Spring of the Golden Snake celebrates the 2013 Chinese New Year (year of the Snake) with an afternoon of music with Ying & Friends at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. This special concert, a showcase of Chinese influence in Australian music, will blend Western and Chinese instruments to create original and evocative sounds. Chinese tea appreciation and a calligraphy workshop will be held before the concert and tea tasting and light refreshments after the concert for you to enjoy Chinese New Year at the Con. Special guest will be Lunlun Zou, director of International Academy for Musical Arts in Hong Kong.

The program presents traditional Chinese music including Golden Snake Dance (金蛇狂舞) and Spring Outing (游春), Cantonese music including Autumn Moon on the Calm Lake (平湖秋月) and Rain Drops on a Banana Tree (雨打芭蕉), arranged by Australian composer Tony Wheeler, as well as popular Chinese classics The Moon’s Reflection on the Second Spring (二泉映月) and Spring Festival Overture (春节序曲), arranged by Australian composer Julie Simonds. Also included are original Australian compositions for Chinese instruments, Bodhisattva of the Silk Road and Guanyin Song by Wheeler and other well-known Western pieces arranged for Chinese and Western instruments. A highlight will be the world premiere of Wheeler’s blues-jazz piece Blue Moon for erhu, saxophone and piano.

For tickets and details, please visit http://www.cityrecitalhall.com/events/id/1414.