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Orchid Ensemble is KFAS finale on April 13

The sounds of traditional and contemporary China will fill Lakeland College's Bradley Theatre as Orchid Ensemble brings its unique take on World Music to the college's Krueger Fine Arts Series.

Orchid Ensemble will perform at Lakeland on Tuesday, April 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by contacting Deb Fale at (920) 565-1536 or faledj@lakeland.edu.

Established in 1997, Orchid Ensemble blends ancient musical instruments and traditions from China and beyond, creating a beautiful new sound that is both creative and distinct. The ensemble has embraced a variety of musical styles to its repertoire that includes creative improvisation.

Acclaimed as "One of the brightest blossoms on the world music scene" (Georgia Straight), the Orchid Ensemble has been tirelessly developing an innovative musical genre based on the cultural exchange between Western and Asian musicians.

Orchid Ensemble's 2004 release, "Road to Kashgar," was nominated for a Juno award in the Best World Music category.

The Orchid Ensemble regularly collaborates with musicians from a wide variety of world cultures and actively commissions new works by U.S. and Canadian composers for its unique instrumentation.

The ensemble has performed in concerts across North America, and at prominent world, jazz and folk music festivals. Recent appearances include The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery; Canada Day Celebrations in Ottawa; Festival Miami, and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Orchid Ensemble includes Lan Tung on vocals and erhu, Haiqiong Deng on zheng and Jonathan Bernard on marimba and percussion.

The erhu is a two-string stick fiddle that is played resting on the lap. It was introduced to China in the Tang Dynasty. A popular instrument in a variety of Chinese folk traditions, the erhu has now become a principle instrument in both instrumental and opera music.

The zheng is a plucked half-tube wood zither with movable bridges, over which a number of strings are stretched. The history of the zheng can be traced back to 2,500 years ago.

The ensemble uses a wide range of percussion including dumbek, def (frame drum), pai-gu (set of 5 Chinese tuned drums), udu (Nigerian percussion pot), Tibetan bells, zils (Egyptian finger cymbals), Turkish bells, kempul (Javanese gamelan gongs), Buddhist temple bowls, Chinese wind gong, Sichuan opera cymbals, Beijing opera gongs and cymbals, crotales, Chinese temple blocks and ban (Chinese wooden opera clapper).

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