Gao Bowen and His Friends” New Pingtan Opera Concert

Though most people may consider jazz and pingtan, a vocal performance popular in the regions south of the Yangtze River, as two very different arts, pingtan artist Gao Bowen is firm about a common ground — both are free and encourage improvisational performances.As a traditional opera practitioner, Gao has always been told about the importance of original flavor for pingtan. But his vision of making something fun never faded. He collaborated with rock and pop artists years ago, and is now trying out pingtan with jazz. He is glad that more young people are attending his concert. “It is always good to get audiences for any arts. I never consider crossover the new direction for pingtan, but a new option,” says Gao. Apart from presenting classic pingtan arias in jazz style, Gao will also interpret some traditional Chinese poems.