Parliamentary Chinese New Year Celebration 新西兰国会演出

On the 9th of February 2017, Zheng’s Music Studio was invited by the New Zealand Minister of Ethnic Affairs to perform at the Chinese New Year celebration event held at the Parliament Buildings in Wellington. This was the first time the traditional Chinese musical instrument, the guzheng, had been played in New Zealand's Parliament Buildings and was the largest New Year celebration event hosted by the New Zealand government in the Parliament Buildings since the early 21st century.

Distinguished guests attending the event included: Hon Judith Collins, New Zealand Minister of Ethnic Affairs; Qu Guangzhou, Political Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy; Meng Foon, Chairman of the New Zealand Chinese Association (NZCA) and Mayor of Gisborne; Rt Hon David Carter, Speaker of New Zealand Parliament; Hon Nicky Wagner, Minister of Customs; Dr Jian Yang, National Party Chinese MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Ethnic Affairs; Mellisa Lee, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Ethnic Affairs, along with eight other MPs; Guo Zongguang, Director of the China Cultural Centre; Mike Tana, Mayor of Porirua; Zhang Yikun, President of the New Zealand Chaoshan Association; and over 200 leaders from across New Zealand’s diverse ethnic communities, including representatives from 17 different ethnic groups.

As one of only two performances in the New Year celebration, Zheng’s Music Studio’s teacher, Ms Lin Zheng, and her students Tingyue Wang, Lai Wei, and Xuanye Yu performed a guzheng trio Spring Festival Overture and a guzheng duet Congratulations, winning enthusiastic applause and rhythmic clapping from the audience. The performance was a great success.

Dressed in traditional Chinese red attire, Ms Lin Zheng and her students looked perfectly complemented by the ancient guzheng on stage. From the first note of Spring Festival Overture, the stage was filled with a rich Chinese atmosphere. Under Lin’s Zheng guidance, the students beautifully showcased the essence of the guzheng, allowing the audience to deeply experience its charm through the nuanced and dynamic performance on the twenty-one strings.

"One minute on stage takes ten years of practice off stage." The success of the performance was a testament to Ms Zheng’s dedicated teaching and a great encouragement for her students’ hard work and diligence. Lin Zheng’s adaptation of Congratulations into a guzheng duet, which included playing, singing, and a touch of choreography, creatively blended two festive songs into a vibrant five-minute programme. Both Lin Zheng and her students found immense joy in performing the guzheng, further enriching their musical journey.

2017年2月9日，新西兰筝乐工作室受新西兰民族事务部长之邀参加首都惠灵顿国会大厦欢庆中国新年活动的演出。这是中国传统乐器古筝首次走进新西兰国会大厦，也是新西兰政府自本世纪初在国会大厦举办规模最大的新年庆祝活动。

出席此次活动的嘉宾有：新西兰民族事务部长Hon Judith Collins，中国驻新西兰大使馆政务参赞屈光洲，华联会（NZCA）主席、Gisborne市长Meng Foon，以及新西兰国会议长Rt Hon David Carter，海关部长Hon Nicky Wager，国家党华人议员、民族事务委员会国会私人秘书杨健博士，民族事务委员会国会私人秘书Mellisa Lee和其他8位国会议员，中国文化中心主任郭宗光，Porirua市长Mike Tana，新西兰潮属总会会长张乙坤以及来自新西兰全国的各地侨领、其他17个族裔的代表共200多人欢聚一堂。

作为本次新年庆祝活动仅有的两个节目之一，筝乐工作室的郑琳老师携学生王廷玥、卫来、于轩烨演奏的古筝三重奏《春节序曲》、古筝二重奏《恭喜恭喜》博得了在场嘉宾的热烈鼓掌及和拍，演出获得圆满成功！

郑琳老师和她的学生们身着传统的中国红服饰，和古朴的古筝在舞台上相得益彰。从《春节序曲》的第一个音符开始，舞台上就洋溢着浓浓的中国风，孩子们在郑琳老师的带领下将古筝韵味发挥得淋漓尽致！通过二十一弦在指尖的抑扬顿挫，让在座嘉宾都深深地体验了一把古筝的魅力！

“台上一分钟，台下十年功”。演出的成功既是老师淳淳教诲的成果，也是对学生们的勤奋与努力最大的鼓励。郑琳老师将歌曲《恭喜恭喜》改编成古筝二重奏，更是初次尝试了边弹边唱边“舞”，将两首春节味儿十足的曲子“串烧”成一个五分钟的节目，郑琳老师和孩子们都收获了很多弹奏古筝的乐趣！