Performances: 2002 – 2006

Music performance, City Hall, London: 26th January 2006

The UK Chinese Ensemble performed Chinese music at the launch of the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) China in London season for 2006.

Venue: City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1

A music and dance performance

Traditional Chinese music and new arrangements for guqin, pipa and yangqin.

Cheng Yu (pipa, guqin), Ip Kim Ho (yangqin), Anne-Marie Culhane (dance)

7:30pm Wednesday, 21 April 2004

Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, School of Oriental and African Studies, London

Interview for BBC World Service arts programme "The Ticket"

Cheng Yu was interviewed about her 5 string pipa project on the BBC World Service arts programme "The Ticket" on Saturday, January 24^th. The programme was broadcast at 8:00pm UK time on 648 kHz medium wave, and repeated on the morning of Sunday, January 25^that 1:00 am BBC Radio 4 UK time. It was on the BBC World Service web site for one week at URL:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_ticket.shtml

Woman's Hour Interview (BBC Radio 4)

Cheng Yu was interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 programme Woman's Hour on Thursday, January 22^nd - Chinese New Year's Day.

It was also on the BBC Radio 4 website for one week and then archived. The URL is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour

She talked about Chinese music, and in particular about her 5 string pipa project.

4 Corners World Music Festival – Newcastle upon Tyne

Having conducted a series of workshops on Chinese music for teachers in the Northumberland area last spring, Cheng Yu returned to oversee the projects in schools. She performed solo as well as playing with the pupils the pieces and songs she taught their teachers during the spring.

July 9^th & 10^th 2003

Edinburgh International Festival

Guqin master Professor Li Xiangting, under whom Cheng Yu studied the guqin, played the guqin at the Edinburgh Festival.

Sunday, August 10^th 2003, 10:00am – 4:00pm: As part of "Connecting Cultures Study Day" - a series of lectures with interactive musical activities on the traditional music of China, Japan, Korea and India.
Monday August 11^th 2003, 10:30pm: As part of the "Connecting Cultures" concert series.

Web site: http://www.eif.co.uk

Cheng Yu with the Avignon Orchestra, Avignon Festival, France, 12^th – 16^th May 2003
This contemporary symphony – “Wei al Bab”, was composed by French composer Fabien Teheriscen. It featured Chinese pipa (Cheng Yu, London), Afghan rubab (Armand Khaled, Switzerland), Indian tabla (François Valy, Paris) and Iranian kamanche (Farshad Sohtani, Avignon) with the Avignon Orchestra. This work was premiered during the festival and was sponsored by the Avignon Provincial Government.
Venue: Concert Symphonique, Opera Theatre D’Avignon, Avignon, France.

Cheng Yu and Keith Tippett’s Piano Quintet – 9^th May 2003, 8pm

The double bill featured Cheng Yu on both classical Chinese pipa (4-stringed pipa) and guqin (7-stringed zither) music; the Piano quintet consists of Keith Tippett (pianos), David Le Page (violin), Chris George (violin) and Malcolm Allision (viola) and Phillip Sheppard (cello).
Venue: Wiltshire Music Centre: Ashley Road, Bradford on Avon BA15 1DZ.

Live Radio Chat Show on Chinese music – Thursday 20th March 2003, 6-7 pm

Tune in to Resonance FM104.4 - the Cultural Co-operation Radio Show.
Mira Katbamna chatting to Cheng Yu and the Indo-jazz group Dha. The show discussed the musicians’ experiences of traditional and cross-cultural musical activities.

The Rare Music Club, Bristol

presented a triple bill of high quality music:

Jazz/improvisation by the Jon Lloyd Quintet
Chinese traditional instrumental pipa and qin music by Cheng Yu
20th century classical music by Hiroki Takenouchi

Venue: QEH Theatre, Berkeley Place, Bristol, BS8 1JX
Date: 28 March 2002

Chinese New Year on the South Bank

An evening of Beijing Opera and Classical Chinese Music at the Purcell Room. Asian Music Circuit presented a double bill featuring classical Chinese music and extracts from well known Beijing operas, performed by the UK's foremost ensembles for Chinese music, the UK Chinese Ensemble and the UK Beijing Opera Society.

Venue: The Purcell Room
Date: 22 March 2002

Recording Projects

Film music – Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Sony Pictures). Cheng Yu recorded music for pipa and voice composed by A. R. Rahman, who composed the music for Bombay Dreams. July, 2003.

Concerts since Spring, 2002

Croydon Clock Tower, Croydon Spring Festival (22nd February, 2003)
Paul Roberson Theatre, Hounslow, London (8th, February, 2003)
Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester (1st February, 2003)
Oxford Town Hall (6th & 7th February, 2003)
Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes (15th &16th February, 2003)
Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York University (28th February, 2003)
The Concert Hall 3, ICC, Birmingham (6th & 7th January, 2003)
The Conway Hall, Holborn, London (25th October, 2002)
Victoria Room, Bristol University (23rd October 2002)
St Georges Church, Hanover Square, London (17th October, 2002)
Sallis Benney Theatre, Brighton University (14th, October, 2002)
Royal Museum Scotland, Edinburgh (7th – 9th September, 2002)
Rhymney Valley Music Club, Wales (8th August, 2002)
St. Bartholomew’s Church, Corsham Festival (25th, 26th June, 2002)
The Chancellor’s Hall, Keele University (7th February, 2002)
Queen Elizabeth Hall Theatre, Bristol (28th March 2002)
Purcell Room, South Bank, London (22nd March, 2002)