The second in an annual series of programs relating to the Silk Road will be held at the Danville Public Library on Monday, March 7, with “The Traditional Music of China”, presented by Dr. Eric Simonson. The free program will be held in the first floor Meeting Room of the Library beginning at 6:30 p.m. The program is free, but seating is limited. People interested in attending are encouraged to call the Checkout Desk at 477-5220 to reserve a seat.
Dr. Simonson, DACC music professor, will speak about the major genres and instruments of traditional Chinese music. Among the topics he will touch on will be Abing (a legendary pipa virtuoso), folk song traditions, instrumental ensemble music, Jingju (or Beijing Opera), Suzhou Tanci (Ballad Singing), and solo music for qin and erhu.
Dr. Simonson received his Ph.D. from the University of California-San Diego in 1999. That year he joined the liberal arts faculty at Danville Area Community College and has been teaching all of the College’s music courses. His degrees are in composition, but his interests and teaching experience have involved computer music, music theory and musicology. He first studied piano with Boaz Sharon at the University of Tulsa. Later he studied composition with Harvey Sollberger at Indiana University and Roger Reynolds at UC-San Diego. His current creative project (entitled Geometries) is a group of chamber music pieces that incorporate electroacoustic and computer generated sounds. He has performed as piano soloist with the Tulsa Philharmonic, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra and the Memphis State University Orchestra. Before turning his attention exclusively to composition and teaching, he enjoyed a busy career as an accompanist. Simonson has extensive experience conducting, especially in 20th century repertoire. Prior to coming to DACC, he was a part-time instructor at Tulsa University and UC-San Diego.
This program is made possible by a Danville Library Foundation endowment — “The Intercultural Exchange on the Eurasian Silk Roads” — established with a generous gift from Canon John Flattery. His gift reflects a passion for the history, culture, and impact that the trade routes, called the Silk Road, had on the world. Through his endowment, people will be able to learn more about a variety of topics connected with the Silk Road.
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