Year of the Rabbit:
Chinese New Year Musical
Celebration at the Athenaeum

Karen Han, a world-renowned musician, will perform at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum this Thursday, February 10 to celebrate the Lunar New Year the Year of the Rabbit. Ms. Han will play the Erhu, a two stringed classical Chinese instrument similar to the violin.
Cecilia Yu will accompany Ms. Han and perform a duet on the Pipa, a four stringed, pear shaped Chinese instrument. Ms. Yu will also perform a solo on the Pipa.
Ms. Han was educated at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and upon graduation, she was the youngest student to receive an M.A. with honors in the Performing Arts.
Ms. Han has given many distinguished performances for world leaders including Chinese President Jiang Zemin and former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Paris Opera Orchestra, the Pacific Orchestra and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra among many other prestigious world orchestras. Ms. Han's music can also be heard on the soundtracks for the Joy Luck Club, Passion of the Christ, Mulan II, Anna and the King, The Last Emperor, Memoirs of a Geisha and over 100 other prominent soundtracks for film and television.
Ms. Han is married to Paul Ottoson, an Oscar-winning sound supervisor. Mr. Ottoson will accompany Ms. Han to the Athenaeum with one of his Oscar awards.
The Athenaeum will be serving a special dinner in honor of the Year of the Rabbit, which Chinese tradition predicts to be a tranquil year full of creativity and luck.
For more information, visit the Athenaeum website. --Alexandra Cooke 14