Near to releasing her latest album, “Alondra” (Skylark), with flamenco guitarist Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde, pipa player Gao Hong stopped in at Courtroom 317 at the Landmark Center on Thursday for an intimate lunchtime concert with three other Chinese classical musicians, part of the Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concert Series.

Among them was Changyao Zhu, whom Hong referred to as the “Itzhak Perlman of China.” He plays the erhu, which resembles a violin, though the bow is placed between two strings. Also a well-known composer, Zhu’s compositions were featured as part of the downtown St. Paul concert.

Among them was a captivating piece called “Spring in Jiangman” that Zhu performed with Hong. The work moved through varied sections, from dance-like tunes to lyrical phrases, and virtuosic displays of fast notes. Zhu’s ability to shift between warm legato to furious articulation gave a sense of why he’s so famous.

Fellow musician Zhongbei “Daisy” Wu, based in New York state, said Changyao Zhu was her “dream artist,” and was thrilled to be playing with the celebrity. Wu played the guzheng, a zither-like instrument with 25 strings with an ornate soundboard marked with a poem on its wood.

Wu displayed a remarkable musical ability as she plucked, strummed, pushed and even slapped the strings with the flat of her hand. She especially impressed with a piece called “Dragon Boat,” a piece that was both explosive and dream-like. At times, the music evoked the sound of waterfalls as she moved her hands serenely across the strings. It was a fitting work to present for the Lunar New Year, which celebrates the year of the dragon this year.

Hong had planned for a “mystery guest” to perform at the concert as well, but relayed the news that the performer was stuck in London with visa issues. Instead, she introduced her student from Carleton College, Ammy Lin, who performed her bamboo flute in an accompanied solo piece, and one piece with all three of the other musicians,

Lin made her instrument sound like different birds in her solo, accompanied by Hong and Zhu. Rolling her R’s while blowing into the flute, Lin made an unusual sound that took the audience into the forest on a spring day. Zhu playfully added his own bird sounds to the piece as well.

Gracious and smiling, Hong mostly deferred the limelight to her guests, rather than playing a solo herself. She told the audience that since she had such accomplished musicians joining her, she wanted to give them as much playing time as possible.

Still, when she performed with the other musicians, Hong brought her confident musicality to each piece, even when she was sight-reading one piece as she accompanied Zhu. You would never know by listening to the work that she didn’t know the music by heart. She also shone brightly in a zippy duet called “The Horse Race” that she performed with Zhu.

If you missed the performance, there’s one more chance to experience the guest musicians. Zhu, Wu and Hong will be performing Friday with Emmy Award-winning Vietnamese musician Van-Ahn Vo and Hong’s global fusion group Speaking in Tongues.

If you go

Who: Gao Hong and Friends

What: After performing with the Schubert Club, Hong plans “World Music Fusion,” presented by International Friendship through the Performing Arts

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, 1531 Hewitt Ave,, St. Paul

Tickets: $25 at chinesepipa.com/WorldFusion.html

Capsule: Gao Hong is a local treasure, and has assembled a stellar group of musicians for the Lunar New Year.

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