Chinese New Year Projects
2021 Off to the races - A short Film
In the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jiajia (co-producer, co-director) collaborated on this short film with award-winning filmmaker Vicki Van Chau, Calgary music producer Warren Tse, and the Calgary Chinese Orchestra, in celebration of Chinese New Year 2021. Part music video, and part documentary, Off to the Races, is about the classic erhu piece called “Horse Race”. The film features over 80 musicians, including the members of the Calgary Chinese Orchestra and the global music community.
2020 Song of the Phoenix
Jiajia produced the Chinese New Year concert under the organization, Facet Music for 2 years. Titled “Song of Phoenix”, the 2020 Chinese New Year Concert celebrated the mythological Chinese Phoenix — Feng Huang — which symbolizes high virtue, grace, and prosperity. It also embodies duality and symbolizes the union of male and female spirits. The concert featured Suona virtuoso Wu Zhong-xi and one of the most popular Chinese folk songs, “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix”（百鳥朝鳳）；internationally renowned pianist Corey Hamm and his duo PEP (Piano and Erhu Project, with erhu artist Ge Li); cutting-edge singer/songwriter FOONYAP; dynamic jazz trombonist Carsten Rubeling; as well as choreographer Barbara England and her newly commissioned work for community dancers.
2019 Chinese New Year Concert
The 2019 concert depicted 4 elements of the Chinese New Year — honor, wishes, food, and celebration — weaving a tapestry from Chinese traditions, Western art, and contemporary culture. The concert featured the 4th generation “wang-style” pipa master Hao Yifan from China; a new work created by award-winning flutist Jiajia Li and performance artist Barbara England; Calgary’s own chamber ensemble Kensington Sinfonia; and the experimental youth choir, Artio. A thread of Chinese poetry ran through the concert, featuring poetry reciters from the local community selected from the Chinese poetry recitation audition held in November 2018.