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Chinese Music Appreciation 2: Pipa Pathways with Dr Lulu Liu

Pipa

The pipa (4-stringed lute), like the guzheng, is another well-known instrument from China. Of Persian ancestry, it has charmed countless audiences over many centuries to the present day in solo and ensemble contexts. Sydney-based virtuoso Dr Lulu Liu presents an exciting demonstration of the diverse palette of tone colours and techniques on the modern pipa in traditional and contemporary use. Her demonstration is followed by a performance by the Australian Pipa Association.

Programme

Waves Lapping at the Shore 大浪淘沙 (Dalong taosha)

~ Dr Lulu Liu

Susana 苏珊娜 (Susana)

~ Shurui Liang, Jiafang Li and Lucathea Cui

Give me a Rose 送我一支玫瑰花 (Songwo yizhi meigui hua)

~ Shurui Liang and Jiafang Li

Biography

Dr Liu Lu

Dr Lulu Liu (also known as Liu Lu 刘璐) is Lecturer in Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. She commenced pipa study at the age of six, completing her undergraduate studies on pipa performance at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She received her doctorate from the University of Sydney in 2019 for a thesis entitled ‘The Chinese pipa and its music, from conservatory to concert hall and beyond: Case studies of pedagogues, popularisers and promoters.’ Her article, ‘Contemporary Chinese pipa music and its future’, was published in Asian Musicology in 2012, and her book chapter on the canonization of the pipa repertoire was published with Routledge in 2020. She has contributed a growing number of articles and chapters in journals and books while continuing to engage as an internationally performer on the pipa. She frequently performs new pipa works by contemporary composers.  She has featured on the ABC Radio National Program including: The Rhythm Divine in the episode ‘Chinese Crossroads’ (2016) and “The Music of China” On The Music Show with Andrew Ford (2018). Two documentaries of Lulu’s musical pathways with China Central Television CCTV were broadcast in both 2019 and 2022.