Regarded as a bold move for American composer Andy Akiho, he led the debut of the Ping Pong Concerto at Shanghai Music Festival's closing ceremony, taking a music innovation to the Shanghai stage.
During the performance, violins and percussions were combined with the rhythms of bouncing balls, as a ping pong table and two professional players shared the spotlight with the musicians.
According to Ahiko, the balls can be considered as a unique musical instrument, bouncing in perfect harmony with the string instruments.
The New York-based composer also shared that he has always dreamt of combining the rhythms of music and sport.
Yu Long, the artistic director and conductor of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra who invited Akiho's team to the 150-day Shanghai Music Festival, lauded the American composer's idea.
Included in the Ping Pong Concerto are percussionist David Cossin, violinist Elizabeth Zeltser, and ping pong players Ariel Hsing and Michael Landers.
Hsing recounted that she began playing the game back when she was seven years old. However, for the concerto, it was a first to play ping pong in a dress and high heels. She shared that she was instructed to hit the ball at the bass drum to make a unique sound effect.
For her, the concerto was an extraordinary means to combine sport and art, a bold move that stirred excitement both among the Chinese and the Americans.
Meanwhile, Akiho said that they will be rehearsing more as they eye to take the Ping Pong Concerto to a larger stadium someday.
Akiho has always been considered as an innovative classical music composer. He first had his knowledge on rhythm and percussion through a steel pan. Currently, he is also getting a PhD in composition at the prestigious Princeton University.
The Ping Pong Concerto is set to be staged in Beijing this fall.