一种传统的中国乐器成为文化之间的桥梁

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Wenzhuo Zhang was extremely young when she took up an extremely old musical instrument. At the impressionable age of five, Zhang (’15) attended an after-school music program in China’s Hebei province, where choosing from among the dazzling array of instruments stumped her. 一位好心的教练建议说：“你想试试扬琴吗？”I could teach you.”

She started lessons on the instrument, a stringed dulcimer played with bamboo beaters that dates to the 17th century. What began as a hobby has become a vocation for Zhang, who today teaches the yangqin and has performed in recitals from New York State, where she lives, to the UK. 2008年，她在堪萨斯州赢得了全国槌扬琴锦标赛。

2021年5月，在纽约罗切斯特纪念美术馆举办的亚太裔美国人遗产虚拟庆祝活动中，观看张的扬琴表演。Video courtesy of MAG Rochester

 
To Zhang, the yangqin is more than a music-maker. It’s a modern bridge-builder between different peoples, which is why she tries to pass on her mastery through teaching.

“乐器是一种文化遗产和遗产，”她说。“学习乐器或歌曲是学习乐器和歌曲起源的文化群体传统的最有效方法之一。”扬琴是木和弦的多元文化：它以波斯乐器为蓝本，通过与中东的贸易传到中国。

13岁时，张被河北竞争激烈的艺术学校录取，这所学校每两年只招收一名中国乐器学生。After graduation, she enrolled in the prestigious National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, then came to the US for a master’s at the State University of New York at Fredonia. 她在波士顿大学获得音乐教育博士学位。

She teaches at SUNY Fredonia and has performed with a Chinese string and wind ensemble, Western ensembles, and Chinese folk singers, and in national and global recitals. Zhang says of her musical career: “When I think about the past, I realize that it wasn’t just my decision. It was my teachers’ decisions as well. 他们选择了我，我很感激。我喜欢成为一名表演者。”

张说，她的学习，以及演奏扬琴，向她展示了多元文化音乐教育的重要性。她发誓，她将“继续在澳门威尼斯人注册网站研究和实践中为多元文化音乐教育做出贡献，这是我永远的职业目标之一。”