WOMEN-CHINA: Female Orchestra Players In Need To Be Heard (1) An Inter Press Service Feature

• by IPS Correspondents (beijing)
• Friday, December 02, 1994
• Inter Press Service

BEIJING, Dic 02 (IPS) - It will be take place in Beijing almost a year yet, but Zheng Xiaoying can hardly wait for the Fourth U.N. World Conference on Women to start.

Zheng founded the Aie Yue Nu Philharmonic Women Symphony Orchestra earlier this year. The group will make its public debut at the conference in September 1995.

"It's such a grand gathering -- practically the equal of the Olympic Games," says Zheng, who is also China's first female conductor. "It's the best possible occasion to establish China's first women's symphony orchestra."

At present, men dominate China's professional symphonies. Only a dozen women are among some 104 musicians with the Symphony of the Central Philharmonic Society, China's leading symphonic ensemble, or about nine percent of the total.

China has a handful of professional female cellists, violinists and flutists, but women distaff woodwind and double bass players are scarce while female brass players are virtually nowhere to be found.

Zheng in fact is having difficulty filling the positions in her 100-member symphony orchestra. Providing the core is the five-year- old Aie Yue Nu Chamber Orchestra, and Zheng says finding 60 female violinists for her new venture is no problem.

But there is an urgent need to adequately train eight female French horn and six trumpet players, along with six for the trombone section, two each for the bass horn and oboe and six double bassists.

Zheng says part of the problem is the general assumption that women just do not have the commitment, energy and sheer lung power required to be a professional brass player. Indeed, most orchestras in China simply dismiss female brass players who audition, regardless of any show of ability and sensitivity.

Dai Yunhua, who trained to be a professional bassoon player in the early 1950s, says this is a serious mistake. Now 60, Dai still finds time to perform regularly and and is willing to train young girls interested to become brass players.

"My experience has shown me that girls can be very good brass players for their tenacity," she says. "The tone colour they produce is beautiful. They also have a graceful stage presence, so different from that of male players that (their performance) can really intrigue an audience."

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service