Globally Renowned Pipa Player Ye Jin is Making Chinese National Music Go Global with Her Exceptional Performances

THE YOUNG CHINESE MUSIC ARTIST HAS BECOME THE FIRST CHINESE MUSICIAN TO HOLD AN ONLINE PIPA CONCERT FOR THE GLOBAL AUDIENCE

April 24, 2022: Ye Jin is a globally renowned emerging Chinese music artist and Pipa Player, who has recently accomplished the achievement of being the first Chinese musician to hold a Pipa concert for the worldwide audience. The concert took place on April 7^th, 2022, on the online platform of Clubhouse, and the title of this solo concert was “Sounds From the East”. The aim of this concert was to carry forward China’s Pipa and Chinese music culture, and also to share the beauty of oriental melody to a wider audience. In addition to being the first Chinese artist holding Pipa concerts, Ye is also the first Chinese to actively engage in Pipa music education. She has recently returned to the United States, seeking to create more marvelous music works to help Chinese folk music go global.

“This was an online concert of unprecedented significance to music education, and I also plan to play modern music for audiences of all nations at her next Clubhouse concert.” Said Ye Jin, while talking about the successful online Pipa concert. “I consider the Pipa a cultural symbol of which Chinese musicians should be proud and confident about.” She added. The young artist is also the Vice Chairman of the Sino-US Chinese Musicians Association, an outstanding association of American and Chinese musicians with members including top Chinese and American musicians, conductors and composers, and support from both governments.

At this concert, the audiences included people from Asia, Australia, Europe, America and other places and musicians of various nationalities, and they praised Ye Jin for her exceptional performance. Unfortunately, several Chinese audiences failed to watch the concert online due to regional restrictions. At this event, Ye Jin played famous traditional Chinese music such as “Jackdaw Playing in the Water”, “Ambush from All Sides”, “White Snow In Sunny Spring”, “Big Billows Beat The Sands”, and “Sounds of Nature in Emptiness”. She also talked about the creative background and implied meaning of each piece.

Chinese Musician / Pipa Virtuoso Ye Jin

Now claiming global recognition, Ye Jin began her musical journey with the Pipa at the age of 5, laying a foundation for her current musical attainment. The music she plays has crossed the Pacific to bring new musical chapters for Americans. A young musician of distinctive personal quality and independent thought, she has made her living wandering the US with the Pipa for years, presenting a Pipa with Chinese characteristics to American audiences. She believes Americans are lacking awareness of the Pipa and that China’s national music has its value in the US and even across the world.

“Independence and creative thinking is a must for musicians to imbue thought and pep into their musical work.” Said Ye Jin, while sharing her thoughts about music. “A musician can never create fine music if catering to the needs of the market is his/her main cause.” She added.  The young artist believes that the charm of music rests on its ability to meet people’s spiritual needs and to provide enlightenment and education. This is why people of all nations, poor or rich, humble or noble, colored or not, can enjoy music. Though the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019 has reshuffled the global landscape, she believes music represents an eternal spiritual solace for all mortal beings. The world of art has forever helped people to temporarily break away from their pain and anxiety.

In September 2019, Ye Jin was invited to attend the CicLAvia performance in Los Angeles. A 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, CicLAvia is the largest Open Street activity in the US and the municipal government of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority are its notable collaborators. The activity coincided with the centenary of UCLA, helping the activity record over 1.8 million participants since 2010. Ye Jin played a mixture of ten traditional and modern pieces, with her performance of western pop music with Pipa generating quite a stir and shocking the American audience

In February 2020, Ye Jin was invited by the San Francisco Symphony for the second time to put on a performance. Unfortunately, she had to decline as travel between China and the US was blocked due to COVID-19 restrictions. Like many other musicians, the lockdowns disrupted her plans. Be that as it may, every coin has two sides. Ye Jin dedicated herself to self-improvement during the COVID-19 period. She felt a time with no audience, applause, honor or stages was prime time for self-refinement and creating new work.

“Music is not played to cater for customers’ tastes to maximize profit but for edification and education.” Said Ye Jin, while talking about music education. “The pandemic has altered the way music is presented and the number of musicians holding online concerts is increasing, which is to the benefit of audiences as they can re-enjoyed performances whenever and wherever they want and avoid crowds.” She added. In January 2021, Ye Jin attended the online New Year concert “Flowers Bloom in Spring” which was held by the Sino-US Chinese Musicians Association as the main performer. Together with other players, she played five famous Pipa songs and the melodies were pleasant and touching, making her elegant performance most memorable for everyone.

In February this year, Ye Jin finally returned to the US, resuming her musical career. Under her leadership as the Vice Chairman, the Sino-US Chinese Musicians Association has held over 100 high-quality concerts, which have been reported on by a dozen of mainstream media for China and the American Chinese community, like China Central Television, Sing Tao Daily, and Phoenix Television. The association serves as an under pinner of cultural exchange between China and the US, and it is most renowned. During the pandemic, the Association set up a live-streaming platform, which as a top cultural live-streaming platform has gained an audience of over a million across several dozen countries. As of now, a total of over 30 live-streaming activities have been held with 75.2278 million times of page view and      0.4575 million followers.

About Ye Jin

Ye Jin received her undergraduate education as a Pipa major at Shanghai Theatre Academy which is China’s top art university. In 2018, she scored her master’s degree in Leadership in the Arts and Entertainment Industries from the New York Institute of Technology. As the major player in many performances, she has graced the pages of many mainstream media outfits in China and the US, including Sina News, Tencent News, SinoVision, the China Press, and World Journal. In 2017, she was awarded several gold medals at the International Music Awards, including the New York Chinese Instruments International Competition Award, the United States International Music Competition, Hua Yue Cup International Instrument, and Dance and Song Competition. She was also given Orders of Acknowledgement by the mayors and senators of Los Angeles County, the City of Monterey Park, the City of San Marino, the City of San Gabriel, and the City of West Covina in the same year to highly acclaim her contribution to the cultural exchange between China and the US. Her excellence in music has been recognized by such noted musicians as Wu Man, world-renowned Pipa master with 5 Grammy nominations, Bruce Molsky, American violinist with 2 Grammy nominations and Mike Block, cellist and professor of Berklee College of Music.