Listening To The Old And The New

When contemporary meets classical, beautiful music is the result. On Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 4 p.m., the Queens Symphony Orchestra (QSO) will present an afternoon with virtuoso violinist Cho-Liang Lin, who will give the world premiere performance of Omnipresence, Concerto No. 1 for Solo Violin, Off-stage Ensemble and Orchestra, written by internationally acclaimed modern classical composer Huang Ruo. Lin will also perform Beethovens wonderful Symphony No. 5 in C Minor.
"For different people, coming from different backgrounds, they might interpret the word "omnipresence" variously: life, death, light, darkness, water, air, land, colors, sound, silence, rhythm, stillness, and so on," said Ruo. "But one thing remains the same: the different echoes in peoples hearts when they are given the same word, or in this case, the same music."
Taiwanese-American virtuoso violinist Lin is lauded the world over for the eloquence of his playing and the superb musicianship that marks his performances. His violin is the 1734 Guarneri del Gesu "The Duke of Camposelice." Renowned for appearances as a soloist with major orchestras, he is also frequently heard in recital and in chamber music.
Musical America named Mr. Lin as 2000 Instrumentalist of the Year. During the 2003-2004 season, Mr. Lin appeared at each of Carnegie Halls three concert halls: Isaac Stern Auditorium, Weill Hall and twice at Zankel Hall. With the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he recently performed in New York and on tour. Internationally he regularly performs in Europe and Asia. Lin founded the Taipei International Music Festival in 1997, the first large-scale international music festival in the history of his native country. As a recording artist on the Sony Classical label, some of his stellar recordings have won awards such as Gramophones Record of the Year and two Grammy nominations. Cho-Liang Lin also records for the Ondine and Decca labels.
One of Lins most marked characteristics is his overwhelming support for contemporary music and composers. Contemporary composer Ruos works of modern orchestral, chamber, vocal and piano works that have been successfully performed in the United States and Asia with world-class orchestras. Ruos concerto, Omnipresence, has six sections that will be played in succession without pause.
Ruo is the recipient of many national prizes in his native China; in Switzerland, he received the Henri Mancini Award (International Film and Music Festival 1995). Huangs work has been spotlighted on National Public Radio, Radio Amsterdam, Radio Canada and Radio Shanghai and presented internationally. A permanent U.S. resident, he is artistic director and conductor of the International Contemporary Ensemble. The Zhong Shan University Press published his book Selection of Classic Chinese Folk Songs. Huang Ruo holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Masters degree from the Juilliard School.
QSOs artistic director, Maestro Arthur Fagen, will conduct this momentous performance to end the orchestras 51st season of the Masterworks Concert Series. The concert will be held at the Queensborough Community College Performing Arts Center. QSO continues its mission of bringing the best in classical, chamber, opera, pops, and arts-in-education to the residents of this borough. For further information about QSO and its programs, please visit www.queenssympohony.org. For ticket information and pricing, please call (718) 326-4455 ext. 20 or by visiting the website.