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Audiophiles and singers flock to local library
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FOR music aficionados and professionals in Hangzhou, one of the best places to enjoy live music and hi-fi audio is the Hangzhou Library Music Pavilion. A growing number of choirs in the library also give local residents a place to hone their singing talents.
The hall is equipped with dozens of Marantz CD players, Sennheiser earphones and thousands of CDs. Moreover, three hi-fi rooms with top-notched equipment — including the Avantgarde Trio 6 Basshorn and Acapella Triolon Excalibur — provide a terrific environment for music appreciation.
“Some people wondered whether it was necessary to use such pricy stereos in the library,” says Wang Kaihua, director of the music pavilion. “Though the majority of citizens don’t have the ability to appreciate music, some of them have mastered musical instruments and require hi-fi equipment. We have to take them in consideration.”
The Hangzhou Library invested more than 10 million yuan (US$1.49 million) to purchase the musical equipment in 2008. Every year it spends over 300,000 yuan to buy CDs and books to enrich its collection.
“Eight years ago, when the library moved from downtown Hangzhou to the Qiantang New Town, we worried the more remote location and inconvenient transport would keep people away,” says Wang. “However, the hi-fi rooms helped lure swarms of music aficionados from across the country, and soon its fame spread.”
Qianjiang New Town has prospered in recent years, which also helps bring in streams of visitors every day. Other libraries have drawn from its experience and establish their own listening venues.
In addition, the music pavilion is a volunteer base for people with disabilities. The library has helped produce movies for hearing-impaired and blind people.
However, the professional-grade equipment is not the only reason for the pavilion’s success. Over the past eight years, it has organized more than 2,000 gatherings devoted to Italian opera and classical music. Many notable names in the music world have been invited to give lectures and preform there, including pianists Maksim Mrvica and Richard Clayderman.
“Most of the music gatherings were arranged by us,” Wang tells Shanghai Daily. “All of our faculty have majored in music and are skilled musicians. We emphasize professional musical abilities over everything else in the recruitment process.”
Zhang Anqi is one of the pavilion’s staff members. In addition to giving lessons at weekly music gathering, Zhang has also served as a DJ on local radio station FM 89. The library cooperated with the station on a program to spread classical and ethnic music among local people.
“Not long ago, I introduced Inner Mongolian music from the Chadamu National Orchestra. They presented authentic Khoomei overtone singing style and Mongolian musical instruments mixed with modern music,” Zhang told Shanghai Daily. “Nowadays, mainstream media seldom introduces such music. We want to build a platform on public media and spread more ethnic minority and classical music.”
Singing citizens
Another highlight of the music pavilion is the citizen chorus, which started in 2010. Its members include ordinary Hangzhou residents, including the middle-aged and elderly. It has become popular throughout Hangzhou because of its many free performances, as well as their winning record in choral competitions. It took a gold prize at a music festival in Budapest, Hungary, which marked the 130th anniversary of the birth of Zoltan Kodaly, a noted Hungarian music educator.
Unlike the music gatherings which are open to everyone, prospective chorus members are auditioned to test their sense of pitch and rhythm. They must also follow a rigorous practice schedule.
“During the startup period, the library subsidized the chorus to support them in competitions. Since they got famous from winning gold prizes in national and international contests, they received more and more performance invitations, which can cover their daily expense,” says Wang. “Now the chorus can almost supports itself in daily operations.”
In response to the chorus’s growing appeal and applicant pool, the library has organized a second chorus intended to prepare talents for the first.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of this year, a young female chorus named “Hers” was established in the pavilion. It is comprised of professional music teachers from local schools.
“The library plans to build branch music pavilions in other districts and counties. These young ladies will receive our training, and then become volunteers in these branches,” says Wang.
Chorus types are getting more and more specialized and varied. An acapella chorus named TNT is composed of ten university students. Every week, they rehearse in the hi-fi rooms and share acapella music at library events.
Hangzhou Public Library calls itself “the third life space” — the home and the office being the first two spaces. “We hope our library can become the third life space where citizens can improve and showcase their hobbies,” says Liang Liang, the library’s vice curator.
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