Press Release: "Four Seasons" concert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Hong Wang
Melody of China
415-681-8599
http://www.melodyofchina.com
info@melodyofchina.com

San Francisco, CA – Chinese music ensemble Melody of China presents its Four Seasons concert series in which they collaborate with the vibrant, acclaimed Del Sol String Quartet. The two groups will perform an exciting fusion of eastern and western traditions, featuring two new commissioned works for the combined musicians as well as John Cage’s 1950 masterpiece for quartet (based on the seasons), Yuanlin Chen’s Two Prose Poems, and traditional Chinese music. World premieres in this concert series are Kui Dong’s Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter suite, Bay Area composer Duo Huang’s Deep Mountains, and Dawei Wang’s “Jasmine Flower.”

The Four Seasons concert series continues in June:

8:00 PM, Friday June 2nd, 2006
St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Avenue, Berkeley
Tickets: $20 general, $15 seniors (65 and older), $15 students
(415) 508-5799, www.melodyofchina.com/tickets.html

8:00 PM, Saturday, June 10th, 2006.
Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco
Tickets: $15 general, $12 seniors (65 and older), $12 students
Box office: (415) 474-1608
http://www.oldfirstconcerts.org/calendar.html

Composer Kui Dong was born in Beijing, China and received B.A. and M.A. degrees in theory and composition from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 1991 she moved to the United States, where she obtained a Ph.D. in composition from Stanford University. Since 2003, she has been an associate professor of music at Dartmouth College. Kui Dong's compositions span diverse genres and styles and include ballet, orchestral and chamber works, chorus, electro-acoustic music, film scores and multi-media art. While studying at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, she studied Western classical and early contemporary music, Chinese classical and folk music, and produced a number of chamber and orchestral compositions. She has received numerous honors and awards including the 2001 ISCM international composition prize, a Rockefeller Bellagio Residency and residency at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.

Duo Huang was born in Hunan, China. At a very young age, he worked as a pianist and composer in The Song & Dance Troupe of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. He was later accepted by Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Twice recipient of the prestigious “Sheng Xing Gong” award, Huang graduated with first class honors and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in composition in 1989. From 1982-1992, Huang produced numerous works including a three-act ballet for orchestra, as well as film scores and commercials for major television stations and broadcasting companies across the country. He also freelanced as a performer with symphony orchestras in Beijing. Since 1995, he has worked as a software engineer in San Mateo and has continued to compose and perform with Melody of China and other musicians.

Dawei Wang has composed orchestra music, songs, and Chinese traditional dance music. Many of his musical compositions are used as music text material for colleges and universities throughout China, particularly in the Shanghai area. His world premiere, Jasmine Flower, is a quartet for four Chinese instruments, based on a very popular folk song from Jiangsu Province. Wang is currently a resident composer, the music director of Melody of China, Los Angeles branch, and is a member of the China Musician Association, Shanghai branch. At age 18 Wang began to compose and conduct orchestra. Wang attended the Music School of Shanghai Teachers University, and from 1982-1989 was the Director of Music Education & Research Center in Shanghai College of Education.

Del Sol String Quartet was awarded First Prize for Adventurous Programming (Mixed Repertory) by ASCAP/Chamber Music America in January 2006. Founded in 1992 during a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Alberta, Canada), Del Sol focuses on performance of new chamber music and lesser known 20th century works, collaborates with many living composers, and presents a home season of its own concerts in the Bay Area. Del Sol also actively tours and conducts educational outreach activities at schools and universities in the Bay Area and elsewhere – all in an effort to continually reach new audiences. Del Sol recently was featured with hip-hop violinist/composer Daniel Bernard Roumain on the CBS Evening News with Bob Schieffer.

Melody of China is a Chinese music ensemble based in the San Francisco Bay Area, formed in 1993 by a group of enthusiastic professional musicians from some of the most prestigious music conservatories in China. The ensemble has a twofold mission: to promote Chinese classical, folk and contemporary music, and to provide quality entertainment through the synergy between an ancient cultural tradition and the youthful, multicolored American culture. The group performs regular concerts and presents a variety of educational programs for local schools and the community.

The Four Seasons concert series is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment For The Arts, the James Irvine Foundation, Meet the Composer (Commissioning Music/USA Fund), Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Zellerbach Family Fund.

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