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October 25, 2002
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No. 1
Vol. L BEHA L ,„„
l oi_LLGE
Silk Road brings music of China to Behrend
by Erinn Hansen
calendar page editor
Silk Road Music provided Behrend with loads of
talent at the second concert of the Logan Wintergarden
Series, which is organized by Dr. Daniel Barnard,
professor of music and conductor of the Concert Choir
and Studio Singers at Behrend.
"This is one of the most eclectic groups we have
ever had," said Barnard.
The original Silk Road Music, which consisted of
only two members, has been together for 12 years.
The original group met in Vancouver, British
Columbia, which has a big Chinese community. It
was changed from and grown to what it is now.
Silk Road Music is a Chinese touring group that
includes five talented musicians who have been
playing for at least 30 years. It appreciates the potential
for music in intercultural communication.
Qiu Xia He plays the pipa, a traditional Chinese
four-stringed lute. Zhi Min Yu plays the ruan, a
traditional Chinese instrument that sounds similar to
a mandolin. Feng Jun Wang is a vocalist. Willy Miles
sings and plays bass guitar. Andre Thibault plays the
acoustic guitar, percussion, and the oud, which is an
instrument of the lute family used in southwest Asia
and northern Africa.
The ensemble performs at least 100 concerts a year
performing a number of songs, 10 of which were
featured during the concert at Behrend. These songs
include "Lift Your Veil," "Valt," "Washing Song,"
"Clouds Irish Impressions," "My Home Town is
Beijing," "Fen Yang Flower Drum," and "Gao Shan
Qing," all of which were written by He. Other songs
included "Nomad's Rustic Song," by Mark Arminini,
"Gotenete," by Celso Machado, and "Jasmine Flower,"
written by He and Thibault.
All of the songs that were performed varied in
volume and tempo, going from fast to slow, loud to
soft, or vice versa. Along with that, most of the songs
featured crowd participation, especially "Washing
Inquiring students
visit Behrend
by Kassi Hindman
staff writer
different parts of the campus. On the tour they were
given a brief history of Penn State Behrend and also
The sky was gray, the rain came down, and the air shown some of the different buildings where they
was cold on Saturday at Penn State Behrend. would be attending classes.
However, this did not stop the many high school and Many students also saw the dorm rooms. Certain
transfer students and parents who visited the college rooms were open for viewing and providing a feel
to see if it was the right place for them. for what dorm life would be like. They could also
The day started in the lobby of McGarvey enjoy their lunch in Dobbins or Brunos.
Commons, where visitors were able to register and Any question a student may have had could
receive packets of information on the day's events. probably have been answered during the open house.
PHOTO BY HEATHER MYERS / BEHREND BEACON
Prospective Behrend students learn about the college at an information fair Saturday.
They could then go into the commons to the Professors, counselors, students, and many more
information fair. There they could speak with representatives were available to answer any
representatives from many different areas, such as questions. When asked what she thought set
the Army, the Health and Wellness Center, the Behrend's open house apart from other schools,
Computer Center, Housing, and security. The Andrea Konkol, an admission counselor, said that it
different departments were also available to tell about was "the personal attention we give the people that
the majors they offered and to hand out information. they might not get at other institutions."
The families were also able to go on a walking
NEWS 1-5
ADS 6, 14
EDITORIAL 7
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CAMPUS WIRE 8
HUMOR 9
FEATURES 10
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PHOTO BY HEATHER MYERS / BEHREND BEACON
Silk Road Music, a five-person Chinese ensemble, performs during Thursday's Music at Noon concert. The group includes Qiu Xia He, Zhi Min
Yu, Feng Jun Wang, Willy Miles, and Andre Thibault.
Song," with percussion, and "Jasmine Flower."
During "Washing Song," which had two parts, Silk
Road Music chose four children out of the crowd to
play with the group. These children used different
percussion instruments to help the group perform.
In "Jasmine Flower," a children's choir that has
practiced with the group performed on stage, even
doing a solo. The crowd was also invited to join in
towards the end of the song.
Besides the concert at Behrend, Silk Road Music
has played in many other places, including San
Francisco, New York, Louisville, Charlotte, Seattle,
tour of the campus led by a Lion ambassador. Many
families did venture out into the rainy day to see the
CALENDAR 11
A&E 12-13
SPORTS 1-4 B
and Philadelphia, where they will be returning next year hopes to continue to succeed.
for their next concert. The Wintergarden Series was developed by Kay
The ensemble has also played in international Logan in 1990 to share the joy of music with others.
locations such as England, France, and many festivals The series was made to create a welcome environment,
in Canada, including the Jazz Festival in Quebec. provide students with an to opportunity to interact with
Silk Road Music provided a spectacular performance the artists through dialogue.
at the Wintergarden Series, as could be seen in the The series has grown steadily and has become a
reactions of the audience. public event, involving seniors, disabled children, and
"The audience reaction was terrific," said Barnard. public school groups. The series continues on Nov
"I really liked it," said Leann Bartomioli. "The sound 12 with the Marian Anderson String Quartet
was beautiful." The ensemble recently recorded an
album featuring many of the songs performed, and
NEWSROOM: 898-6488 E-MAIL: Offices are located
FAX: 898-6019 behrcolls@aol.corn downstairs in the
Reed Union Building
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