Singapore's Siong Leng Musical Association to Present 'SOUL JOURNEY' at Asia Society

Asia Society presents the North American premiere of Soul Journey, a performance bringing new life to the traditional nanyin form. Meaning "music from the south," nanyin is an ancient style of Chinese music characterized by slow, gentle and melodic sounds.

In Soul Journey, Singapore's Siong Leng Musical Association merges traditional nanyin and its Zen influences with other elements such as vocals, the bongo cajon, Indian tabla, masked dance, and more. The performance blends the traditional and the new, and draws on the influences of distant cultures from nanyin's origins along the Tang era maritime trade routes.

The 23-member company aims to engage the audience's five senses, inviting attendees to participate in a hand-washing ritual and offering a Chinese tea tasting prior to the performance start. In today's hectic world, Soul Journey provides a rejuvenating experience for the senses and nourishment for the soul and mind.

IF YOU GO:

Soul Journey: Traditional Nanyin Music Reimagined

Siong Leng Musical Association

Asia Society New York (725 Park Ave)

Apr 26, 28 at 8:00pm
Performances preceded by hand-washing ritual and Chinese tea tasting

Tickets start at $20

Visit www.asiasociety.org for more information.

Siong Leng Musical Association, founded in 1941 to preserve nanyin in Singapore, brings the form to new, contemporary audiences. The association's principal musicians, in their 20s, have injected outside elements into nanyin, such as keyboard, tabla and a cappella singers, and added multimedia elements to the performances. To mirror the development of nanyin music as it migrated to South and East to Singapore, and to reflect Singapore's multicultural society, the musicians have also brought in traditional Malay and Indian music instruments, such as the kompang and sitar.

The two performances are organized in conjunction with the Asia Society Museum exhibition Secrets of the Sea: A Tang Shipwreck and Early Trade in Asia, on view through June 4. Co-organized by the Singapore Civilisations Museum, Singapore, the exhibition explores the exchange of goods and ideas between China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, more than a thousand years ago.

Soul Journey is presented by the Singapore Arts Council and Asia Society, as part of its Citi Series on Arts and Culture.

Nanyin is a style of Chinese classical music originating in the southern Chinese province of Fujian. Nanyin is now popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, as well as among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. The city of Quanzhou, located in Fujian, was a major port in the 7th century CE, the period between the Sui and Tang eras. Situated upon an important maritime trade route, it was a conduit for elements of distant cultures that helped form nanyin music.

Nanyin is typified by slow, gentle, delicate melodies which employ four basic scales, and is performed on five instruments: pie (wood clapper), gibei (four-stringed lute or pipa), samhen (three-stringed lute or sanxian), xiao (vertical flute or dongxiao), and lihen (two-stringed fiddle or erxian). Heterophony in nanguan proceeds simultaneously along two lines known as skeleton (gu) and meat (ba). Each individual instrument has a fixed role within the instrumental grouping. The pie is usually performed by the vocalist, and therefore not considered a main instrument, while the dinxiguan usually takes the central role. The gibei provides a simple but stable tempo and correct rhythm; the samhen lends a longer vibration of solid lower octave notes to the skeletal melody; and xiao, meanwhile, supplements the lutes by adding lightness and spirit.

Nanyin repertory falls into three overlapping styles, called zhi, pu and qu, differentiated by the contexts in which they occur, by their function, the value accorded them by musicians and by their formal natures. The zhi is considered the most "serious" repertoire: it is a purely instrumental suite normally more than thirty minutes in length, of two to five sections. Each is associated with a lyric that alludes to a story but, although this may denote origins in song or opera, today zhi is an important and respected instrumental repertory. Pu literally means "notation," and these are pieces that have no associated texts. It is an instrumental style that uses a wider range than zhi, emphasizes technical display. Qu is a vocal repertory which is lighter and less conservative in repertory and performance than zhi.

Traditionally, performances were not simply entertainment, but also carriEd Strong associations with various broader social practices, such as ritual ceremonies to the music god Minhu Longgun each spring and autumn, or as a part of funeral processions. Musicians were also able to expand their own social networks, gain status, or even be invited to enjoy food and drink through their involvement with nanyin music.

The rich repertoire of songs and scores of nanyin preserve ancient folk music and poems, and has influenced opera, puppet theatre and other performing art traditions. In 2009, nanyin was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Founded in 1941, the Siong Leng Musical Association aims to promote and preserve traditional nanyin and Liyuan Opera in Singapore.

During the 1970s, during a marked decline in the interest of nanyin, Siong Leng Musical Association implemented plans to reinvent and rejuvenate the form. The group organized the International Nanyin Symposium in Quanzhou and Xiamen in China and toured the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan in the 1980s.

The association is committed to keeping nanyin music alive in today's multicultural, technologically progressive Singapore. The association has reached out to students through the Traditional Arts Education Scheme, publishing two textbooks on nanyin and liyuan hokkien Chinese opera for use in class. Over the past few years, it has also sent selected talents for training in China to raise performing standards on stage and produce high quality and diverse programs, thus establishing Siong Leng's professional standing.

The association took part in the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in 2010, and claimed first prize with a new song composed by Teng Mah Seng, entitled "Facets of Life."

Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future. Asia Society has centers in Hong Kong, Houston, and New York, and offices in Los Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Washington, D.C., and Zurich.