San Chuan (“Three Rivers”) is a trio of three young and energetic women, Wang Yao, Sang Ka and Liu Yu, who play the Chinese zither called zheng. Founded in autumn 2008 and based in the Chinese capital Beijing, the trio is presenting captivating compositions of contemporary Chinese music.
The three musicians, Xia Jing, Wen Ting and Sang Ka are all trained on the zheng since their early childhood. The ensemble performed at World Music Expo WOMEX 2009 in Copenhagen and Europalia-China in Brussels (the biggest Chinese arts festival ever held outside of China).
The zheng, a Chinese zither with 21 strings, is one of the most popular instruments in China. Its tuning is essentially pentatonic. Bending notes by pressing the open end of strings is one of the main sound features of this great instrument. The rather unusual combination of three zheng shows a stunning result, as they unfold an exceptional, almost orchestral soundscape.
Website: www.sanchuanmusic.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
