Seattle Chinese Orchestra and Lion Dance by Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness March 8

Lion Dance photo courtesy
Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness  

Seattle Chinese Orchestra and Lion Dance by Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness March 8

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council presents a unique cultural experience celebrating Chinese New Year, and the arts of China.

The event is at 7pm, Saturday, March 8, 2014 at the Shorecrest Performing Arts Center, 15343 25th Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155. Tickets of $15 - 20 are available at the door or online at Brown Paper Tickets.

The Seattle Chinese Orchestra performs a mixture of traditional Chinese music, and also Western music arranged for Chinese instruments. With the popularity of Martial Arts movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and its Oscar winning musical score, Chinese music  is finding a growing audience in the West. This concert will feature some of these contemporary Chinese composers' work.

The evening also showcases Chinese Martial Arts with an energetic Lion Dance. The Lion Dance is a spectacle that often accompanies Chinese New Year, or other celebrations.

The evening is supported in part by City of Shoreline, City of Lake Forest Park, and International Performing Arts (IPA).

The Seattle Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is the only traditional Chinese orchestra in the Pacific Northwest. Its mission is to advocate and promote traditional Chinese music to the Western world. SCO began as a Chinese folk music ensemble, founded by the famous musician Warren Chang, one of the most renowned Erhu experts at that time in both China and in the United States. In the summer of 1986, respected composer and conductor Zhenfen Huang joined the orchestra.

The premiere of SCO was a significant milestone in the development of Chinese music on the West Coast of the United States. Since its inception, SCO has hosted numerous concerts and dance shows with live orchestra accompaniment, helping the orchestra to become both widely accepted and applauded. As the years have gone by, the orchestra has grown professionally, recruiting more members with greater musical talent and experience. Currently, SCO has over fifty members, across four divisions: bowstringed instruments, plucked instruments, woodwind instruments, and percussion. SCO is currently lead by Music Director Mr. Warren Chang, and the conductor Mr. Roger Nelson.

Orchestra photo courtesy Seattle Chinese Orchestra

The repertoire of the Seattle Chinese Orchestra is very rich and versatile, including pieces from traditional Chinese music, regional Chinese folk music, music penned by contemporary Chinese composers, classical and international music, which have been rearranged for Chinese instruments. 

Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness, led by Sifu David F. Leong carries on the tradition of Chinese Hung Kuen Kung-Fu. Hung Kuen Kung Fu originates from southern China and is historically one of the few styles passed on from generation to generation relatively unchanged within the last few hundred years.

Sifu Leong perpetuates the true philosphy of kung-fu and the livelong pursuit of patience, hard work, honesty, tradition, and respect to others. As a teacher, Sifu Leong has dedicated over 35 years to Hung Kuen Kung-Fu and its teachings and passes this tradition to his students.

The school is an active community, and regularly performs Chinese lion dances ceremonies. Lion dances are lively, festive, colorful and one of the many ways our school continues the traditions of Chinese Kung Fu.