Orchestras tune in to online potential

Instrumentalists from the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra give performances on livestreaming and short-video sites. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra has likewise released videos featuring 10 top performers of Chinese instruments on its WeChat.

In each video, the artist explains a representative piece, from the historical background to the technical emphasis and emotional expression. Some of the recordings were made while the musicians were touring the United States in early February.

Some of the orchestra's younger instrumentalists have been performing on such livestreaming and short-video sites as Douyin and Kuaishou.

"I was actually more nervous performing online than performing at a regular concert," says Ding Long, an erhu (Chinese fiddle) artist, who made his livestreaming debut on Yizhibo.com on Feb 12.

"Unlike concert audiences, livestream viewers will not hesitate to make comments or requests, such as telling me to adjust my position so they can see how my fingers work the strings," he explains.

"You need the talent to grab people's attention. This has been a great opportunity for us to learn about audiences and communicate with them."

Ding's colleagues, pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) player Li Shengnan and bamboo flutist Chen Yunying, also took to Yizhibo.com to showcase their skills. More than 20,000 people have viewed each of their shows, according to the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra.

"We can use these new communication channels to promote Chinese folk music," says Li.