreator