As part of the Lunar New Year celebrations, the Adelaide Festival Centre will be presenting the Adelaide premiere of Zhao Liang’s new work, Tale of the Fire Phoenix. This stunning new work highlights the fusion of western and Chinese music and explores the ancient mythology of rebirth and transformation.
Zhao Liang, originally from Singapore, is a highly accomplished performer who began learning the Guzheng (Chinese harp) at the age of six. Here in Adelaide, Zhao has established the School of Chinese Music & Arts, and strongly believes in connecting Asian culture to the Australian community through music by delivering workshops for schools, private music tutoring and conducting music examinations for the Central Conservatory of China.
Ahead of her Tale of the Fire Phoenix premiering here in Adelaide on Saturday 28 January, Zhao spent some time with me discussing this new work, the School of Chinese Music & Arts and what led her to pursue performing arts as a career path.
“I began learning the piano and guzheng at the age of 6 in Singapore and completed my AMus ABRSM at the age of 14. Strangely, no one identified that music would have been a suitable path for me. I ended up being an accountant (CPA) but my heart was never in it, and regardless of how successful I was in my career, I was always continuing on my music initiatives. In 2012, I ended my employment as a Finance Analyst with the City of Playford, and I took the leap not to go back to it. I am thankful I made the right choice; it gave me the opportunity to expand and grow my heart and mind in creating artistically, but more importantly, the life I wanted.”
In 2005 Zhao established, rather by accident, the School of Chinese Music & Arts here in Adelaide.
“While I was pursuing my accounting studies, I also started up a music studio to play with music – mainly doing self-recording and also to explore my boundaries in music. However, due to the location of the studio, my music travelled down Gouger and Moonta Street so much that people came knocking on my door often – and it ended up as a school! Personally, the philosophy of music being therapeutic / medicinal and harmonious is absolutely fascinating for me and I explored and read a lot about it, especially in the early days of my musicianship exploration. I simply hoped to share my thoughts on music with the community regardless of boundaries, culture and language. It drove me to grow the school and also develop community initiatives, making them accessible and uniquely designed for audiences from all backgrounds. On the other hand, my artistic projects, such as with Radial Quartet and San Ureshi, both explore how our music has no boundaries in cultures and what it can achieve in becoming textural and colourful.”
Zhao has a strong passion for connecting ancient Chinese history and music with the Western world, and to keep the conversation open around cultural history.
“It is said that ‘love, music and food’ sees no boundaries. Personally, I think it’s ‘love, music and tea’. Music is a part of life – it is an extension to our voice, and it is an expression of ourselves as individuals. When we are able to open up and hear the voices of others, regardless of background, we will be able to learn about each other’s culture and approaches, and we can work together cohesively. Coming from Singapore, I think Australia is very similar, and it is certainly important for us to all connect and learn about each other’s culture and history so that we can work together and build a better society together. It is also one of the ways to speak with the younger generation, in particular youth. I always enjoy my conversations with the younger generation, especially in music workshops, about how much food for thought music can give us. The process of making music is not only creative and mind-blowing, it can also be a safe space where we learn to work with one another. It is also said that music promotes harmony, and this is so true, not only in the music we create, but also in the process of working together with other musicians of any culture, background, or instrument.”
With Tale of the Fire Phoenix premiering in Adelaide on Saturday 28 January, Zhao shared with me how its creation came about.
“The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra rang me the very first week we all stopped back in March 2020. I recall myself preparing some home-schooling routine for my two children, but also mentally I had a personal realisation that the world needed to stop and reflect. With that in mind, when the ASO confirmed that we were going ahead with this project with the theme ‘Floods of Fire’, the tale of a phoenix came to my mind. Interestingly, a phoenix is referred to so much in various cultures, like the dragon and unicorn! I think they perhaps really did/do exist, and it would be so nice to explore such a magical world with the audience! With this, I wrote a suite of 5 pieces (which has now evolved into 7) to tell this tale. A phoenix is born in a beautiful forest, but a fire hits. In this situation, the phoenix reflects and prays, asking itself, ‘What can I do to help all the other birds?’ She manages to use her magical powers and rain falls, and she also is reborn in fire. The forest returns back to its state and all the animals are joyous once again. The music was originally written for 30 musicians, but we will be featuring only 8 plus myself on the guzheng for this ‘school-friendly’ version. It was a process of about a year and we debuted this at Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Festival of Orchestra, and also in their 2021 school tours learning program.”
This work has already had a premiere elsewhere, but Zhao is excited to have Adelaide audiences experience it for the first time.
“This time around we are presenting another evolution of this project, featuring Danielle Lim as the storyteller, Nicky Li on voice and her visuals, as well as a dancer, Yiling Zhang. Together with the Adelaide Festival Centre, we are producing a show suitable for ages 3 and up. It’s an engaging show with an abundance of colour in visuals, music and experience. This new collaboration and delivery will be the height of our show, with some of the best musicians coming along to perform in this round of works: Satomi Ohnishi, Karen De Nardi, Emily Tulloch, Rita Reichbart, Jack Overall, Louis Cann, Samantha Hennessy, Timothy Frahn and myself on the guzheng. It will be a show presented by 12 artists in total, which will be a true celebration of the work and also of the festival!”
Zhao Liang’s Tale of the Fire Phoenix will be performed on Saturday 28 January, Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre at 1pm and 3pm. Tickets and further information can be found at https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/tale-of-the-fire-phoenix .
Interviewed by Ben Stefanoff
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