4.30pm Friday 21 August
Guzheng trio Jade Harmony (from left: Hannah Liu, Meichu Song & Yuxi Su) was awarded the World of Music Prize at Musica Viva Australia’s Strike A Chord 2026, and we're delighted to welcome them to perform live-to-air during Intermezzo with Amanda Smith.
Year 8 students Hannah and Yuxi have been performing in an ensemble for 4 years and were joined earlier this year by Meichu to enter the Strike A Chord competition. They'll perform two works before joining Amanda in the studio to talk about their experience and the art of the guzheng.
Images courtesy of Music Time School
Toshihiko Mizuno—炎 (Flame) (arr. Junxi Huang)
Flame was originally composed by Japanese composer Toshihiko Mizuno for three traditional kotos and was later transcribed for the guzheng by Taiwanese guzheng performer and educator Junxi Huang. It is a fast-paced and technically demanding ensemble work with a strong theatrical quality. Through rapid rhythms, contrasting tone colours and close interplay between the parts, the piece creates a powerful sense of tension and energy. The transcription also reflects an interesting exchange between Japanese koto music and Chinese guzheng performance traditions.
Lin Hai—欢沁 (Happiness) (arr. Zhou Zhan & Sheng Yang)
Huan Qin (Happiness) is a representative work by contemporary Chinese composer Lin Hai, originally written for pipa and later transcribed for guzheng ensemble by guzheng performers and educators Zhou Zhan and Sheng Yang from the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.
The piece combines the pentatonic character and distinctive timbre of traditional Chinese music with modern harmony, rhythm, and arrangement. Unlike many traditional instrumental works that evoke a more elegant or classical atmosphere, Huan Qin sounds light, bright, carrying elements of contemporary popular music. This modern quality comes from its simple yet highly elastic melody, strong rhythmic drive, and the use of modern harmonic and arranging techniques. As a result, the piece creates a distinctive fusion of Chinese instrumental timbre and pentatonic melody with modern rhythm and harmony, giving it a lively, playful, and uplifting character.
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese plucked instrument that has a long history that spans over 2,500 years. It originated from the State of Qin during the Warring States period (around 475–221 BCE) and was historically referred to as the “Qinzheng.”
Over the centuries, the instrument evolved significantly, changing from its earliest 5-string form to 12, 13, and 16 strings in different dynasties. Finally, it was in the mid-20th century that modern musicians standardised it into the 21-string version widely played today, along with developing various distinct regional performance styles.