Good morning, afternoon, and evening,
Today’s solo guzheng piece is a tribute to my first solfège and ear training teacher—Professor Sun Hong (孙虹). She passed away yesterday in Beijing at the age of 90.
When I was five, I began attending the weekend solfège and ear training program at the China Conservatory of Music. I was placed in Professor Sun’s class, where I remained for the next six years, throughout my entire elementary school education.
Professor Sun taught many prominent individuals who have since become influential professors, educators, composers and musicians in China and around the world. The last time I saw her was in a pavilion by the lake in Beihai Park - an imperial park in Beijing. We were both there to learn Kunqu opera (about 600 years old history) from a master who held singing gatherings in that beautiful setting. Even as a senior, Professor Sun was still seeking to deepen her knowledge, hoping to incorporate traditional music into modern pedagogy rooted in our own heritage and ways of listening, playing, and singing. Her lifelong dedication to improving music education inspired me deeply.
I am so grateful that such an extraordinary educator introduced me to the world of music. Though I was too young to remember the specific details of our lessons, I can only imagine the profound impact and foundation she built for me. To this day, I have kept all the text books that were from Prof. Sun’s class. They are in my music studio in Nashville, with her hand writings on them marking homework for me.
Wu Fei 吴非
Wufeimusic.com
