Mission and History


The Kunqu Society, Inc. Founded in 1988 and incorporated in 1989, the Kunqu Society is dedicated to the study, promotion and preservation of Kunqu, a genre of Chinese theatre proclaimed as “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001. The mission of the Society is four-fold: (1) To present Kunqu performances and give educational lecture/demonstrations in order to increase awareness of and introduce new audiences to Kunqu; (2) To offer low-cost Kunqu classes to the general public; (3) To provide opportunities for Kunqu artists to showcase, maintain and sharpen their performing skills and to teach and pass on the Kunqu art; and, (4) To produce and maintain written and audio/visual materials about Kunqu (newsletters, CDs and tapes) for the purposes of documentation and preservation. Mrs. Anna Chen Wu is the President of the Society; Ms. Jifang Yin is the Vice President and the Artistic Director. The Society has two sub-divisions to carry out the above missions: the New York Kunqu Troupe (NYKT), led by Ms. Jiehua Shi, focuses on lectures/demonstrations and full-stage performances, and the Kunqu Workshop, headed by Mr. Dong-shin Chang, focuses on teaching and studying the Kunqu art. Since its inception, the artists of the Society and guest artists from China have given more than 130 lectures, demonstrations and performances throughout the tri-state area. Recent major productions of the New York Kunqu Troupe include “Essence of Kunqu” (2005, supported by NEA), "Fifteen Strings of Cash" (2004, supported by NEA), "The Jade Pin" (2004 supported by NYSCA) and "Joy of the Fishermen" (2002, supported by NEA). Kunqu Workshop is established in 1991 and has been supported and audited by NYSCA Special Arts Service Programs since 1992. The Workshop is the only Chinese art workshop in the U.S.A. that hires Kunqu artists and musicians to teach the general public basic Kunqu Performing skills; courses offered including: singing, movement, performing, stage make-up, martial arts and Chinese bamboo flute (the main accompany music instrument of Kunqu). The Workshop meets from the 1st to the 4th Saturday of the month at College Point Arts Center 14-48 College Point Blvd., College Point, NY 11356.


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