Department of Music

On Friday, March 1st at 8pm in Brooks Hall, Guqin and Guzheng performer and Tea Master, David Wong will share his passion for these ancient Chinese instruments. Through music he will introduce the differences between folk and literati music of China, discover the historical context of the instruments and music, and highlight the differences between them in order to help better understand the cultural significance of this practice. 

Guqin, known as the “musical instrument of the sages,” is a seven-stringed zither that has long been appreciated by the Chinese literati for its beautiful sounds that express profound emotions and inspire spiritual transcendence. With a repertoire spanning several millennia, quqin represents a unique bridge between the past and the present of Chinese high culture.  The guzheng dates back over 2500 years to the Warring States period in China. The instrument is a plucked 16-21 stringed zither with moveable bridges built on the pentatonic scale. The guzheng has been important to both the imperial court, the literati and to the common people. During the great changes socially and culturally in China during the late 20th Century, the instrument found a resurgence and is now studied in Chinese conservatories. 

David Wong is the Executive Director of The Tranquil Resonance Studio and brings his passion for this ancient tradition to modern audiences. David has studied with renowned Masters of this art in China. He has performed, taught and lectured to various audiences around the world and brings his enthusiastic passion for this deep-rooted tradition to Charlottesville.

Hailing from a long line of Chinese scholars, David Wong is a lifelong student of traditional Chinese arts and a twelfth generation inheritor of the Guangling Guqin School. He has studied guqin (seven string zither), guzheng (Chinese table harp), pipa (Chinese lute), traditional Chinese painting, and tea culture under masters in the United States and China. His interests also led him to graduate studies both here and abroad, researching and absorbing the depths of his Chinese heritage. 

Under the tutelage of great masters like guzheng virtuoso Liu Weishan, Shanghai Conservatory of Music guqin professor and Guangling Qin School master Dai Xiaolian, Central Conservatory of Music guqin master Li Xiangting, pipa performer Li Linhong, traditional painter Huen Moon Yan of the Guangzhou Art Academy, world renowned artist Zhang Daqian’s student 96 year old master artist Fu Wenyan, and Roy Fong, tea master and proprietor of San Francisco’s most renowned teahouse Imperial Tea Court, Wong continues to pursue his studies and his interests in the classical Chinese arts, especially those of the Chinese literati. His interest in the Guangling Guqin style led to his study with Prof Dai and master classes with Guangling Master Lin Youren and Guangling Guqin scholar Prof. Dai Wei, professor of Ethnomusicology at the Shanghai Conservatory, making Wong the twelfth generation inheritor of the Guangling Guqin School and one of the first to transmit this style in the United States. In 2004 he received Honor awards and Outstanding Performance awards at the First International Guqin Competition held in Beijing.

Besides performing and teaching music at schools and community culture centers, he also educated students on tea culture at local teahouses and tea companies, and lectured on numerous cultural artistic traditions at various universities around the bay area, including Stanford University, University of California Davis, and San Francisco State University, always enthusiastic to share all that he has learned and showcase the deep-rooted traditions and music of China.

Historic Brooks Hall is on University Avenue adjacent to the University of Virginia’s Rotunda and directly across the street from St. Paul’s Memorial Church and the Bank of America. Parking is available on the street or in one of the many parking lots and garages on "The Corner", across from Brooks Hall in lots on Elliewood Avenue, University Avenue, Fourteenth Street and Wertland Street.

All programs are subject to change.