Accordions Worldwide
 
Celebrity Interviews
Interview conducted by Kevin Friedrich, 5 May 2006.

This interview with Ziqiang Zhang was conducted in Shanghai, China in the Spring of 2006.

Mr. Zhang served as the President of the Chinese Accordion Association for many years, and we are thankful to him for taking the time to share some information about the interesting accordion career of him and his family.
 
Sincerely,
Kevin Friedrich - Accordions Worldwide, USA
Tell us a little about the town where you were born, and where it is located?
 
I was born right here in Shanghai in 1929. I am now 78 years old and my wife is 76 years old.
 
How did you begin your music study and why did you choose the accordion?
 
I joined the People's Republic of China Army in 1949 because the accordion was the main instrument promoted by the government in the army. I was 20 years old at the time, and began learning the accordion when I enlisted in the army.

At this time, the army had a lot of professional performing groups that toured to al the various army bases and surrounding Islands. I was touring in an army group as part of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Performance Troop.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Performance Troop usually had three accordionists. In my group, there were three, myself, my future wife and a button accordionist, who later moved to a different army group.
 
What are your earliest memories of performing on accordion?
 
I began in 1949 with the army, but I remember in particular one of my earliest concert performances on accordion was with the group in 1952 when I accompanied a tenor and a soprano soloist in the performance troop, as well as women's choir.
 
What was your time like with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Performance Troop?
 
From my first performances, the show continued to develop through 1960. There were three accordionists. My wife and I were the main ones, and one other played the button accordion. This button accordionist later moved to a different army group. Some years later we recruited and teaching more younger players who went on and started performing accordionists in the group.

We were very busy from 1949 - 1966 when we performed everywhere in China, Euopre, USSR, Korea and Poland etc… Since the accordion is compact and portable, it was ideal to perform the entire program including accompanying the singers etc… and so that was an incredible advantage of accordion. In the show we also played solos and duets.

The accordion was a major instrument, as when travelling to alot of places, there was no piano, so they always used the accordion. Sometimes, while in our home base of Beijing, they would use the piano and orchestra to accompany the choirs and singers, but we always used the accordion on the road. Therefore, we were always extremely busy.
 
In addition to performing we were also required to teach our fellow soldiers to play the accordion when we were at different bases so that in turn, that base would have semi professional musical troops of their own. (Wang Biyun pictured above with the Romanian Folk Orchestra)
 

  The performance troops from other countries such as the USSR came to China first. In 1952, the USSR Alexander Red Flag Army Ensemble came to China, and shortly afterwards groups from Romania and other Eastern European countries.

We actually had lots of exchange with those performance troops and accordionists from other eastern European countries.
 
The first time we toured outside of China was in 1954 when we went to USSR, Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia and returned in 1955. This was a long trip, and we had a lot of time to stay in the countries and meet and exchange ideas and information with the local accordionists.

During these tours, we practiced and performed a lot and that is how we improved our technique and ability, just from these exchanges with accordionists from these other countries.

Ziqiang Zhang is pictured above left performing with the Polish Choir and above right with the Russian Singers, both in 1955.
Was your family musical and did your parents play an important part in your early music education?
 
I just loved music and entered the army originally as a baritone. However, I loved the accordion so much, I began the accordion in the army and learned very quickly and son changed to the accordion.

On my wife's side of the family it was different. My wife 'Wang Biyun' was already an accordionist. She was from musical family. Her father was a well known musician. She studied accordion, piano harmonica and by the time she joined the army, she had already on all three instruments, and in particular on the accordion, was quite accomplished.

Since we were assigned to the same performing troop, this is how we met. In 1954 when performing in USSR the Red Army Newspaper reported in an article that the Chinese are here and called Mrs. Zhang 'Mrs. Golden Finger.'
 

Tell us about your early (first) teacher in Army?
 
As I mentioned, my wife was from a musical family, she played piano and accordion and harmonica and by the age of 15, she had already performed on stage with all three. In the army, she was my main teacher.

Luckily, I was a quick learner, and I also practiced extremely hard. We encouraged each other, and with our dedication, we both helped and inspired each other. I practiced day and night. I basically started from scratch at 20 years old, with no keyboard experience whatsoever!

I was lucky to improve very quickly and because of my dedication, I managed to improve very quickly.
 

 
Do you have any humorous memories of your concert experiences?
 
Once I was performing in Tibet on a really high mountain and it was extremely cold and so I was wearing a big hat with flaps that came down to cover my ears. On the hat, there is a big Red Star on the front, however I accidentally put it on back to front. For those sitting in front of me, they didn't realize as they couldn't tell if there was supposed to be a red star or not... but all the people sitting behind me were laughing because they could see that in my haste, I had accidentally put the Red Star facing the back.

In addition to this humorous moment, there were also lots of very hard times as well. We played in North Korea three times and basically had to get through the fighting by staying down in the bunker.
 

Is there any teacher or artist to whom you would like to pay particular tribute, for their inspirational effect on your musical career.
 
I can't think of a particular person, but for me, it is the entire group. They are united as a team, enthusiastic and work together. At the beginning of the 1990's the accordion was still the most popular beginning instrument, with most people learning it. Now the numbers of new students has decreased a little, because of the changing life. The quality of life has improved, families have a little more money, which in turn leads to more choices, so they are not only just choosing accordion any more, they are choosing piano, violin and from many other activities.
 
How has your musical career impacted on your personal life?
 
The accordion has really brought harmony to my family. Each of my children play and my wife as well, so my family works with accordion all the time. [Laughing] My family just listened to and played the accordion all the time, so we didn't have time to argue, just time to play the accordion!

Now I am retired I don't have to worry about what to do, I am always so busy and my life is so full. In adition to my position as President of the Chinese Accordion Association, I travel a lot giving lectures, master classes, judging and working with the accordion everywhere in China. My life is very full.
 

Do you have any family and do they share your interest in music?
 
I have three children who are all professional musicians and all accordionists:

- A daughter, Liping Zhang who plays the accordion and piano. She currently is teaching piano in Louisberg, PA in the USA.

- A son, Guoping Zhang, well known accordionist living in China. He currently performs accordion with the China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in Beijing, where he is an artist of the first degree. Quoping has also performed in the United States when he and his mother attended the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) festival in Chicago in 1988.

- another son, Zhongping Zhang, also an accordionist.
 

 
  With both parents and all the children performing on accordion, the Central Broadcasting Radio Station recorded an entire family show. The show featured all combinations of solo's, mother and daughter duo, husband and wife duo as well as the family all performing together as an ensemble.
 
 

Tell us about the Chinese Accordion Association and your involvement.
 

The Accordion Association of Chinese Musicians Association (CAA) was formed in 1963 at the request of the China Musicians Association. They felt that since there was so much interest in the accordion it warranted having a separate association dedicated just to the accordion.
 
To celebrate the founding of the CAA we held an accordion concert in Beijing in 1963 to celebrate the official opening of our association. The best accordionists in China were invited to be on the concert, including solo, duo and ensemble performances.
 
I was honored to be the first and founding President of the CAA, and remained as the President from 1963 - 1990. In 1990 I felt that as I was getting older, that maybe it was time for someone else to be President.
 
The President is elected every 4 years by our members, so after I stepped down, another President was elected for two terms (eight years). However in 2002, I was re-elected back to the Presidency, and am happy to serve in that role once again.
 
We currently have approximately 1,100 members, however our membership is really far greater, as the Chinese Accordion Association also has branches in every city and province. For example, the branch of the Chinese Accordion Association here in Shanghai, is the Shanghai Accordion Association, which has a very large membership. So, even though we have 1,100 members specific to the CAA, through our branches, our overall membership is far greater.
 
Our links with our regional associations in the various provinces are very strong, as most leaders of these regional associations such as the Shanghai Accordion Association are Vice Presidents of the CAA.
 
During my time career as an accordionist in China and as the President of the Chinese Accordion Association, I can summarize the development of the accordion in China into three main areas:

  • 1949-1966: rapid development of the accordion movement
  • 1966-1990: golden age of accordion… the numbers of performers and teachers doubled and tripled many times
  • after 1990: became more stabilized. Instead of the incredible numbers expansion, there was a marked improvement in the quality. This was done by having exams to measure the progressive standard. The Universities and Conservatories worked to include accordion majors and also improve the quality of existing students.

Note: The Accordion Association of Chinese Musicians Association (CAA) became a voting member of the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) in February of 2007.
              TOP OF PAGE | CONTINUE TO PAGE 2