1st May 2009 activities at the Shanghai Spring National Accordion Competition

1st May 2009
Opening Dinner

A very nice dinner was held on the grounds of the Shanghai Normal University.


Organising Committee Secretary Crystal Wang opened the official proceedings.	Next to speak was Lu Zai Yi, President of Shanghai Music Association.

Chinese Accordion President Zhang Zi Qiang spoke.	Shanghai Normal University Vice-President Dr Cong Yuhao spoke.

Prof. Li Wei Ming and Yang rui Min.	Ding Peng with French guests Cyril Blanchard, Frederic Deschamps, Phil Bouvier. Cyril and Phil are part of the Hohner team performing on Sunday night.

Left to Right: Yang rui Min, Zhang Zi Qiang, Lu Zai Yi, Li Wei Ming, Cong Yuhao, Yu Zhen.

Popular Music of Spring - Concert
1st May 2009

This concert is in honor of World Accordion Day. The Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) is pleased to announce the official launching of World Accordion Day, May 6th, the day the accordion was patented in 1829.

May 6th each year is when the CIA will coordinate an annual world wide celebration, in a unified global crusade to promote the diversity of the accordion and the outstanding artists that play it.

The Shanghai Spring National Accordion Competition decided to make this concert in honor of World Accordion Day.

This concert is organised by the Shanghai Normal University staff and music students. They have made a superb cooperation to put together an entertainment program of popular and folk music featuring accordion soloists, duets and groups. There was full choreography, a very professional band, with particular attention to lighing, stage design, sound equipment for the accordionists, video of the players to make an event that will be long remembered.

Immediately below are the three main concert organizers.


Prof. Li Cong is the chief organiser and is the Head of the Music College.	Crystal Wang is an accordion tutor at Shanghai Normal University	Director of the concert is Miao Xiao Long, dance teacher at Shanghai Normal University.


Shi Ying is the keyboardist for this concert and a tutor at the Shanghai Normal University.	Li Wen is guitarist and teacher of guitar.	Xu Zhen Zhong is drummer and a drum professional.	Wu Xu is bass guitar player and a professional guitarist.

PROGRAM

The Concert

The professional level of professional sound, light and movie equipment used was excellent with university students assisting in providing the skills. This was a sign of the excellent cooperation between students of different courses and excellent co-ordination of talent by the concert organisers.

The person in charge of the technical production was Lv Qing, a electronics professional from "tc electronics" company. There was a mix of professionals and university students learning valuable working professional skills.

On the upper floor of the auditorium, there was a large boom camera, powerful spot lights and on the right, a powerful projector for putting the picture from the various live movie cameras onto the large screen on stage. As well as the camera on the large boom, there was a camera at the back of the ground floor of the hall and a hand held cam for close up shots near the stage.

Attention to detail for this concert was superb. Even the graphics on the screen, showed a picture of the performers.
The name of the Competition was also listed along with sponsors.


Mobile camera (near stage and on stage) was camera man Kobe Gu with wire man assistant.	Each accordion had treble microphones on a bar and a Shure SLX1 wireless transmitter to send the sound of each individual accordion to the sound mixer at the back of the hall.

Xia Xian rehearsing - you can see her microphone clearly. In the background you can see the stage screen picturing Xia Xian also, with the picture coming from the mobile camera man Kobe Gu.	Close up photo of Xia Xian accordion microphone, which is clipped to the bar that is attached to the accordion. There is a wire going underneath the accordion to the wireless transmitter on the players back.

Eduard Akhanov (Russia) with translator. Eduard is the guest artist for tomorrow nights concert.	Just before the concert begins, the lights go out, and many people wave different color glow sticks - it looks very pretty.

The concert started with 4 players, one in each corner of the hall. They walked from the 4 corners playing a lovely melody "Underground" to the stage.	Chen Shu Wen walking through the audience with sound amplified and band backing the melody.

The players then joined together on the stage. You can see the major array of stage lighting above the players.	Ge Jia Qi was a star of the show with excellent stage presence and beautifully playing of melodies.

Zhuo Sheng Ji and Wan Yi Zhong	You can also see the purpose built stage, with the instruments of the band set down into the stage. Zhuo Sheng Ji and Wan Yi Zhong.

This picture shows the inventive angles used by the camera controlled for the large stage screen. Cao Pei Ya playing.	Sang Yu Ting

Ge Jia Qi announcing.	Zhuo Sheng Ji and Wan Yi Zhong.

Chen Shu Wen - On stage was a bubble machine and also smoke effects to always keep something interesting being viewed.	Zhuo Sheng Ji and Xia Xian. Players moved around on stage showing the careful choreography training that had also gone into this popular music concert.

Wang Li Li	Zhuo Sheng Ji and Wang Li Li. Costume changes were happening regularly too - light bubbles in the background, all effects that helped keep the show exciting and changing.

Ge Jia Qi	Ge Jia Qi

Left to Right: Xia Xian, Zhuo Sheng Ji, Cao Pei Ya, Chen Shu Wen, Wang Li Li, Sang Yu Ting.

All the accordionists on stage - many were in another costume change and the colors and designs were very impressive.
Note the very different changes of lighting too.

Confetti filled the stage for the finale. Every little detail to make this concert a visual extravaganza had been most carefully planned and skillfully executed.

After concert presentations


Crystal Wang, makes a thank you speech at the end of the very very successful concert and invites other key people to the stage to be thanked.	Prof. Li Cong was publicly thanked for his very important part in the super successful concert. Left of Prof. Li Cong is Shanghai Normal University Executive Ruan Xing Shu.

Prof. Li Cong receiving congratulations from Zhang Guo Ping.	Prof. Li Cong being congratulated by Harley Jones for the exciting popular music concert.