Chicago concert bridges Chinese, Western musical traditions

More than 500 musicians, singers, dancers and community artists took the stage at Chicago Symphony Center on Saturday for "Bridges We Build, Memories We Keep," a concert that drew an audience of more than 2,000 and wove together Chinese and Western musical traditions across generations.

Organized by the Midwest Asian Health Association, the concert also supported Alzheimer's awareness and fundraising. Among its highlights were the world premieres of newly arranged symphonic choral versions of the American folk song Shenandoah and the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower.

"Music has a unique power to connect us – across cultures, generations, and memories," said Elizabeth Jia, the concert's artistic director and a member of both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Women's Board and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Young Professionals Board, as she opened the concert.

"Today, artists from different traditions come together to share that connection with us," she told the audience.

The program moved fluidly across Western classical repertoire, Chinese art songs and instrumental works, opera, choral music and dance, with professional artists, community performers and children sharing the same stage throughout the afternoon. 

Conductor Mina Zikri led the orchestra across Chinese, American and European musical traditions. Internationally acclaimed violinist Liu Yang performed an excerpt from the Chinese violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers, while Chinese baritone Hu Sihao, a member of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago and a prizewinner of China's Golden Bell Awards, took the stage alongside soprano Boya Wei and other featured artists.

Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Women's Board, which helped support the event, said the range of the program was one of its strengths. Board President Laura Truax spoke highly of the performance, while Immediate Past President Judith E. Feldman said she was overwhelmed to see everyone involved in the production gathered together on stage. Betsy Berry, the board's vice president of communications, described the first half as "wonderfully eclectic," with orchestral, choral and solo works by Chinese, American and European composers, and said the second half highlighted the richness of Chinese cultural life in the Chicago area.

Board member Ann Fadel said the program brought together professional artists, children and community groups in a way that felt "both sophisticated and deeply connected to the community," while Cristina Romero praised "the melding of cultures and different ways to interpret music."

"I left with a greater appreciation for the richness of Chinese culture and the ability of the arts to bring people together," Fadel said.

Susan Hanes, president of International Women Associates, called the concert "a beautiful celebration of music, culture, and community." The moment that stayed with her most came near the end, when performers from across the program shared the stage together.

"Seeing so many performers and traditions on one stage captured the spirit of the afternoon beautifully," Hanes said. "It was a celebration that reached beyond music, creating a genuine sense of connection among the performers and the audience."

Sara Dix, president of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Young Professionals Board, had a more playful take. It was an amazing concert, she said, but "the kids stole the show."

As two folk traditions met in newly created symphonic arrangements and artists of different generations and backgrounds shared the same stage, the concert became more than a performance. It served as a musical bridge connecting cultures, generations and memories.