Anastasia:

"My name is Anastasia Fridman, and I am currently in the second year of my master’s in the Classical department at Codarts, majoring in violin. As part of my research, I am spending my second year at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music as an exchange student in the Department of Chinese Traditional Music, studying both violin and erhu, a Chinese string instrument.

My exchange at the Shanghai Conservatory is a very exciting journey so far, both musically and culturally. Attending Chinese opera performances, concerts, and various lectures I have come to understand and learn much more about the music and the culture here. Every week there are so many concerts in Shanghai, that sometimes I cannot choose which concert I should go to because there are several interesting concerts on the same day. Thanks to these concerts I have been able to see some of my favorite erhu performers live and connect with them and arrange lessons. I have found that the Chinese are very welcoming to foreigners who want to learn about their culture and music.

I traveled to Xi’an, which offered another perspective. Being able to receive lessons from erhu master Jin Wei in the northern musical style from the Shaanxi province brought to light how big of a difference there is between the different Chinese musical styles and their playing techniques and musical phrasing. In the southern Chinese city Suzhou I also had the opportunity to listen to lectures and have lessons with a famous composer and erhu master Zhu Changyao. I received a lot of valuable feedback on how to play his compositions and to see which techniques are being used to play different styles of Southern Chinese music. Focusing on the difference in local Chinese music styles also has inspired me to think more creatively about my own classical music practice and how regional differences shape musical expression.

Balancing my violin studies with learning the erhu, Chinese music and language is challenging but rewarding. This exchange not only gives me a lot of valuable experience but also inspired me to think about future collaborations, where I can combine elements of Chinese and Western music to create something unique. I’m excited to bring these experiences back to the Netherlands and to share what I’ve learned."

Would you like to hear Anastasia performing on the Erhu, have a look at her YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/NhchqWj7FxU?si=p7GaIz_YDYujNecG