I saw a free performance by the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra this weekend at the Stanford Shopping Center. These young musicians really put on quite a performance with a full complement of Chinese instruments. As the Chinese population expands in the United States, I am seeing new opportunities for the Chinese American youth to rediscover the culture and heritage of their ancestors through music. A group like this would have been unheard of 3 decades ago. Basically, music lessons then consisted of learning Western music on Western instruments. However, this slowly matured to learning Chinese music on Western instruments, and finally learning Chinese music on Chinese instruments.

The Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra will be performing a Chinese Operatic Music Concert at California Theatre in San Jose on May 10, 2008. Visit their website for details.