Famous Chinese guqin player Chen Leiji will collaborate with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra for a concert of Chinese music Friday at the Shenzhen Concert Hall.

    The guqin is a plucked, seven-string Chinese instrument of the zither family. It has been played since ancient times and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement. It is sometimes referred to by the Chinese as the “father of Chinese music” or the “instrument of the sages.” The guqin is not to be confused with the guzheng, another long Chinese zither also without frets, but with moveable bridges under each string.

    Chen began studying guqin at the age of 9. He was the first guqin graduate from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the first student of guqin master Gong Yi. Chen also holds a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the Rheims Conservatory in France. His in-depth study of Chinese and Western musical traditions places him at a point of confluence to establish unity in the world even as we grow profoundly conscious of the treasures of diversity.

    Chen has also contributed to creating several contemporary works with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and the Amsterdam Nieuw Ensemble. Since his return to China, Chen has been teaching orchestral conducting at the Chinese Conservatory of Music and touring the world as a guqin soloist. He was chosen to play “Lost Sound of Antiquity,” the most famous of all guqin pieces, at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

    Time: 8 p.m., March 25

    Tickets: 50-280 yuan

    Reservations: 400-610-3721

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Longgang or Longhua Line, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(SD News)