Coming up to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the world-renowned 12 Girls Band is giving its first Vancouver performance at the Orpheum Theatre.
The Feb. 19 performance combines Chinese traditional folk instruments such as the yangqin (hammered dulcimer), dizi (transverse flute), xiao (vertical flute), erhu (Chinese fiddle), pipa (pear-shaped lute), and guzheng (zither)-with modern pop music to create a unique auditory experience.
The all-female Chinese folk music group was formed in 2007 with 12 young virtuosos playing ancient Chinese instruments.
The concert covers western and traditional Chinese music, stage and film hits and originals such as Mozart’s Symphony No.40, Paul Desmond’s Take Five, Jasmine Flower, Horse Racing, Alamuhan and Riverdance.
The band is originally inspired by the art of Yue Fang, the female ensemble that played in the royal courts of the Tang Dynasty, according to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Producer Wang Xiao Jing, the father of Chinese rock music, chose the 12 talents from thousands of auditions.
Having performed more than 800 shows internationally, this 12 Girl Band was the first Chinese music group to be nominated for a Grammy Award as well.
