Event: Concert with Song Tu, clarinet and Pi-Hsun Shih, piano (together as Duo Asiatica),
and pianist Elaine Chew
Time: Friday, May 12, 2000, 8:00 PM
Place: New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St. Boston
Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts proudly presents three brilliant musicians in a concert to be held on Friday evening, May 12, 2000,
8:00 PM, at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. Clarinetist Song Tu and pianist Pi-Hsun Shih together as Duo Asiatica will perform music by Weber, Schumann, Debussy, and Bernstein. Pianist Elaine Chew will perform music by Ivan Tcherepnin, Chen Yi, Wang Lisan, and Peter Child. General Admission is $20, student and seniors are $10. Group discount (20 or more) is 10%. For information contact Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts at 781-259-8195, Email: Foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net or visit our website at http://www.ChinesePerformingArts.net for details.
About the Artists and the Program:
Song Tu has enjoyed an active and versatile international career as orchestral player, chamber musician, recitalist, and educator in the United
States, Mexico, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Europe. His performance was praised in The Clarinet: "detail and precision combined with a very beautiful clarinet sound. Mr. Song Tu plays with full singing tone and fluid technique the clarinet world of his country they can be proud"; and in the Australian Clarinet and Saxophone: "thoughtful and sensitive interpretations". Song Tu was the first China-born clarinetist to present recitals at the Taipei National Concert Hall and the Hong Kong City Hall Theater as one of the Young Concert Artist's Series. He has appeared as guest artist with Mexico Chamber Music Society and in music festivals including the Pacific, Grand Teton, New Hampshire, Zacatecas, and 1999 ICA ClarinetFest in Belgium. His concerto appearances included with Shanghai Musicians' Society Orchestra, and ShenZhen Symphony Orchestra. At the Shanghai Grand Theater, Tu will give the first Chinese performance of Carl Nielsen Clarinet Concerto with Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in 2000 season.
Born into a musical family and grew up in Shanghai, Song Tu began the clarinet study with his father at age 12 and later he graduated from
Shanghai Conservatory of Music. After immigration to the United States, he received his master's degree at Boston University. Song Tu studied with John Bruce Yeh, David Peck, Ethan Sloane, Michael Webster and Harold Wright. As Rico International artist, Mr. Tu is currently principal clarinet of Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Grand Theatre Orchestra; he previously served as principal clarinet of the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico, New England Chamber Orchestra, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He was formerly on the faculty of the University of Hartford; as a visiting professor, he has also taught at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
Born in Taiwan, Pi-Hsun Shih has performed extensively throughout the United States, Asia, and South America as recital and concerto soloist as well as a collaborative pianist. The Clarinet praised her playing: "passionate virtuosity Ms Shih's piano playing is a tour de force!" "Proves to be a remarkable pianist partner". She has performed in concerts with the Emerson String Quartet and founding member of the Empire Brass. As principal pianist and keyboard player of the Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, she frequently performed in their chamber music series in 1995-97 seasons. She has appeared as a soloist with the Sao Paulo Symphony, the Mexico State, and Hartt Symphony Orchestra. Currently on the faculties the University of Hartford and Mount Holyoke College, Pi-Hsun Shih graduated from the National Institute of the Arts in Taipei, and later earned her master's degree from Boston University; she is now completing her doctorate at the University of Hartford. Shih was the winner in the Corpus Christi Young Artists' Concerto Competition, Paranov Concerto Competition, and the Clara Wells Piano Competition. Her principal teachers include Hung-Kuan Chen, Irma Vallecillo, Gary Steigerwalt, and Rolf-Peter Wille.
The Duo Asiatica has performed concerts in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. The duo critically acclaimed by The Clarinet and The Australian Clarinet and Saxophone magazines for its performance "the Duo plays with an excellent sense of ensemble...the musicianship displayed is topnotch", "the Duo is impeccable even balance", "showing the reflective nature of these classics". After its successful debut concert in Taipei National Concert Hall (Jan.'97), The China Times praised: "extraordinary interpretation of Brahms". The duo's CD recording released by China Record Shanghai Corporation was considered to be the first classical album of clarinet and piano in the history of the corporation, and was chosen by XinMing Evening News in Shanghai as "the best of the month" in January 1998. In the summer of 2000, the duo will appear as guest ensemble again at the ICA Conference in Oklahoma.
Program
SCHUMANN: Fantasiest, Op. 73
DEBUSSY: Premiere Rhapsody
BERNSTEIN: Sonata (1941-2)
WEBER: Grand Duo Concatenate in E flat major, Op. 48
Elaine Chew
"Whether dispatching chordal thunder, sprinting through scintillating virtuoso runs with sparkling fingerwork, or whispering tender poetry, she embraced all with panache, entertaining aplomb and an acute sense of wit, revealing herself as a real minx, coy but full of flair."
- Singapore Straits Times.
Born in Buffalo, NY, Elaine Chew grew up in Singapore where she studiedpiano with Ong Lip Tat, Goh Lee Choo and Martina Maixnerova. With
Ong, she prepared for her Licentiate and Fellowship of Trinity College, London (LTCL and FTCL respectively), and for various national
competitions. As the youngest finalist in the landmark 1986 Diner's Club Pianist of the Year Competition, she made her first appearance
with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. In 1998, she was invited to solo with the orchestra again in the President's Charity Concert.
Elaine Chew graduated in 1992 from Stanford University with a double major in Music (distinction) and in Mathematical Sciences (honors), studying piano with James Goldsworthy and George Barth, and vocal accompaniment with Judith Bettina. Continuing her studies at MIT, she completed an SM in Computational Finance, and combined her two loves in a Ph.D. on Mathematical Modeling in Music (supervised by Jeanne Bamberger). In her second year at MIT, she was selected by John Harbison to accompany Yo Yo Ma in an open rehearsal of his cello concerto. Since then, she has premiered and recorded music by other MIT composers such as PeterChild, Eric Sawyer and Edward Cohen. At MIT, she studied piano with David Deveau, accompanied John Oliver's vocal repertoire class, and
participated actively in Marcus Thompson's Chamber Music Society.
Currently an Affiliated Artist of Music and Theater Arts at MIT, Elaine Chew is a proponent of music by contemporary Chinese composers. She
performs actively, presenting concerts in Singapore and in the U.S., at the Embassy Series in Washington DC, the Cambridge Multicultural
Arts Center, and at MIT.
Program
Ivan TCHEREPNIN: Variations on "Happy Birthday" (1975)
CHEN Yi: Ba Ban (1999): Boston premiere
WANG Lisan: Impressions of Paintings by Higashiyama Kaii (1979)
Peter CHILD: "3 Chinese Songs" from Doubles III (1999)
Tickets are on sale at the following locations (open seating):
Ticket prices: $20, Senior and Students: $10
Group Discount (20+ at 10% off)
World Journal Book Store 617-556-8204
Chinese Culture Center (TECO) 617-482-3292
Winnie Ip Piano School 617-542-9129
Jordan Hall Box Office:
30 Gainsborough St., Boston (617-536-2412)
Open Mon.- Fri. 10-6, Sat. 12-6, (Credit Card Accepted)
Mail Order
Please send a stamped, self-addressed envelop with money order/check payable to: Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, 3 Partridge Lane, Lincoln, MA 01773Tel: 781-259-8195, Fax: 781-259-9147 Email: Foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net Website: http://www.ChinesePerformingArts.net
