Free Family Concert: Year of the Dragon

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Date
Sunday • February 11 • 2:00 pm
Venue
Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning Center 185 Goffe Street
New Haven, 06511
A metal statue of a dragon extends off the edge of a shingled roof. The sky is lit up a bright red/orange color.

Perfect for ages 3-7, this free family concert will explore the music and stories of the Chinese Zodiac and celebrate 2024’s Year of the Dragon!

On this 50-minute program, international erhu virtuoso Dr. Chia-Yu Joy Lu of Wesleyan University will play alongside a NHSO violinist Stephanie Hug and NHSO pianist William Braun. The erhu is a two-stringed instrument played with a bow that is not only popular in China, but in East Asian countries that are influenced by Chinese culture.

The concert’s music will include Two Tigers, Thunder in a Drought, Joy & Happiness, Grasshopper Tricks the Rooster, Beautiful Flowers and Full Moon, and more. While the music plays, a Chinese calligraphy artist will simultaneously hand-draw characters on a screen and families will have the opportunity to practice writing the characters in provided program books.

Sensory-Friendly Accommodations

This performance will be adapted for audience members with sensory processing disorders and Autism.

The performance site is an open “gymatorium” located directly in front of the building’s main entrance on the ground floor. It is accessible by wheelchair, and the seating inside the room is flexible and moveable. There is an adjacent gross motor room and “calm down” classroom down the hall from the performance space. (Both are wheelchair accessible.) Audience members can also leave to go for an outdoor break, and there are sidewalks all around the playground area.

Audience members will be able to make use of complimentary ear protectors and fidgets. The lighting will be dimmed, and the musicians will play at a reduced volume. For questions about accommodations offered this sensory-friendly performance, please email Engagement@NewHavenSymphony.org.

About the Guest Artist

Born and raised in Taiwan, Dr. Joy Lu has studied erhu since her childhood and was awarded several prizes in erhu and zhonghu (alto erhu) performances. She is a musician, researcher, ensemble director, conductor, music teacher, and language educator, holding a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Sheffield, U.K., and a B.F.A. in erhu performance and music education from National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan. She has published a music textbook (Music Textbook for Vocational High School, 2006, Kuang Mau Books Co., LTD), erhu music scores, and erhu music albums that have been distributed in Taiwan and China. She has appeared in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Yale University, and Boston College, and has been directing Wesleyan Chinese Music Ensemble for over a decade. In 2020, she helped to establish the Smith College Chinese Music Ensemble and has served as its music director since then.

Concert Sponsor

Connecticut DECD

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