Moon Festival Concert returns to CLU

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Aug. 31, 2012) A Chinese Moon Festival Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, in Samuelson Chapel at California Lutheran University.

The evening of traditional Chinese and Western music will feature professional vocalist Mingming Jiang, a Beijing resident who recently held a solo concert in Los Angeles. Featured local groups are the Pacific Pearl Symphony Orchestra, YangSheng Choir, Dancing String Chamber and Thousand Oaks Chinese Folk Ensemble. CLU junior Qiushi Yang from Beijing will play “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” on the erhu, a two-stringed bowed musical instrument.

The Chinese Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is an important holiday in the Chinese culture that has been celebrated for thousands of years. Tradition holds that the moon is at its roundest and brightest on that day, signaling a time of completeness and abundance. It is a celebration of the harvest season and a day of family reunions, much like Thanksgiving in the United States. Traditionally, family and friends get together to admire the moon and eat moon cakes. The legend associated with the festival recounts the story of a beautiful woman named Chang E who flew to the moon and has lived there ever since.

Samuelson Chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks.

CLU’s Department of Languages and Cultures, the office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services, Pacific Pearl Music Association and the Center for Asian Performing Arts are sponsoring the free concert.

The program is appropriate for ages 8 to adult.

For more information, contact Debby Chang at ddchang@callutheran.edu or go to callutheran.edu.