One of the most outstanding Chinese folk philharmonic societies, the Outstanding Women Orchestra of the East, is preparing for a series of performances in their new 2009-10 season.

The monthly show of the Chinese traditional music - "Elegant Chinese Music of Shanghai" - will be staged by the women orchestra at Shanghai Oriental Art Center every second Saturday from September to August 2010. Chinese traditional music masters will be invited as guest performers.

The opening show is called "Eternal Memory" - a classical music review to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Over the next few months, guzheng (Chinese zither) masters Wu Yang and Li Xiangting, and Chinese pipa (Chinese lute) soloist Li Jia, will give solo performances.

"The zither is the most expressive and delightful instrument in China, which can create a scene like Chinese wash painting," says Wang Long, art director of the orchestra.

Wang is a renowned player of guqin (plucked seven-string musical instrument of the zither family) and yangqin (a form of hammered dulcimer).

She started to learn yangqin from her musician father when she was seven years old. Wang issued her solo albums "Si" in 2000 and "Roland Love" in 2003.

A graduate from Beijing Central Conservatory, Wang served in the Shanghai National Music Ensemble from 1997 to 2005 and founded the women orchestra in 2003.

Consisting of 10 young female Chinese traditional musicians, the group plays erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle), yangqin, guqin, pipa, guzheng and dizi (bamboo flute).

The members of the group are all young women with a deep love and passion for music. Most of them were born into musical families and started learning music and playing traditional Chinese instruments from an early age.

"The group is tending to make traditional Chinese music appealing and acceptable as a highly elegant musical art form, to the taste of modern people in music appreciation, through modern media packaging, acoustic facilities, costume decoration and visual stage effects," says Wang.

Special charm

Their performance is attracting many music lovers back to Chinese traditional music and also taking Chinese folk music to the world.

Since its first show at the 2003 Shanghai International Music Festival, the group has performed in Bhutan and Macau and throughout the Chinese mainland.

It has also played with many international musicians, including French pianist Richard Clayderman, the Ron Korb Jazz band from Canada and Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

The sounds of Chinese traditional music add a special charm to Western classical or pop music.

In January next year, erhu virtuoso Min Huifen will lead the group in playing the "Chorus of Animals" in which the sounds of the animals are imitated by traditional musical instruments.

"It might be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, bringing original memories about human lives through animal sound imitation in the urban area," says Min.

Min has also been invited to be the artistic advisor for the group's performances during the new season.

"Eternal Memory"

Date: September 12, 7:45pm

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong

Tickets: 40-300 yuan

Tel: 6854-1234