Grammy Nomination
Zhou nominated for a 60th Annual GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his Concerto for Orchestra. He became the first Chinese-born composer ever recognized in this highly regarded category at the Grammy Awards. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Louis Langrée, who commissioned and recorded the work, were nominated for Best Orchestral Performance.
“Stunning,” “tonal and engaging” —The Cincinnati Enquirer
“He is unafraid of monumental gestures, but at the same time he wastes nothing, whether notes or our time itself…The strings’ luster made me wish I could stop writing and just listen.” —American Record Guide
Cello concerto premiere
Renowned cellist and Deutsche Grammophon Artist Jian Wang premieres Zhou’s Cello Concerto (“Flowing Sleeves”) with The Hangzhou Philharmonic conducted by Yang Yang in the opening concert of the 2018 Hangzhou International Music Festival on July 2 in Hangzhou, China.
The 27-minute work was inspired by “Flowing Sleeves,” a traditional performance practice in Chinese opera in which a performer uses long, white silk sleeves to create different movements reflective of the inner thoughts of the characters. The four movements of the concerto, Brush, Lift, Reflect, and Dance, present four distinctively different styles and characteristics of music.
“rise” premiere
Allentown Symphony and Music Director Diane Wittry premieres Rise, written in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I, on 10-11 November 2018. Inspired by diaries of American soldiers during World War I, Rise was commissioned by the Allentown Symphony in partnership with the Spokane Symphony and the Erie Philharmonic with a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Zhou is one of those rare composers who, like Jennifer Higdon, one of his teachers, creates music that is accessible and colorful, and begs to be heard over and over.”
Asia premiere of Concerto for Orchestra
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yoshikazu Fukumura gave Asia premiere of Zhou’s Grammy nominated Concerto for Orchestra on 9 November 2018.
Reno Residency
Reno Philharmonic and Music Director Laura Jackson performs “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” in the orchestra’s 2018-19 season opener. Zhou is the Reno Philharmonic’s Composer-in-Residence this season.
Trace, broken ink, first sight and more
Lansing Symphony conducted by Music Director Timothy Muffitt performs Trace (May 11). New Haven Symphony conducted by Music Director William Boughton performs First Sight (May 10). The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic conducted by Ulysses S. James performs Broken Ink (February 11 & 18). Michigan Philharmonic under Nan Washburn present A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (March 18).
Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle under Lorenzo Muti performs Nocturne (March 25). Joy performed by Oregon Mozart Players and Kelly Kuo (May 12), and by Detroit Chamber Orchestra under Jherrard Hardeman (May 25 & 26).
The Palace of Nine Perfections
The Allentown Symphony conducted by Music Director Diane Wittry performs The Palace of Nine Perfections on 10-11 February. The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra under Liang Zhang performs the work on 5 November.
Viaje, trio and string quartet
Viaje (trio version) performed by Marya Martin, flute, Clive Greensmith, cello, and Orion Weiss, piano at Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, New York, on August 1.
Jasper Quartet performs Viaje with flutist Mimi Stillman in Philadelphia (February 22), and with Linda Chesis at Cooperstown Music Festival in New York.
Performance Today™ with Fred Child on American Public Media features Viaje (flute and string orchestra version) performed by Mimi Stillman and Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle conducted by Lorenzo Muti, on January 5 and April 9, 2018.
Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra perform Piano Trio (Mingzhao Zhou, violin; Úna O’Riordan, cello; Zhou Tian, piano) on February 7, Viaje (Amanda Blaikie, flute; Úna O’Riordan, cello) on April 13, and String Quartet No.1 (Mingzhao Zhou, Jiamin Wang, violins; Hang Su, viola; David LeDoux, cello) on October 21.
American String Quartet performs Viaje at Taos Chamber Music Series with flutist Nancy Laupheimer, and at Manhattan School of Music with flutist Linda Chesis.
Petals of fire
Petals of Fire performed by top wind ensembles across the US in 2017/18, such as universities of Michigan, Texas at Austin, Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, Baylor (at The American Bandmasters Association’s Annual Convention), University of Southern California, Texas A&M, Ball State, North Carolina at Greensboro, Bowling Green, West Texas A&M, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Oklahoma State and many more. The work premiered at 2017 CBDNA National Conference by Michigan State University Wind Ensemble.
“Petals of Fire” at Carnegie
Petals of Fire receives New York premiere at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall by Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts Wind Ensemble, conducted by Kevin Ford, as part of National Band & Orchestra Festival 2018.
Hundred Antiques at Smithsonian
Hundred Antiques premieres at Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. (Nov 8, 2018) and Symphony Space in New York (Nov 9). The work was commissioned by the New York-based Music from China ensemble and Freer Gallery of Art at Smithsonian, and scored for erhu, pipa, violin and cello.
two new recordings of Viaje
Viaje for flute, cello and piano released on Dolce Suono Trio’s “American Canvas” on Innova Recordings. The recording features new works by Pulitzer Prize winners Jennifer Higdon and Shulamit Ran, Grammy-nominated Zhou Tian, and American Academy in Rome Fellow Andrea Clearfield.
Viaje was also released in Soloists of New England’s latest album “Live from Lincoln Center“
“Zhou Tian’s Viaje fused the composer’s Chinese American sensibility with the lore of ancient Spain so convincingly that the exotic flute solos for Stillman sounded like the most natural thing in the world.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
New version of Viaje
Viaje (trio version) premiered by Mimi Stillman, flute, Gabriel Cabezas, cello, and Charles Abramovic, piano, at the Curtis Institute of Music.
“Experiencing Spain for the first time and learning about the stories of Spanish legend El Cid inspired me to compose this 9-minute thrill ride. I was particularly drawn to the relationship between El Cid and his two daughters as they went through an innocent childhood, separation, distrust, and finally, reunion. I imagined the flute as the voice of the daughters, and the cello as the voice of their father. A musical dialogue between the two emerges in the middle of the piece, as if recalling a long-overdue conversation between father and daughters. It wasn’t until the piece was finished that I realized that I had unconsciously married my musical roots as a Chinese-American with my new found love of Spanish music.” (program note)
Shanghai conservatory
Zhou invited for guest lecturing at Shanghai Conservatory for 2018. The program includes masterclasses, presentations, and performances.