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Cool Moon Cultural Festival

Cool Moon Cross-Cultural Arts Festival

Prince Edward Island | September 26-30, 2018

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Di Zhang

Di Zhang

Yangqin Virtuoso

Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 7:00 pm

Di ZhangDi Zhang is an emerging yangqin (i.e., hammered dulcimer) virtuoso active in Toronto’s music scene. Di received her Master’s in Music from York University in 2018 and is currently pursuing her PhD in music at York University. Di is especially interested in improvisation and contemporary composition, taking part in York’s Global Improvisation Lab and World Music Ensemble. Her improvisation was featured in an album “The Path to Contemporary” as well as two concerts that presented live transcontinental improvisation and performance. Her research thus far has revolved around the cultural study of an instrument, the development of Chinese music, and analysis and innovation in modern yangqin music.

Di was born into a family of musicians and started learning how to play the yangqin when she was four. At seven, she was accepted into the Chinese Nationalities Orchestra Society, and in 2002, she studied with yangqin virtuoso Xue Shu and acclaimed professor Xili Gui in the primary music school of China’s Central National University. As an undergraduate student at the Conservatory, Di continuously studied with them and held her solo concert at Minzu University Recital Hall, graduating as a top student in 2012. During that time, she developed both as an orchestral musician in Beijing’s Central Orchestra of Ethnic Minorities and as a soloist, winning the top award for performance at the first International Community Art Festival national instrument contest (Singapore 2010), the “Hua Yi Award” for best musical performance (Macao 2005), etc.

In Canada, Di is an instructor at Amigu di Macau and North American Chinese Orchestra and performs with the Toronto YueFang Ensemble, Toronto Chinese Orchestra, and Melody of Bamboo Ensemble. She has performed at Toronto Music Garden, Wilfred Laurier University, and the University of Toronto, amongst others. Di is also an accomplished percussionist, performing Chinese drumming at The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and Metro Toronto Convention Centre. In 2014, Di performed yangqin and Chinese drum with the Canadian Sinfonietta at the CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio. Tours have led Di to performances in Vancouver and Portugal. In 2017, she held her solo concert at York University Tribute Communities Recital Hall.

Di is dedicated to and passionate about the promotion of new music. Di aims to pursue advanced music studies while continuing to perform, teach, explore, and share new music with diverse cultures.

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Marine Animal Response Society logo A portion of the proceeds from the Cool Moon Cross-Cultural Arts Festival will be donated to the Marine Animal Response Society

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12 June 2020

Cool Moon Festival 2020 postpones to 2021

The Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society (GEBIS) disappointedly announces the postponement of the biennial multicultural Cool Moon Festival that had been scheduled for mid-October 2020 in Charlottetown with a series of pop-up performances across Prince Edward Island.

The Cool Moon Cultural Festival invites artists and friends from around the world to come together and experience our diverse cultures through the arts.  We hope that our learning and appreciation of various cultures will lead us to realize that we are more alike than we are different.

“We found this to be a challenging situation and as we are unable to predict the COVID-19 environment for Fall on PEI we have opted to follow the other major festivals and events.” said Geoffrey Yang, Executive Secretary of GEBIS.

“This tough decision has taken into consideration the health and safety of our attendees, artists, and volunteers” explained Ray Brow, festival co-creator and organizer “but we promise that when Cool Moon returns it will be worth the wait”.

The tentative dates for Cool Moon 2021 are the 19th – 21st of October.

Detailed information of the multicultural Cool Moon Festival can be found at www.coolmoon.ca

Media contact- Geoffrey Yang:  902-316-0134