London Youlan Qin Society

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The London Youlan Qin Society (traditional Chinese: 倫敦幽蘭琴社; simplified Chinese: 伦敦幽兰琴社; sometimes abbreviated to LYQS) is a London based qin society serving guqin players in the UK. Of the three major qin societies of the West (the other two being the North American Guqin Association and the New York Qin Society), this society is the most informal and the most active in terms of regular events and yajis.

1 History
2 Meetings and activities
3 Membership
- 3.1 Officers
- 3.2 Consultants
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The society was officially founded in 2003 by Dr. Cheng Yu and several guqin enthusiasts. According to the society's website, the society aims to "promote interest in and understanding of Chinese musical culture and philosophy, especially of the qin [...] in the UK." The society existed before then in an unspecified form with a group of qin players having irregular yajis. Then in 2003, the group of players decided to officially create a society, thereby creating Britain's first and only qin society.

The society is an off-shoot of the UK Chinese Ensemble, also headed by Dr. Cheng, which includes the Silk String Quartet and other projects.

[edit] Meetings and activities

The main activities the society holds are regular bi-monthy yajis as well as the occasional concert and the yearly guqin music summer school in association with the Asian Music Circuit at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Though it is primarily based in London, the society may hold meetings at other places in the UK for special occasions. One such meeting was held at Oxford University in 2004.

The summer school in London is the Society main event of the year, started in 2003. Each year, a qin master/player is invited to London to teach students for a week. So far, Prof. Li Xiangting, Gong Yi and Prof. Zeng Chengwei have taught at the summer school, with Prof. Zeng becoming the most often. During the summer school, there is the main Society yaji/anniversary/Congregation event of the year, attended by the professor, members of the Society and guests.

[edit] Membership

The society comprises two elected officers, several artistic consultants and numerous ordinary members. Membership is open to all who have an interest in music, particularly the music of the guqin, or are qin players/musicians. Members receive regular mailings about the society's activities and important upcoming events. There is no formal requirement for members to attend any of the meetings or yajis or any memebership fees. On average, around 15 - 20 members attend for each meeting.

As of May 2007, there are currently over 70 members, of which around 20 are qin players.