Photo of Song Shifang and He Shunxin

Song Shifang Peking Erhu Concert in Beijing andTianjin

Song Shifang is Playing Peking Erhu

Photo of Song Shifang andthe Author at Sun & Moon Lake

Photo of Song Shifang and Li Shengming

Song Couple and Zhao Minghua

Song Shifang’s Calligraphy in Performance in Tianjin

Perfect Integration of Nail Nose Tower andPeking Erhu

In mid-80’s last century, when I worked as a director in Beijing Opera Company, Ningxia, working on the special program of opera artist “ Mr. Wang Helin, a student of Ma school performance”. I made an acquaintance of Song Shifang, Beijing Opera Hu-Qin player in Taiwan. After we began our work, Song made ready all the music score of repertoire swiftly, and copied it for the rest of Players in his team. Song’s play was powerful, his handle of the tune was careful and precise, especially for opening bars and some underlined notes in a uniquely new and original style. His play for the Yang style opera set off Li Mingsheng’s singing very well. Song Shifang is not a good speaker, not talkative, maybe that is his biggest inadequacy, but he is a good teacher. Each time, before he is going to teach, he would make very well preparations. His simple but clear key points of Hu Qin accompaniment of Beijing Opera make easy for students to learn, to understand, thus he has won students’ high opinion and recognition of many TV-viewers. In the Treasure Island of Taiwan, Song Shifang is still keeping his practice every day. Even when he is travelling, he would bring a skinless and soundless Hu Qin, thus he could play whenever he feels free, to keep his fingers dexterous. He is very popular in Taiwan inside and outside of the music circle. To Beijing Opera fans and amateur Beijing Opera singers, he teaches them whole-heartedly. In order to create more pieces of Jing Hu concerto with Taiwan style, he often goes to mountain areas and villages in Taiwan to enrich his music elements and get inspiration for creativeness. He tries to integrate Taiwan style of music with Jing Hu, thus produce new pieces of music of beautiful melody with local style of Taiwan.