Two young sisters from Portage are bringing the sounds of Chinese classical music to new audiences in our community. Hsin-Hsin Lee and Hsin-Min Lee have both studied piano and violin, but in recent years they have focused their attention on the ancient Chinese instruments, the gu-zheng and the pipa.

Each summer, for the past three years, the girls have spent their summers in Beijing or Taiwan studying intensively, taking several lessons a week, each lasting two hours or more. Last year they appeared on a Bravo! recital at the Epic Center in Kalamazoo, and more recently, they visited WMUK to record at the Yoshimi Takeda Performance Studio.

They will be featured on the June 15th and 16th editions of WMUK’s In Concert program. You can also listen to their performances by visiting our Audio Archives page or clicking on the links below.

The Gate of Yang Guan (gu-zheng and pipa)

Tears for Beauty (gu-zheng and piano)

Dance of the Yi (pipa solo)

(To download any of these audio files, right-click on the link and select "Save As.")

Hsin-Hsin has just graduated from Portage Northern High School. Hsin-Min has just completed the 9th grade.

Hsin-Hsin plays the gu-zheng, a plucked, half-tube zither with movable bridges and 16-25 strings. The strings can be played on both sides of the bridges. Notes can also be “bent” by applying pressure to the strings.

Hsin-Min plays the pipa, a four-stringed instrument with 24 frets and a solid body. It is considered by many to be the most difficult of all Chinese instruments to play, demanding flexibility and nimble technique.

These recordings were engineered by Martin Klemm, and they represent the first time the sisters have undertaken the challenge of studio recording. We hope it won’t be the last!

Western Michigan University's School of Music has nearly 425 music majors, earning degrees in music education, music therapy, composition, jazz studies, and performance. At all hours you can hear the practice rooms resounding with rehearsals, see students pouring over scores in the hallways, conducting silent orchestras. WMU communications student Molly Rent went behind the scenes to produce this story, a look at three performers who came together during this time of intense study and learning. Click here to listen to Molly's report (or go to the Audio Archive on our "Listen" page).

Molly Rent is a communications student at WMU and promotions director for WIDR.

The three members of Trio Aparición are clarinetist Patricia Billings, basoonist SaMona Bryant, and pianist Monica Washington.

Listen to the trio perform Mendelssohn's Concert Piece #1.

Listen to the trio playing Piazzola's "Oblivion."

These four remarkable young women collaborated in creating and producing this feature which provides a fresh, personal perspective on student life today.

(To download any of these audio files, right-click on the link and select "Save As.")