Falling leaves and new roots : informed practice within the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Chinese Music Ensemble

Chinese music, in its various forms and genres, has a performance history in Australia spanning nearly two centuries.1 Even today, most performances of Chinese music in Sydney are associated with Chinese cultural or community events, or multicultural celebrations, with only occasional performances of Chinese musical instruments in non-Chinese musical contexts.2 Until 2016, and despite a flourishing interest in Chinese instrumental tuition within Sydney's Chinese-speaking community, opportunities for Sydney's tertiary music students to participate in Chinese music-making were limited to very occasional tuition of individual Chinese instruments. Hence, the next generation of Sydney-based professional musicians and music educators had little opportunity to engage practically with Chinese instrumental music.