Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Festival Centre present Chinese New Year Concert

Following last years’ inaugural concert, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Festival Centre will again present a concert that unites cultures through the power of music in a Chinese New Year Concert, 18 Feb, Festival Theatre.

The ASO is a world-class symphony orchestra with a reputation for presenting the best conductors and soloists globally. To celebrate the Year of the Pig, this family event will draw on both the old and the new, from China and the West.

Led by Chinese-Australian conductor, Dane Lam, Principal Conductor of China’s Xi’an Symphony Orchestra, the concert features the remarkable Australian-Chinese Cellist, Li-Wei Qin, described by Gramophone Magazine as “a superbly stylish, raptly intuitive performer”.

Dane Lam (Photo credit: Claudio Raschella)

Audiences will delight in the beautiful melding of cultural traditions. The concert promises to be truly a special experience that merges traditional Chinese style with contemporary music. The concert will take you on a fascinating musical journey, exploring the treasures of a nation while we continue the tradition of a symphonic tribute to the Chinese New Year in Adelaide.

Dane Lam is Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of China’s Xi’an Symphony Orchestra. Acclaimed by Limelight Magazine as “one of the most talented young conductors Australia has produced” and Manchester Evening News as “a master of rhythmic and articulatory complexities”, he has earned a reputation as an electrifying musician in a large and varied repertoire.

Dane says, “The Chinese diaspora makes up a large proportion of the modern Australian community and plays such an important role. Even in my lifetime I’ve seen Chinese traditions and practice become more widespread in Australia to the point now where it feels as though the Chinese-Australian experience is an essential colour in our multicultural palette. The programme we’ve planned for the ASO Chinese New Year concert reflects this: cultures bouncing off, reflecting and complimenting each other. People from all facets of the Adelaide community can come enjoy this celebration as something we all share.”

Dane is looking forward to working with Li- Wei who he described as, “a viscerally exciting performer. We finally worked together earlier in 2018 in Xi’an on the Dvorak concerto. We didn’t have a piano rehearsal beforehand and just found each other in a play through. It was a great feeling to have a collaborator with whom I was so “in sync”; whose ideas aligned with mine and with the composer’s. Adelaide audiences are in for a treat.”  

Born in Shanghai, Li-Wei moved to Australia at the age of 13, before accepting scholarships to study with Ralph Kirshbaum at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. He was invited to join the BBC ‘New Generations’ scheme in 2001 and in 2002, Li-Wei received the Young Australian of the Year Award. Other major invitations included appearances at both the 2008 Beijing Olympics (New Zealand Symphony), 2012 London Olympics and the Davos World Economics Forum (Basel Symphony Orchestra). He is a two times soloist at the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Li-Wei has enjoyed successful artistic collaborations with many of the world’s great orchestras including all the BBC symphony orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the NDR-Sinfonierorchester Hamburg, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Basel Symphony, the Prague Symphony, the Osaka Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony and Melbourne Symphony.

Cellist Li-Wei is no stranger to Adelaide audiences having performed with them on many occasions, he says, “I have recorded with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, as well as played with them many many times. I feel like I have grown up with this orchestra, and that it is my Australian musical family. I know so many of the players. It is the perfect musical reunion for Chinese New Year”.

The Year of the Pig is synonymous with fortune and luck! With predictions that 2019 is going to be full of joy, a year of friendship and love. It is an auspicious year because the Pig attracts success in all the spheres of life. What better way to celebrate the Chinese New Year than with family and friends by attending the ASO’s Chinese New Year Concert.

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Managing Director Vincent Ciccarello said, “This concert will unite cultures through the power of music. Since its inception in 1936, the ASO has played a significant role in the cultural life of South Australia. ASO prides itself on recognising and celebrating diversity and actively encourages cultural awareness through music. We look forward to a night where the broader community can share the celebration of Chinese New Year”.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM said, “Across the region, Adelaide Festival Centre is a champion and leader of Asian Australian cultural engagement. We are particularly excited about this year’s Chinese New Year concert and look forward to welcoming the South Australian community to our home to come together and celebrate the Year of the Pig. Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is one of our great home companies and we’re pleased to be working closely with the ASO to present this important concert.”

SPECIAL EVENT     Chinese New Year Concert

Sunday 10 February, Festival Theatre

Conductor: Dane Lam
Cello: Li-Wei Qin

Programme to include:
Strauss – Overture from Die Fledermaus
Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations
Tieshan/Yuan – Dances of the Yao Tribe
Saint-Saens – Finale from Symphony No 3 Organ

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Cheree McEwin, Publicist Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
08 8233 6205 / 0416 181 679 / mcewinc@aso.com.au

Click here to visit Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s website.