Recently, the 74th Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) Coupe Mondiale, an international competition for accordionists, concluded in France. Chinese competitor Wu Yingga traveled to Montargis, France, to participate in the international offline final and secured second place in the International Open Category 7. In the final, she played the Chinese-style piece "Teng Long" (Rising Dragon),composed by Spanish composer Gorka Hermosa, showcasing the charm and spirit of the Eastern dragon to the world. How did this "prodigy" compose her shining path in France? Recently, Wu Yingga accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Yangcheng Evening News.

Accordion has been a hobby that Wu Yingga cultivated since she was eight years old. In 2020, at the age of 12, Wu became the only student admitted to the accordion major at the Affiliated Middle School of Xinghai Conservatory of Music. Transitioning from an "amateur" elementary student to a "professional" middle school student, Wu's accordion also increased in size. When not in class, Wu demands herself to practice for at least four hours a day, often extending to five or six hours.

In her first year of middle school, Wu participated in a national competition and won a bronze medal. The setback motivated her to practice even harder, leading to rapid improvement in her skills. In 2022, at the invitation of the Guangdong Musicians Association, Wu made her public debut at the Xinghai Concert Hall.

Three years passed quickly, and Wu faced her second major life decision: to stay in Guangzhou or seek education in the north? Ultimately, she decided to attend the Affiliated Middle School of Tianjin Conservatory of Music for high school. The school's accordion major has a 70-year history and is home to many masters. Under the strict guidance of her mentor, Dr. Cao Xuesong, a German-educated accordion professional, Wu made swift progress.

In the second semester of her first year of high school, Wu chose the Chinese-style piece "Teng Long," composed by Spanish composer Gorka Hermosa, as her final exam piece. She explained that "Teng Long" was a work Hermosa dedicated to the renowned accordion educator Professor Wang Shusheng. The piece, through extensive use of sound block playing techniques, creates an atmosphere that is alternately solemn, mysterious, vast, and intense, fully displaying the spirit of the dragon.

The score of "Teng Long" spans 20 pages and is quite challenging to perform. When practicing, Wu visualized a dynamic image: "The dragon sometimes flies in the sky, sometimes swims in the sea, sometimes roars to the heavens, sometimes murmurs. I need to create a sense of imagery through accordion techniques to engage the audience." During her final exam, Wu presented "Teng Long" for the first time to be evaluated by the school's faculty and students.

In July of this year, Wu participated in the China region competition of CIA Coupe Mondiale International Open Category 7-Classical Group under 16, ranking first online. Subsequently, in the international online semi-finals, she ranked sixth, earning her a spot in the offline final in France. On November 27th, Wu took to the stage in Montargis and won second place in the International Open Category 7 with "Teng Long." To represent the meaning of "Teng Long," Wu especially wore a black horse-face skirt with various dragon patterns on the hem, symbolizing dragon culture and auspiciousness.

This competition allowed Wu to feel the "strength of the nation." "The progress of accordion education in China is faster than abroad, and our competitors' strength surpasses that of foreign peers. Therefore, we are very popular with foreign competitors during the competition; they will take the initiative to greet us and leave their contact information." Backstage, Wu played many Chinese-style pieces for foreign competitors, "I felt their admiration for Chinese culture."

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

广州少女吴英嘎闪耀法兰西，世界手风琴锦标赛创佳绩

近日，第74届世界手风琴锦标赛（CMA）比赛在法国落幕。中国选手吴英嘎赴法国蒙塔基市参加国际线下总决赛，获得国际公开赛组别7第二名。决赛中，她弹奏了西班牙作曲家高尔卡·埃尔莫萨谱写的中国风作品《腾龙》，向世界展示东方龙的神韵、气韵。“天才少女”如何谱写闪耀法兰西之路？近日，吴英嘎接受了羊城晚报记者的独家专访。

手风琴是吴英嘎8岁开始培养的业余爱好。2020年，12岁的吴英嘎成为了星海音乐学院附中唯一被手风琴专业录取的学生。从“业余”小学生变成“专业”初中生，吴英嘎肩上的手风琴也大了一号。没课时，吴英嘎要求自己每天必须练满4小时，更多时候会练5到6小时。

初一那年，吴英嘎参加一项全国比赛，获得铜奖。不服输的她受了打击。回来后，她练得更刻苦，技艺突飞猛进。2022年，吴英嘎受广东省音乐家协会之邀，首次在星海音乐厅面向公众演奏。

三年很快过去，吴英嘎面临人生第二次重大选择：留在广州，还是到北方求学？最终，她决定到天津音乐学院附中读高中。这所学校的手风琴专业已有70年历史，大师云集。在手风琴专业旅德博士、导师曹雪松的严格指导下，吴英嘎飞速进步。

高一下学期，吴英嘎选择西班牙作曲家高尔卡·埃尔莫萨谱写的中国风作品《腾龙》作为期末考试曲目。她介绍，《腾龙》是埃尔莫萨送给著名手风琴教育家王树生教授的作品。作品通过大量的音块演奏技巧使得曲目在氛围上时而肃穆、神秘、广阔、激烈，充分展现龙的神韵。

《腾龙》的曲谱有20页纸，演奏难度颇高。吴英嘎练习时，脑海中浮现出一幅动图：“龙有时在天上飞，有时在海里游，有时仰天长啸，有时低吟……我需要通过手风琴技巧营造画面感，让听众产生兴趣。”期末考试上，吴英嘎带着《腾龙》首次接受学校师生检验。

今年7月，吴英嘎参加CMA世界手风琴锦标赛国际公开赛组别7-古典组16岁以下中国赛区比赛，线上排名第一。之后在国际线上半决赛中，她排名第六，获得赴法国参加线下总决赛的资格。11月27日，吴英嘎在蒙塔基登台参赛，凭借《腾龙》斩获国际公开赛组别7的第二名。为展示《腾龙》寓意，吴英嘎特意穿上一袭黑色马面裙，裙摆处形态各异的龙纹图案来源于龙文化，又有吉祥寓意。

此次参赛，让吴英嘎感受到了“国家的力量”。“中国手风琴教育进度比外国快，我国选手实力碾压外国同龄选手。所以，我们在参赛时非常受外国选手欢迎，他们会主动同我们打招呼，留下联系方式。”在后台，吴英嘎为外国选手拉了不少中国风作品，“我感受到他们对中国文化的崇拜之情。”

文丨记者 龚卫锋
图丨受访者提供
翻译丨赵凡
审校丨林佳岱