Zhang Xiaobo, a talented young guzheng player from the China Orient Orchestra, was invited to perform at a concert in Milan, Italy. She impressed the audience by not only playing traditional Chinese music with guzheng but also enchanting them with her renditions of selections from an Italian opera with guzheng.

Zhang Xiaobo was born in Huludao City, Northeast China’s Liaoning Province. She learnt to play guzheng in her childhood and gave a solo guzheng concert at the age of nine. Recently, she was invited to perform much guzheng music in different styles at the Verdi Music House in Milan and the hall of the ancient building of Palazzo a Nuvolera. These included the Chinese classic Yi Dance Music and an original guzheng composition Soul Drops Down at Mawei Slope. For many Italian audience, this was their first exposure to Chinese guzheng music, and they were amazed by the unique timbre of the instrument and Zhang Xiaobo’s outstanding performance.

Zhang Xiaobo also retuned the guzheng and played a guzheng music based on a selection from the Italian opera Nabucco. The Italian audience remarked that it was their first time they had listened to the traditional Chinese musical instrument being played up close, and they found the guzheng had a clean and beautiful timbre with a profound artistic conception. They were amazed that the Chinese guzheng could also perform Italian opera music, showcasing a unique lingering charm.