The Oriental Odyssey is the most popular Chinese instrumental ensemble in town. As a group they have performed for many important events over the last two decades.
They are normally invited to play as a quartet, comprising of the erhu, yangqin, guzheng and dizi. Other variations are possible, starting with just 2 instruments to up to 6 instruments or more.
The core members of the group consist of full-time professional musicians who also hold teaching and lecturing positions in schools and university. They have also conducted and coached orchestras, and participated in orchestral concert performances as tutti and solo players.
With nearly 30 years of experience performing as individuals and as a group, the musicians that make up The Oriental Odyssey are veterans in their industry. Other than performances for wedding dinners at hotels, they are also regularly seen during Chinese New Year and Mid Autumn Festival celebrations at shopping malls.
A four-instrument setup is most commonly requested for as they represent the very 4 fundamental ways of Chinese music-making, i.e. bowed by the erhu, percussed by the yangqin, plucked by the guzheng, and blown by the dizi.
To make for a richer sound, sometimes other plucked instruments such as the pipa and zhongruan, and percussive instrument such as the paigu are included. If required, The Oriental Odyssey may also be engaged to accompany a singer.
