Ohrid, 6 August 2025 (MIA) — France-based Chinese mezzo soprano Ai Wu, flute players Guanghui Yue and Wei Wang and pianist Hou Juan will give a concert of classical pieces by Western composers including Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Debussy as well as art songs by the Chinese composers Lü Wencheng, Luo Zhongrong, Yongxin Wang and Ge Tian at St. Sophia Church at 9 pm.

The concert program consists of Gabriel Fauré's "Au bord de l’eau," Maurice Ravel's "Magic flute" and "Vocalise," Camille Saint-Saëns's "Carnival of the animals – Volière (Aviary)," Philippe Gaubert's Nocturne and Allegro Scherzando, Claude Debussy's "Clair de lune" and "Mandoline," George Enescu's Cantabile et Presto, François Doppler's Andante et Rondo, Op.25 and Georges Bizet / François Borne's "Fantaisie brillante sur Carmen."

After the intermission, the audience will hear Lü Wencheng's "Autumn Moon Over The Calm Lake," one of the best known works of Cantonese music; Luo Zhongrong's "Three Autumnal Songs"; Yongxin Wang's "Zhuangjin" Fantasy for flute and piano; and Ge Tian's "A Night in the Steppe."

Ai Wu is a lyrical mezzo-soprano based in France. She has a master’s degree from the Vocal Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She pursued advanced studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and earned the institution’s highest diploma, Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste.

She has won many international competitions, including the Paris International Vocal Competition and the French Art Song Competition. Her repertoire spans from Baroque works to Mozart, Rossini and Richard Strauss. She has performed at venues such as the Marseille Opera, Avignon Opera, Toulon Opera, Nice Opera, Saint-Étienne Opera, Lyon Opera and Cannes Grand Theatre.

In recent years, Ai Wu has focused on the performance and research of European Baroque music, receiving acclaim from experts in the field. She teaches at the Conservatoire de Brest in France. She serves as the president of the French International Art Exchange Association and organizes the Brest International Piano Competition.

Guanghui Yue began studying the piano at the age of four and started learning the flute at the age of ten. She is currently a sophomore in the flute program at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Affiliated High School from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

In 2019, she traveled to France to participate in masterclasses, receiving instruction from renowned musicians such as Vincent Lucas, Michel Moragues, and Japanese flute master Kazunori Seo.

In 2021 alone, she achieved remarkable success in international competitions, winning First Prize at the Swiss International Music Youth Competition, Second Prize at the Hungarian International Music Competition, and First Prize at the French Young Performers International Music Competition.

Wei Wang graduated from the Flute Department of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He has won many international flute competitions and performed at numerous classical music festivals.

In 2019, Wei Wang served as a judge for the inaugural Paris flute competition Concours de Flûte de Paris. In 2023, he was a featured composer and performer for the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the UNESCO Silk Road Project as well as the Chinese Program Director.

He has been invited to lecture at the Central Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, Xinghai Conservatory of Music and Shanxi University of North Music College. In 2019, he became a flute instructor at the Rachmaninoff Music Academy in Paris.

Hou Juan started learning the piano in 1986 under the guidance of Jia-Rong Tian and later studied under the renowned Chinese piano professor Yiming Pan. From 1990 to 1996, she studied piano at the Attached Secondary School of the Central Conservatory of Music, under the mentorship of Xinning Zhang. In 2002, she went to France to continue her piano studies at the Paris Conservatory with Francoise Buffet and Vincent Coq.  

In 2004, she won first place in the Advanced Category at the UFAM International Piano Competition in Paris. In 2008, she won the first prize (shared) at the Paris “Léopold Bellan” International Chamber Music Competition.

As a chamber musician, she has been invited to perform at the UNESCO Multicultural Festival, the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, the L’heure Musicale Festival in Paris, the Nuit Blanche Music Festival in Paris and the 35th Anniversary Concert of the UNESCO Silk Road Project in 2023. mr/