14/2/2026
On February 6th, over 50 University of Nottingham staff, students, and local residents gathered at the Si Yuan Centre for "The Violin in China"—an evening of music and cultural discovery led by Dr. Huang Ziluo. The session explored the instrument's remarkable journey, from its arrival in China during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to its evolution into a vibrant voice in modern Chinese music.
Dr Huang, an award-winning violinist and researcher, was the perfect guide for this journey. Winner of First Prize at the UK International Music Competition (2023), she has performed at some of the UK's most prestigious venues and regularly delivers public talks and papers at international conferences.
With violin in hand, Dr Huang guided the audience through history, illustrating the development of distinctive Chinese violin styles in the 20th century. The room was captivated as she performed moving excerpts from the legendary violin concerto "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" (often called China's Romeo and Juliet) and the vibrant "Sunshine Over Tashkurgan." It was a beautiful showcase of Western technique meeting Chinese musical soul.
A lively Q&A session followed, with attendees curious about everything from maintaining practice discipline to the emotional nuances of Chinese versus Western music. The fun continued with a "Guess the Instrument" game, where participants raced to identify sounds from both Chinese instruments like the guzheng and pipa and Western classics like the cello—all while learning their names in Mandarin.
Feedback from the night was overwhelmingly positive, with many already asking for more. A summary video of the event can be viewed here.
We are pleased to confirm that Dr. Huang will return for another session on July 8th as part of the NCI's Summer School programme. It's one to mark on the calendar!
~ENDS~
Posted on Saturday 14th February 2026