Jazz vocalist: Janny Choi

Musicians bring Asian flavor to Montalvo

By Shari Kaplan

East meets West in Saratoga April 11 when Classic Productions presents "An Evening of Music of the Orient" at Villa Montalvo, 15400 Montalvo Road. Organized by South Bay resident Harold Welch, the evening officially begins at 7 p.m., but guests are encouraged to arrive early to mingle and enjoy complimentary Chinese tea and cookies; the refreshments will also be served during intermission.

Welch, who formerly worked at four-star restaurants as a chef and operated restaurants of his own, says the seed for this event was planted many years ago. While helping manage and plan events for a Chinese restaurant in Sunnyvale, Welch became not only familiar with, but also interested in Asian culture and music. After organizing a musical event or two at the restaurant, Welch says he was inspired by seeing people of all races attending. He also was heartened by the way the guests--many of whom worked in high-tech jobs--seemed to loosen up and become more at ease during the entertainment.

"This valley is a hard-working valley and when people get out, they want to forget," Welch says. "You can't pack people into an environment like this, with all this high technology, without having an outlet. The world needs culture. I like to see how people respond to other world cultures--they seem hungry for it."

If the evening of Asian culture proves successful, Welch plans to arrange more musical events, each focusing on a different country. The genres for An Evening of Music of the Orient include classical, contemporary folk, jazz and opera, performed by four entertainers:

* Janny Choi, a contemporary and classical jazz performer from Korea. She has performed throughout Asia, Europe and the United States;




Chinese folk, opera: Hong Liu




* Hong Liu, a baritone, sings opera and Chinese folk songs and performs throughout his native China. He is writing a Chinese version of the classic Phantom of the Opera;




Opera and folk: Hong Qui




* Hong Qui, a professional opera and folk singer from Mongolia. She has won many awards for her unique singing style in Asia and Europe. This is her first appearance in the United States;




Chinese harpist: Cui Jun Zhi




* Cui Jun Zhi, who hails from Beijing, China, is her country's leading konghou (Chinese harp) player. Zhi has performed worldwide and won many awards for the melodies she creates on this 1,000-year-old instrument.

For ticket information, call the Villa Montalvo Box Office at 961-5858 or BASS tickets at 998-2277. This event is not part of Montalvo's Performing Arts Series.

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