Sheng is one of the most traditional Chinese instrument, polyphonic, and also called “mouth organ”. In the past, the sheng was only allowed in given occasions, for certain group of people and special ceremonies. After instrument revolutions and Western musical cultural influences, the sheng became popular not only as an accompanying instrument, but also as a soloist. This wind instrument is a polyphonic treasure and its unique sound comes from metal reeds through bamboo pipes. More and more, the Sheng is being used in many different modern music styles, like experimental music and modern compositions. We will discover the instrument itself, all the way from the history and traditional Chinese music, to what Shao-Huan is doing now by using this instrument and how he combines Eastern and Western elements to make his own results to become a new musical unit.

Shao-Huan Hung is a sheng player from Taiwan based in Brussels. He has been playing the sheng as his main instrument since he was at the age of 9, so Chinese music has been the strongest base of his background until he found another passion in jazz music. He decided to dive into jazz world and moved to Belgium to study in the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, where he became the first ever case who to study jazz with a Chinese instrument. Shao-Huan now composes and discovers improvised music and electronic music, creating his personal colors.

The session will be done in English.

In a friendly atmosphere, seated around the tables in the foyer (bar) of the Théâtre Molière, the ICTM Talks are a program of lessons on six different musical traditions and the culture from which they originate. Each of the six sessions will be devoted to a different style of music, the repertoire and the territory associated with it, and presented by specialists from the world of the arts, academia or enthusiasts of the music style in question.