Chinese high school band salutes JFK

Chinese students from Shanghai No. 3 Girls High School Concert Band performed on the sidewalk in front of the Empire State Building in New York, bringing Chinese concert music to an American audience.

In the 30-minute concert, more than 80 students performed well-known songs from both China and the US, including Sing the Motherland, Washington Post and Jasmine, on their piccolos, flutes, saxophones and trumpets.

"I'm very proud of these girls and their performance," said Zhang Meifang, China's deputy consul general in New York, who attended the concert.

"It's a good opportunity to bring Chinese music and culture to New York," said Zhang. "And it also shows a favorable image of Chinese girls."

The band was invited by the American Event Management Institute to perform in a series of events to celebrate former US president John F. Kennedy's 100th birthday. The group also attended last month's Serenade Washington DC Festival.

"I've felt the passion from our American audience during this trip," said Ye Xinyu, a 17-year-old saxophonist.

"We also went to a march in Washington to celebrate Independence Day last week," Ye said. "I'm so glad we can bring our Chinese music to audiences in Washington and New York."

"We played with many local bands in Washington," said another band member, Zhou Zihan. "Those marching bands are very professional, so I learned a lot from them."

Zhou said they had been practicing for this performance for more than four months in China. "We usually practice for 45 minutes every morning and have a weekly rehearsal for one and a half hours," Zhou said.

"It's a very eye-opening experience for our students," said their teacher Zhang Shennan, who runs the group. "They bring Chinese culture to the US and also experience American culture and music firsthand."

Shanghai No. 3 Girls High School, the only state-owned key school for girls in China with a 125-year history, has won the reputation of being "a cradle of women talents". Famous alumnae include Soong Chinglin, the wife of Sun Yat-sen, and Eileen Chang, one of the most influential of China's modern writers.

Ruinan Zhang in New York contributed to this story.

CHina Daily