Yang Ning, Yan Xintong and Huang Qianjia’s band performance. Photo provided by interviewee Huang Qianjia, a Chinese Canadian, is not only an IT professional, but also a passionate band lead singer. From Chengdu to Canada, Huang Qianjia used music to build a bridge for cultural ex

Yang Ningyan Xintong

Huang Qianjia’s band performance. Picture provided by the interviewee

Canadian Chinese Huang Qianjia is not only an IT professional, but also a passionate lead singer. From Chengdu to Canada, Huang Qianjia used music to build a bridge for cultural exchanges and established the Ottawa Chinese Music Association to connect friends with music.

Music Road

Huang Qianjia, 36, was born in Chengdu, China, and has had a strong interest in music since he was a child. In high school, he became involved in a band and became a member of it. This experience not only laid a musical foundation for him, but also made him fall deeply in love with live performances. During college, Huang Qianjia continued to participate in band activities, and did not give up his music dream even when he was studying for a doctorate.

In 2012, Huang Qianjia came to Canada to study and eventually settled in Ottawa. Although he was in a foreign country, he still persisted in his musical dream and continued to be the lead singer of the band. His musical style is full of passion, which makes him particularly unique among local musicians. Every time they perform, the audience will be surprised to see this Chinese-faced lead singer, because such a combination is rare in Ottawa.

"At first I just wanted to form my own band." Huang Qianjia recalled, "An album happened to be released at that time." This album not only demonstrated his strength as a lead singer, but also made him realize that he could use music to Promote cultural exchanges among Chinese communities. He said: "I hope to let more local people understand Chinese culture through music."

Before the local Spring Festival gala, Huang Qianjia and his team started rehearsing a month in advance. The venue is usually rented temporarily and the repertoire is temporarily determined. However, this impromptu arrangement did not affect their performance. "We will continue to adjust during rehearsals to ensure that every detail is perfect." Huang Qianjia said.

They not only focused on the music itself, but also added rich visual elements, such as neat movements and bright red costumes, to showcase elements of traditional Chinese culture.

"Foreigners will find that there are many professional drummers after watching this." Huang Qianjia said, "For example, our coach Wang Feiyu, he has loved percussion since he was a child, and he has learned traditional folk music Chinese drums. His performance is full of personality."

In 2022, Huang Qianjia invited Wang Feiyu Served as a coach and formed a drum team. In just one year, the drum troupe has performed in dozens of performances, including performances in Chinatown, Capitol Hill, and embassies.

One of their performances on Capitol Hill was inspiring. A group of young people beat the drums on the stage with great momentum. Huang Qianjia explained: "Our drum team not only has traditional drum beats, but also integrates modern drum technology. This is our innovation. At the same time, we also want to bring Chinese drumming culture to various communities in Ottawa."

Festival Events

In 2019, Huang Qianjia decided to unite another high-level Chinese band and an old overseas Chinese band to hold the Lesou Music Festival. He hopes to take this opportunity to let more people hear different styles of music and showcase the talents of Chinese musicians. However, what he didn't expect was that the music festival would eventually attract eight bands and 50,000 Chinese audiences.

This successful attempt made Huang Qianjia realize that it would be difficult to sustain development alone, so he proposed the establishment of the Ottawa Chinese Music Association to be responsible for organizing activities.

"Leshou Music Festival is a music festival dominated by Chinese bands." Huang Qianjia said proudly, "We hope that in this way, more people will understand and appreciate the unique charm of Chinese music."

in 2019 , Huang Qianjia also launched the Ottawa Folk Music and Opera Culture Festival, which has been successfully held for the fourth time this year. The cultural festival showcases performances of traditional Chinese musical instruments such as guzheng, pipa, erhu, etc., as well as large-scale folk orchestras, bringing a new experience to foreign audiences.

At a farm fair, a member of the association played some popular Western tunes on the guzheng, attracting a large audience. “A lot of people have never seen a guzheng and they may be more familiar with a harp." Huang Qianjia said, "But when the performer played popular music on the guzheng, everyone was deeply attracted. He not only plays the melody, but also slaps the guzheng speaker to create a unique rhythm that shocks the audience. "Many audience members came up to ask about the performers and exchanged contact information, expressing their desire to know more about guzheng.

"I remember that an old lady was particularly interested. She kept asking various questions, and finally exchanged Mail. Huang Qianjia said with a smile, "She said she had never heard such a beautiful musical instrument and wanted to know more about it." "

This kind of cross-cultural exchange not only enhances people's understanding of Chinese culture, but also promotes community harmony. Through these activities, Huang Qianjia and his team have successfully brought Chinese traditional music into the lives of more people.

Chinese feelings

Huang Qianjia attaches great importance to being with the audience in his usual performances He likes to play original pieces with Chinese elements and often impresses the audience. During one performance, the atmosphere was very good. To Huang Qianjia's surprise, many overseas Chinese in their 60s and 70s suddenly stood up and followed him. Clap your hands.

“This scene would not normally appear in a theater, and the interaction between the audience made the whole scene extremely lively. I was shocked at the time. I just said that we should applaud together and clap our hands together. Unexpectedly, everyone stood up. Huang Qianjia said with emotion, "This song really touched their hearts and evoked some kind of emotion in them." "

For the future, Huang Qianjia hopes to continue to expand the scale of the music festival and cultural festival and attract more people to participate. "We hope to invite more international bands and artists to participate. "This can further enhance the influence of the event and allow more people to understand and appreciate the charm of Chinese culture," he said. "

In addition, he also plans to strengthen cooperation with local schools, carry out music education projects, and cultivate more young musicians. After 2023, Huang Qianjia will also promote the establishment of the Ottawa Youth Dance Culture Festival, which will be participated by local dance schools in Ottawa , can play a role in enhancing cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups. “I believe that through education, we can better inherit and develop Chinese culture. Huang Qianjia said, “This is also an important mission of our association. "

"The folk music and opera culture festival we are preparing for this year will be held directly in the Congress. " Huang Qianjia said excitedly, "We hope this event can become a model to show the unique charm of Chinese culture. "

In addition, the association holds pop-up activities at the end of each year to allow more overseas Chinese to participate in music and cultural activities. Huang Qianjia and his team not only held many activities in Ottawa, but also conducted extensive activities in surrounding areas community performances. Last fall, they performed 8 times at a large farm market near Ottawa, and each performance was warmly received. “We hope that through these activities, more people will understand and love Chinese music. . "Huang Qianjia said.

Every performance and every activity has witnessed his love for music and culture. It is this kind of sentiment that allows Huang Qianjia and his team to create wonderful moments one after another overseas. Whether it is Whether on the streets of Ottawa or on the stage of Parliament Hill, Huang Qianjia tells stories about music, culture and community in his own way.