Birth date: Jun 21, 1961 Death date: Mar 16, 2025
With great sadness, we announce the passing of renowned Pipa Solo Artist Mr. Liu Hecheng. Mr. Liu passed away in the hospital at 2:47 pm on Sunday, March 16th, after a hard-fought battle with Interstitial Lung Disease. He was 64 y Read Obituary
刘老师对孩子们的爱是慈爱，是老师希望把自己所有的技艺倾囊相授给下一代的爱，那么亲切那么自然。
12年前的暑假我带当时只有7岁的大女儿参加了民乐团暑期兴趣班，尝试接触中国民乐阮。那年只有女儿一个孩子报名学阮，每次上课是刘老师一对一的授课，享尽了优待。虽然只有一个孩子，可是老师上课非常地认真，一点一点地教她，耐心纠正动作。为了引起小孩子对阮的兴趣，刘老师在第一堂课上就对女儿说：“我借给你一个拨阮的小拨片，如果你这个暑假好好学，我就把它送给你。”这句话在小孩子的心里种下了一颗激励的种子。经过暑期班的学习，孩子在汇报表演中可以弹奏简单的曲子了。最后一堂课时刘老师真的实现承诺，把小拨片送给了孩子。虽然是个小小的塑料拨片，可是确是老师对孩子最好的奖励。
这件小事我记忆多年。非常感谢刘老师对孩子细微无致的温暖爱。愿天堂没有病痛，刘老师平安永乐。
”大弦嘈嘈如急雨，小弦切切如私语。嘈嘈切切错杂弹，大珠小珠落玉盘。“我听到女儿在房间里练琴的声音，不禁朗声读起白居易《琵琶行》里描绘琵琶美妙音色的著名诗句。她停下琴声，大声回应到”I don’t understand what you are saying!”——她显然没有专心练琴。
女儿是从2013年秋季开学后开始跟随刘和成老师学习琵琶演奏的。那时她七岁，上小学一年级。她和她的朋友Evelyn一起决定参入加州青年国乐团学习琵琶。这一下就一直坚持到高中毕业，和刘老师共同度过了十一年，从《小猫钓鱼》学到《十面埋伏》。她最喜欢的曲目还是那首如清泉淙淙，如絮语咛喃的《春雨》。自从加入乐团，除了每周周末的集体排练，刘老师还会每周来家里上课。女儿之前学过将近两年的钢琴，由于换了老师，她开始对钢琴失去兴趣。我们和加州青年国乐团在斯坦福大学的一次邂逅促成了她和国乐结缘。这么多年在刘老师的悉心教导下，她对琵琶弹奏一直持之以恒，后来几乎成为一种习惯和定义她少年时代的标志之一。我不得不感叹一个“缘”字。
每次刘老师来上课，都是风尘仆仆，见到他的学生总是笑逐言开。女儿慢慢跟刘老师熟络起来。每次下课时，她都会在房间里大喊一声“class ended！”。这时我们就会倒一杯按时沏好的茶给刘老师奉上。刘老师大方的接过茶杯，一边喝着茶，一遍用师长的语气提醒女儿坚持练琴并嘱咐要领。新冠疫情期间，私教课改到网上。但这样的日程一直是女儿日常生活的一部分。乐团恢复集体排练后，我每周都能和刘老师在乐团会面。他依旧和蔼可亲，见到他的学生时依旧笑逐言开。“Sarah性格好！看她从小长大，现在都成小贫丫头了！“女儿在家话并不多，但我完全可以想象她和她的朋友和喜欢的老师会有很多话说。
大概2023年初，女儿的琵琶琴头折断了。那是一张从琵琶表演艺术家曲文军老师处得到的琴。记得带回美国给刘老师看时，他大加赞赏，现在听说琴头折断他痛惜万分。我开始四处寻找湾区可以修琴的地方，但几经辗转都不能找的能修复的人。期间近一年的时间，女儿都在用刘老师借给她的一张琴练习和演奏。一天，刘老师提出，他可以试试修理。我知道刘老师心灵手巧，之前曾看到他炫耀自制木工的照片。我们找的配件，把琴交给了刘老师。两周之后，刘老师果然把琴修好了。琴头上的雕钮也从牡丹花换成了龙。女儿别提多高兴了！“I am glad my pipa is upgraded from a flower to a dragon!”
去年女儿进入多伦多大学。她所在的Trinity College就在多大音乐学院和多伦多皇家音乐学院( Royal Conservatory of Music)旁边。我问她：要不要带上你的琵琶？她说先不。第一次寒假回家，她取出她的琵琶，又演奏起她最喜爱的《春雨》。我正在厨房煮饭，听到那熟悉琴声，如泣如诉，我竟不禁泪下。晚饭时我对她说，我听到她的琴声哭了。她玩笑地说：”okay, I will never play again.”我听了只是笑笑。我知道她不会停止的。这嘈嘈切切，珠落玉盘之声已经是她生命的一部分。将它带入她的生命的人已离我们而去。然而，他又何曾真正离去呢？既然他已经将他的音乐带到这个国度和这里的文化融合，把它融入新的一代的生命之中。
Google Translation to English
"The big strings are like heavy rain, and the small strings are like whispers. The sound of the strings is mixed, and the big and small pearls fall on the jade plate." I heard my daughter practicing the pipa in the room, and I couldn't help but read aloud the famous poem in Bai Juyi's "Pipa Xing" that describes the beautiful sound of the pipa. She stopped playing the pipa and responded loudly, "I don't understand what you are saying!" - she was obviously not concentrating on practicing the piano.
My daughter started learning pipa performance with teacher Liu Hecheng after the fall semester of 2013. She was seven years old at that time and in the first grade of elementary school. She and her friend Evelyn decided to join the California Youth Chinese Symphony to learn pipa. This time she persisted until she graduated from high school. She spent eleven years with teacher Liu, from "The Little Cat Fishing" to "Ten Sides of Ambush". Her favorite piece is still the "Spring Rain" that is like the gurgling of a clear spring and the whispering of whispers. Since joining the orchestra, in addition to the collective rehearsal every weekend, teacher Liu also comes to home every week for lessons. My daughter had studied piano for nearly two years before, but she began to lose interest in piano because she had to change teachers. An encounter between us and the California Youth Chinese Symphony at Stanford University led to her relationship with Chinese music. Under the careful teaching of Teacher Liu for so many years, she has been persistent in playing the pipa, which later became almost a habit and one of the symbols that defined her youth. I have to sigh at the word fate.
Every time Teacher Liu came to class, he always smiled and talked when he saw his students. My daughter gradually became familiar with Teacher Liu. Every time the class ended, she would shout "class ended!" in the room. At this time, we would pour a cup of tea brewed on time and offer it to Teacher Liu. Teacher Liu generously took the teacup, drank the tea, and reminded my daughter to practice and told her the key points in the tone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, private lessons were changed to online. But such a schedule has always been a part of my daughter's daily life. After the orchestra resumed collective rehearsals, I was able to meet Teacher Liu in the orchestra every week. He is still amiable and smiles when he sees his students. "Sarah has a good personality! She has grown up and has become a talkative girl now!" My daughter doesn't talk much at home, but I can imagine that she has a lot to say to her friends and favorite teachers.
Around the beginning of 2023, the head of my daughter's pipa broke. It was a pipa from the pipa performing artist Qu Wenjun. I remember when I brought it back to the United States to show it to Teacher Liu, he praised it highly. Now he was very sad to hear that the head of the pipa was broken. I started looking for places in the Bay Area where I could repair the pipa, but after many twists and turns, I couldn't find anyone who could repair it. During this period, for nearly a year, my daughter practiced and played on a pipa that Teacher Liu lent her. One day, Teacher Liu suggested that he could try to repair it. I know that Teacher Liu is very skillful and I have seen photos of him showing off his homemade woodworking before. We found the parts and handed the pipa to Teacher Liu. Two weeks later, Teacher Liu really repaired the pipa. The carved deco on the head of the pipa was also changed from a peony to a dragon. My daughter was so happy! "I am glad my pipa is upgraded from a flower to a dragon!"
Last year, my daughter entered the University of Toronto. Her Trinity College is next to the University of Toronto Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music. I asked her: Do you want to bring your pipa? She said not yet. The first time she went home during the winter break, she took out her pipa and played her favorite "Spring Rain" again. I was cooking in the kitchen, and I couldn't help crying when I heard the familiar sound of the pipa. At dinner, I told her that I cried when I heard her pipa. She joked: "okay, I will never play again." I just smiled when I heard it. I know she won't stop. This chirping sound of pearls falling on a jade plate has become a part of her life. The person who brought it into her life has left us. However, has he ever really left? Since he has brought his music to this country and integrated it with the culture here, implanting it into the lives of a new generation.
In loving memory of Liu LaoShi.
