“Music is a gift of God”
Our Story
The Magic Eastern Ensemble is a musical performance group founded in 2018 and is under the leadership of music director Yao Lu. Ensemble is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States.
Comprised primarily of students from the Magic Eastern Music Studio, the ensemble is committed to performing music on traditional Chinese instruments. The group is excited to explore not only traditional music but new folk compositions. Additionally, they have a passion for fusion with the aesthetics of Western music to provide a diverse audience with a new understanding of traditional Chinese instrumentation by combining with electronic music, jazz and more to create a one-of-a kind sound.
Magical Eastern Ensemble has performed at several international, cultural and arts festivals, notably the Gwinnett County Bicentennial Celebration, dogwood festival，Johns creek international festival, NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals – Atlanta) and the Atlanta International Night Market. Held special concerts in 2018 and 2021, and third concert will be held in 2023 , also will plan and host an all-inclusive evening show “2023-2024 Hanfu Culture New Year's Eve Gala” The head of the group, Yao Lu, was Be interviewed by WABE Radio, joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes and be interviewed by Knoxville Voyager Magazine.
Why the name is
“Magic Eastern Ensemble”
The inspiration for the name came from the iconic Shanghai landmark, the 'Oriental Pearl.' Additionally, the founder's hometown is Shanghai, so 'Oriental' comes from that. Music itself is like a divine gift to us; I've always thought of it as a kind of magic. Even if we can't speak the same language, even if we have different stories, music acts as a magical bridge for communication. People can understand more emotions through the ebb and flow of music and have greater room for imagination. It's a very interesting and mysterious phenomenon. The first word that came to mind to describe it was 'magic.' Just like the fairy tales we heard as children, growing up in different places but knowing there were fairy tales, fairies, and magic wands. So, the name of the ensemble was born in sync with the name of the music studio.
Our Mission
Our belief is that 'music knows no borders,' and we aim to bring pure art to everyone. We want to provide an intuitive understanding of Asian music traditions and popular culture. Regarding our members, we don't limit ourselves to any specific ethnicity; we strive to collaborate with musicians or enthusiasts from different backgrounds. We work on cultivating students and enthusiasts to excel in musical performance techniques. We actively perform at festivals in major cities every year, offering a diverse array of arts for everyone to see.
Our Events
Our Music Director, Yao Lu, graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy and has extensive stage performance experience. She has also worked in stage planning roles. Therefore, she began to experiment with organizing and planning solo concerts hosted by our ensemble. We have successfully hosted three solo concerts primarily featuring enthusiasts and student groups, receiving positive reviews. By the end of 2023, we will organize more comprehensive events, including New Year's Eve celebrations.
Our Achievements
Our student ensemble regularly participates in competitions as part of their learning experience. Through active competition involvement, they learn teamwork and other aspects related to music and the arts beyond performance. We have also achieved good results.