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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
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 (October 2023). Cadence explores the intricate interplay between structure and spontaneity. The piece takes its name from the musical term “cadence,” which traditionally refers to the harmonic or rhythmic progression that signals the end of a musical phrase, providing a sense of tension and resolution.
“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
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: 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.
“Walking along the streets of Florence on a starry night, the air seemed to carry an aura of hidden beauty, revealed in the subtle corners of a dimmed back alley, the inviting windows of a gallery, and the mesmerizing reflection of the Arno…And one could almost hear the echos of music from the Renaissance: Gabrieli, Gesualdo, and Monteverdi…The piece attempts to capture those elusive memories, and I found no more fitting companions than the flute, viola, and harp to express the tenderness as well as the sumptuous colors within the music.”
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 the Grammy-winning ensemble. Chanticleer will perform the work in its national tour throughout 2023.
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” receives world premiere by Isaac Stern violin competition awardee Ruifeng Lin with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lü Jia.
Night Tour takes listeners on a musical voyage to splendidness after dark. Written for the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, six winners of prestigious award performed “Night Tour” in 6 cities around the world. The winners are: Rino Yoshimoto of Japan; Thomas Lefort of France; Ruifeng Lin of China; Felicitas Schiffner of Germany; Angela Sin Ying Chan of Hong Kong, China; and Shannon Lee of the United States.
Considered one of the premier music competitions in the world with a US$100,000 top prize, the Stern violin competition boasts a jury that includes violinists Maxim Vengerov, Glenn Dicterow, Ning Feng, Joel Smirnoff, and more.
Also available: Night Tour 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
Irises. Capriccio. Arioso. Toccata. These are four movements that infuse Zhou Tian’s new Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, written for long-time musical partner and acclaimed flutist Mimi Stillman and commissioned by a national consortium of orchestras. From tranquil meditations to wild rituals of rugged harmony and rhythms, the concerto is empowered by tradition while exploring the diversity of musical styles through reflection on the flute’s long and rich heritage (hence the baroque-inspired subtitles).
Flutist Mimi Stillman and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra conducted by Col. Jason K. Fettig gave world premiere of the concerto on 8 May 2022 at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, Alexandria, VA.
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
Paris Premiere of "Gift"
L’Orchestre Colonne under Junping Qian gave the Paris premiere of “Gift” at the legendary Theatre Champs Elysees on 19 June 2022.
Above: Shanghai Symphony under Long Yu gave the world premiere of the work.
"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
"First Sight" at the Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra under Sarah Hicks performs “First Sight,” a 6-minute symphonic dance, at Young People’s Concert titled Science of Sound on November 3, 2021. Live streaming and broadcast: https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/…/science-of-sound/