The Artists

World renowned pianist Shikun Liu is the most outstanding Chinese pianist and is well known to American music audience because he once won Second Place in the First Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958,while American pianist Van Cliburn won the First Place in that contest. In 1979, he made his first concert appearance to the American audience with Boston Symphony Orchestra as the ambassador of Sino-American cultural exchange, and made quite a stir throughout American music world. In addition, he is the sole Chinese musician whom American president once received. He is making his New York debut in this concert.  

Magnificent soprano Yanyan Wang started her international career after winning three Grand Prize at the 12^th International Vocal Competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1985. She has sung the leading role in “Madam Butterfly”, “La Bohme”, “Tosca”, “Aida” and “Turandot” in opera houses all over the world, and collaborated with world top musicians such as Lorin Maazel, Placido Domingo. In the past twenty years, her recording and concert performance of the soprano solo piece in the “Yellow River Cantata” is simply un-surpassed.

Maestro Xue Yan Yao was the former conductor of Central Opera House in Beijing. In the past fourty years, he conducted scores of Chinese musicals and western operas and over a hundred symphonies, winning critical acclaim. In 1985, he directed the Orchestra of the San Francisco opera and its chorus in the performance of the Yellow River Cantata in Chinese, a first in the history of US-China cultural exchange.  In August 1995, he assembled a 100 people United Stars of America Chorus and led its performance of the Yellow River Cantata and other resistance war songs in Chinese. They toured both Beijing and Xian with great success. 

Conductor Jeffrey Rink is now in his eighth season as Music Director of the Newton Symphony Orchestra. He is widely regarded for his breadth of experience and repertoire. Mr. Rink has received four ASCAP awards for adventuresome programming and commitment to new music. Mr. Rink is in his fourteenth season as Music Director of Chorus pro Musica. He also serves as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Longy School of Music, and is a member of the music faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

From Hong Kong, talented instrumentalist Wing Sun is the master of both piano and traditional Chinese instrument, Pipa. She is popular among the audience in Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia. She is making her New York debut by playing concerto for piano and Pipa by a Chinese composer.

Baritone Ping Yu has appeared in leading roles with opera companies such as San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Carolina, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Hong Kong Opera, New York Grand Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Piedmont Opera Theatre, Opera Syracuse, Sarasoda Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera Francais of New York and Beijing Central Opera House.

Violinist Shih-Hung Young came to The United States from Taipei, Taiwan. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  He received his Bachelors and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Music degree at State University of New York at Stony Brook. An active conductor of symphonic and operatic literatures and performer of solo and chamber music recitals, Mr. Young has toured the United States, and internationally.  Faculty of The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, since 1995.

The New York Choral Society (NYCS), founded in 1958, has become known by audiences and critics for the quality of its performances and the diversity of its repertoire, which encompasses popular choral masterworks as well as many compositions rarely heard in concert halls. The NYCS has presented ten world premieres including works commissioned by Paul Alan Levi, Morton Gould, and Robert DeCormier. For its 2004-2005 season in its home at Carnegie Hall, the NYCS presented Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and their annual favorite, Christmas at Carnegie Hall. They appeared as guest artists at the Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala at Avery Fisher Hall and with the Opera Orchestra of New York in Carnegie Hall. The 2003-2004 season opened with the NYCS’s 11th appearance at the Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala at Lincoln Center. The NYCS’s annual subscription series began in December featuring its annual Christmas at Carnegie Hall. In March, the NYCS performed an evening of Antonin Dvor's choral music at Carnegie Hall in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Czech master’s death. In May, the New York Choral Society performed a concert of music at the Riverside Church in New York, highlighting the majesty of the Riverside Church organ, one of the largest in New York. The NYCS is frequently in demand as guest artists, most recently appearing with Buglisi/Foreman Dance in four performances of a newly commissioned score, set to new choreography. In May, 2003, the NYCS appeared with the American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House for seven performances of John Adams Harmonium and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. In October, 2002, members of the NYCS performed a series of concerts in China with dynamic young conductor Yong-yan Hu and the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in Shanghai and Beijing at the Beijing Music Festival. On that tour, the chorus also performed the Chinese premiere of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in Beijing with a 1,000 voice chorus from four countries and a 180-piece orchestra. Its current artistic director is John Daily Goodwin.