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2024-2025 Orchestral Highlights
The New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Omaha Symphony, and Ann Arbor Symphony (Transcend); the Shanghai Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and Toronto Symphony (Concerto for Orchestra); the Minnesota Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Bochumer Symphoniker, New Jersey Symphony, Illinois Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, and Eastman Symphony (Gift); the Baltimore Symphony and Guangzhou Symphony (Metropolis); the China Philharmonic and Guangzhou Symphony (Violin Concerto “Night Tour”); the Portland Symphony (Flute Concerto); the Shanghai Symphony (First Sight); the Hangzhou Philharmonic (Threads, Birthday Fantasia, and Double Concerto for violin and viola); and the acclaimed Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra (Sinfonia).
World Premiere: double concerto
Acclaimed violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley and violist Shanshan Yao gave the world premiere of the Double Concerto (listen / hire) with the Hangzhou Philharmonic, conducted by Music Director Yang Yang, at the orchestra’s 2024/25 season opener.
The concerto begins with Play, where the two solo instruments engage in an energetic dialogue, oscillating between cooperation and playful rivalry. A gentle, melodic Aria follows. The finale, Rendezvous, is a spirited voyage, where everyone meets each other, only to bid farewell in the same breath.
Transcend at New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic conducted by Long Yu gave the New York premiere of Transcend at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center on 20 February 2024. Commissioned by 13 American orchestras, the piece commemorates of the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion.
New Recording: Sinfonia
World premiere recording of Sinfonia released by Signum Records. Baylor University Wind Ensemble conducted by Eric Wilson.
New Recording: FLUTE CONCERTO
“A REMARKABLE FUSION OF ARTISTIC MASTERY.”
—The Flute View
Concerto for Flute and Orchestra released in ASPIRE: “The President’s Own” at 225, with Mimi Stillman as the soloist , flute, and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra conducted by Col. Jason K. Fettig. LISTEN
World Premiere: Cadence
Galvin Quartet gave world premiere of Cadence for cello quartet at Merkin Hall in New York.
“Commissioned in partnership with Concert Artists Guild, it represents part of the quartet’s effort to expand the repertoire for this particular instrumentation while exploring diverse cultural backgrounds that connect with theirs. Exciting and colorful, it brought out the oneness of sound that this quartet can achieve, whether playing in harmony or in rapid alternation, while also exploring a wide range of sonorities. From lyrical moments to more dazzling perpetual motion sections, the piece and the performers were captivating.”
—New York Concert Review
world premiere: hidden grace
Formosa Trio gave world premiere of Hidden Grace, at Colburn School in Los Angeles (June 2023), Commissioned by The American Harp Society and University of Kentucky, the work was inspired by a trip to Italy.
New Recording: Chanticleer
Strange how we can walk (in LA) released in the new album “On a Clear Day” by Chanticleer. The song is part of the cycle Trade Winds commissioned and premiered by the Grammy-winning ensemble. Chanticleer will perform the work in its national tour throughout 2023.
S/S23 ORCHESTRAL HIGHLIGHTS
Spring/summer 2023 will see orchestral performances from the Baltimore Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and London Philharmonic (Gift); Cincinnati Symphony (The Palace of Nine Perfections), San Francisco Symphony (Transcend), Allentown Symphony (Flute Concerto), and Mannes Orchestra (Concerto for Orchestra); Shanghai Symphony (Rise), National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Orchestra (Broken Ink), Guangzhou Symphony (Metropolis). Additionally, Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra tours Spain and Switzerland, becoming one of the few guest orchestras at the prestigious Verbier Festival (Metropolis).
world premiere: metropolis
Guangzhou Symphony and Music Director Long Yu gave world premiere of Metropolis, commissioned on the occasion of orchestra’s 65th anniversary. Metropolis is a concert opener that teems with lyricism and rhythmic vitality, all within 10 minutes. Inspired by a poem from Tang dynasty describing the sumptuous metropolitan city of Southern Yue (Guangzhou today) titled Remembering a Thousand Years of Yue, the piece explores the intersection between cultures, reflecting my own upbringing.
world premiere: Violin Concerto "Night Tour"
Violin Concerto Night Tour premiered at the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition as the commissioned new work. Considered one of the premier music competitions in the world, with a top prize of US$100,000, the Stern competition boasts a jury that includes renowned violinists such as Maxim Vengerov, Glenn Dicterow, Ning Feng, and Joel Smirnoff, among others.
Night Tour takes listeners on a musical journey into the splendor of the night. The piece draws inspiration from various cultures and aims to seamlessly blend them. Six competition laureates performed the work in six cities around the world: Rino Yoshimoto (Japan), Thomas Lefort (France), Ruifeng Lin (China), Felicitas Schiffner (Germany), Angela Sin Ying Chan (Hong Kong, China), and Shannon Lee (United States).
Night Tour is also available for violin and piano.
SINFONIA WINS 2022 SOUSA-ABA-OSTWALD AWARD
Sinfonia for wind ensemble was selected as the 2022 Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Award winning composition, organized by the American Bandmasters Association and John Philip Sousa Foundation. Sinfonia seeks inspirations from different cultures and mixes them into four distinctively different movements: Noir, Transit, Arioso, and D-O-N-E. The 20-minute work was jointly commissioned by 13 leading university bands in the US.
Zhou Tian became the first Asian-American to win the Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Award in its 66-year history.
World Premiere: FLUTE CONCERTO
“A REMARKABLE FUSION OF ARTISTIC MASTERY.”
—The Flute View
Irises. Capriccio. Arioso. Toccata. These are four movements that infuse Zhou’s new Flute Concerto, written for acclaimed flutist Mimi Stillman and commissioned by seven orchestras, including “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra. A world premiere recording has been released.
The work is also available in a version for flute and piano, titled Irises.
Japan Premiere of Concerto for Orchestra
The Osaka Philharmonic conducted by Robert Trevino gave the Japan premiere of Concerto for Orchestra on 24 & 25 June 2022 at Osaka Festival Hall. #チョウ・ティエン #管弦楽のための協奏曲#日本初演
"Rise" Consortium Premiere
The Erie Philharmonic conducted by Music Director Daniel Meyer gave consortium premiere of “Rise” on 26 June 2022 at Warner Theatre, Erie, Pennsylvania. The work, inspired by diary entries of American soldiers during World War I, was commissioned in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day.
Concerto for Orchestra broadcast video
Broadcast video released: Concerto for Orchestra (European premier) by Basque National Orchestra and conducted by Robert Trevino.
European premiere of Concerto for Orchestra
Basque National Orchestra (Euskadiko Orchestra) conducted by Music Director Robert Treviño gave European premiere of Grammy-nominated Concerto for Orchestra in Basque country, Spain. Acclaimed pianist Yulianna Avdeeva gave encore performances of Crystal during the concerts.
21 Feb 2022: Teatro Principal Antzokia, Vitoria-Gasteiz
22 Feb 2022: Baluarte, Pamplona-Iruña
23 Feb 2022: Euskalduna, Bilbao
24 Feb 2022: Kursaal, Donostia-San Sebastián
25 Feb 2022: Kursaal, Donostia-San Sebastián