Deng, an Outstanding Performance Winner in Chinese National Zheng Competition, is a master's student in the FSU School of Music, where she is the director of the FSU Chinese Ensemble. Deng also appeared as a soloist in the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra's "Holiday Magic Concert" in December 2002, and on the orchestra's "Young People's Concert" in March.

After receiving her undergraduate degree from the Shanghai Music Conservatory in 1997, Deng performed in Beijing, Singapore, Japan and the United States. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the New York-based Chinese chamber group "Music from China."

Deng performed on the FSU Eleventh Biennial Festival of New Music this past January, and in September 2002, she released her debut solo CD.

FSU's gu-zheng recital will feature the performance of "Equilibrium" for zheng, violin and marimba by Chihchun Chi-sun Lee, and will include a performance of Dr. Lee's solo work.

The instrument Deng plays, the zheng, is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world, being an ancestor of the Japanese koto and the Korean kayagum. The zheng is a traditional Chinese plucked 21- or 26-string instrument that features individual moveable bridges for each string. There really is no Western equivalent for the Chinese zheng, but the harp is considered to be one of its closest relatives.

The zheng, like the harp, is played by picking strings, but has a very different and versatile sound. The zheng utilizes bent pitches, vibrato, glissandi and other characteristic techniques.

The earliest zheng was written about in documents from the Qin dynasty, which dates back to more than 2,500 year ago. Hou Jin, a scholar of the Eastern Han Period, wrote that the gu-zheng's sound touches the heavens above and the gods and spirits below. The zheng has been a popular instrument since ancient times and is considered as one of the main chamber and solo instruments of Chinese traditional music. Since the mid-19th century, gu-zheng solo selection has been growing and evolving into an increasing technical difficulty.

Other artists featured playing the zheng at the FSU concert will be Darren Bartolo and Dana Garrett. Lindsey Reitzel will be featured on the marimba, Joshua Friedlander on the violin and Ryan Lewis on the drum.

More information on Haiqiong Deng's March 27 free concert and other FSU School of Music events can be found at www.music.fsu.edu, or by calling (850) 644-4774.

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