J O H N H U I E A N D T H E C H I N E S E G ARD E N C H A M B E R M U S I C F E S TI V AL – TAASA Review December 2010

Paolo Hooke I n many cases people who love European classical music, when faced with the prospect of listening to Chinese music, reject it out of hand.

We hope to show audiences in Australia new music and instruments they may not have heard before,’ says Australian composer John Huie, founder and artistic director of Sydney’s Chinese Garden Chamber Music Festival. In the Chinese Garden of Friendship: from left to right, Ying Liu (erhu), John Huie and Lulu Liu (pipa).

Photo Rick Stevens 2009 So how is it that this Sydney boy came to write for Chinese traditional instruments and arrange Chinese folk tunes? I like German and Italian music, it was drummed into me day after day at the [Sydney] Conservatorium [High School] when I was studying but I have realised that there are other countries that also have a long history of music, China being the biggest and oldest,' Huie says...