Middlesex Community College will put on Guqin and Viola in Musical Dialogue as part of the Spring 2025 “A World of Music” concert series. The performance will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 11 at MCC’s Concert Hall in Bedford.
“We are looking forward to hearing Simon Debierre and Ruixin Niu introduce us to a variety of repertoire played by the ancient Chinese Guqin, a plucked seven-string instrument, with the modern viola,” said Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, MCC’s Chair of Music. “It should be a fascinating evening of music.”
Debierre, who plays the Guqin, and Niu, violist, will bring together a revered Chinese instrument with over two thousand years of history, and the viola, known for its warm, expressive tone and versatility. This program will feature traditional Chinese music, modern compositions, and French works influenced by Chinese pentatonic scales, offering a rich tapestry of sounds that bridge ancient traditions and contemporary creativity.
The concert will open with a demonstration of Niu’s 3-D printed hybrid violin/viola with LED lights, which helps to illustrate these special Chinese scales.
“Simon Debierre and I are excited to perform at Middlesex Community College, blending the voices of an ancient Chinese instrument and a Western European instrument to bridge the ancient and contemporary musical landscapes of China and France,” Niu said.
A final “A World of Music” performance in Bedford will be a Student Recital at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28. MCC will also host the Lowell Chamber Orchestra (LCO) for a second time this semester at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.
Previous concerts this season include the LCO on Saturday, February 1; an Online Saturday Arts Concert featuring MCC faculty, alumni and students on Saturday, March 8; Know Orchestra on Sunday, March 23; and a Piano Recital by Anastasia Seifetdinova on Friday, April 4.
All concerts are free and open to the public.
MCC’s Concert Hall is located in the North Academic Building at 591 Springs Road in Bedford. Parking is available on-campus.