Queens Symphony Orchestra will present the world premiere performance of “Omnipresence, Concerto No. 1 for Solo Violin, Off-stage Ensemble and Orchestra,” written for master violinist Cho-Liang Lin by internationally acclaimed modern classical c
Attendees of the March 28 concert will also hear Beethoven’s dazzling “Symphony No. 5 in C Minor” on the program. QSO’s artistic director, Maestro Arthur Fagen, will conduct this momentous performance to end the orchestra’s 51st season of the Masterworks Concert Series at Queensborough Community College.
Taiwanese-American virtuoso violinist Cho-Liang Lin is lauded the world over for the eloquence of his playing and the superb musicianship that marks his performances. Renowned for appearances as a soloist with major orchestras, he is also frequently heard in recital and in chamber music. Musical America named Lin as 2000 Instrumentalist of the Year. During the 2003-2004 season, he appeared at each of Carnegie Hall’s three concert halls. With the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he recently performed in New York and on tour. Internationally he performs in Europe and Asia. Lin founded the Taipei International Music Festival (1997), the first large-scale international music festival in the history of his native country.
He is an advocate for contemporary composers and has premiered many works by them. As a recording artist on the Sony Classical label, some of his stellar recordings have won awards such as Gramophone’s Record of the Year and two Grammy nominations. Lin also records for the Ondine and Decca labels. His violin is the 1734 Guarneri del Gesu “The Duke of Camposelice.”
Huang Ruo is a Chinese-American composer of modern orchestral, chamber, vocal and piano works that have been successfully performed in the United States and Asia with world-class orchestras. His commissioned work for this concert “Omnipresence, Concerto No. 1 for Solo Violin, Off-stage Ensemble and Orchestra,” was created during 2002-2003. The composer said “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. But one thing remains the same: the different echoes in people’s hearts when they are given the same word, or in this case, the same music.”
Ruo’s concerto has six sections that will be played in succession without pause. Commission funding was provided by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust and the Greenwall Foundation.
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). Huang’s 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.” Ruo holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Masters degree from the Juilliard School.
Now in its 51st season as the only professional orchestra in Queens, 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, go to www.queenssympohony.org.
Concert tickets can be purchased by calling QSO headquarters at 718-326-4455, Ext. 20, or can be bought online at www.queenssympony.org.
“Omnipresence, Concerto No. 1 for Solo Violin, Off-stage Ensemble and Orchestra” will be performed by Queens Symphony Orchestra Sunday, March 28, at 4 p.m. at Queensborough Community College Performing Arts Center, 56th Avenue & Springfield Blvd., Bayside. Call 718-631-6311.
