Musicians win new audiences by moving online

Challenging time

However, transitioning from traditional concert halls to online streaming platforms is not easy for the musicians.

Shen Xiangyang, who plays the yangqin (a hammered dulcimer) and has performed with the orchestra since 1990, found it extremely challenging when she initially performed livestreaming shows.

The yangqin is played with bamboo beaters that have rubber or leather heads. During the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the instrument arrived in China via the Silk Road, and by the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it had become an essential part of nearly all Chinese folk operas nationwide.

Shen said: "It was a definite 'no' when I was first invited to give livestreaming shows. I had never watched any of these programs, and was used to practicing by myself, rehearsing with other musicians, and performing to live audiences in concert halls."

However, Shen, who is open-minded and curious about such programs, decided to give them a try.

Using only her phone, she gave her first livestreaming show on July 4 in a corner of her home. She prepared works she had often played at concerts, but after the show, the feedback from audiences was not as good as she expected.

Shen sought help from her younger colleagues who had livestreaming experience, before making some quick adjustments and changing the pieces she played during these shows.

She adapted popular songs, and bought lights and microphones for her online performances. She also researched and played music that is the most popular with young people, and spoke to audiences about the versatility of her instrument.

"It was very challenging, because I felt as though I was working as a one-person team. I even lost sleep before my livestreaming shows, as I was so nervous," said Shen, who usually has colleagues from the orchestra help her set up the lights and check the sound.

"I also need to talk during the online shows, which I have never done in any of my concert hall performances," she said.

Initially, only two people watched her livestreaming shows, but the number soon rose to more than 800. The messages she received from audiences were encouraging and touching.

Shen said: "Compared with the erhu or pipa, the yangqin belongs to a minority taste. But my online programs have enabled people who didn't know the instrument to become interested in it, and they want to see me perform at concert halls."

One fan told Shen that she learned to play the yangqin as a child, but gave it up after a few years. The fan decided to renew her interest in the instrument after watching Shen's online shows.

Born in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, Shen first saw a yangqin as she passed a street corner near her home when she was a primary school student. She was drawn to the instrument's "clean and emotive" sound.

When she found that the yangqin player on the street was a new music teacher at her school, Shen was delighted and decided to learn the instrument for fun, never expecting to play it professionally.

"Now, I am busy with shows at concert halls, and my fans leave me messages asking about my livestreaming plans. I will not stop livestreaming－it's a platform for me to connect with new fans," she said.