The Walden Chamber Music Society (WCMS) has announced its “Curtis to Colorado” scholarship fundraiser concert be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27, at the Salida SteamPlant.
Pianist Zhu Wang. Jiyang Chen photo
The Society is presenting award-winning pianist Zhu Wang who is represented by Young Concert Artists. Zhu Wang appears by special arrangement with Curtis on Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Reception follows the concert
Tickets are $35. Students K-12 are free, and one adult accompanying one or more students may purchase a ticket for $20. A reception follows the concert in the SteamPlant ballroom and is open to all attendees.
Walden is also featuring an online auction, now through 3:00 p.m. on the day of the performance to help raise operating funds, furthering its mission. In-person bidding continues during the reception after the concert, until approximately 9:30 p.m.
“We’re so glad to have the chance to bring in-person performances back to our audiences,” said WCMS Board President Sally Kriebel. “The pandemic left a void on many fronts, and certainly in the arts world. Connecting artists with our audience in person is an unmatched opportunity for a shared experience”, added Kriebel.
Pianist Zhu Wang
Zhu’s upcoming season 2022-2023 spans music across many eras. It includes a concert at Morgan Library in New York City, the world première performance of Steven Banks’s work for solo piano, the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and appearances with violinist Randall Goosby in the Vancouver Recital Society and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.
Zhu has performed across the U.S. and internationally at prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Kammermusiksaal of Berliner Philharmonie, Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall.
Praised as “especially impressive” and “a thoughtful, sensitive performer” who “balanced lyrical warmth and crisp clarity” (Anthony Tommasini – The New York Times), pianist Zhu Wang was awarded First Prize in the 2020 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions.
Concerts are a moment in time…and subject to change
According to WCMS Board President Sally Kriebel, Zhu’s program will be announced from the stage. “We are so fortunate to have secured Zhu Wang as our featured artist. Due to unforeseen circumstances, our previously announced guest, Nathan Lee is unable to perform.”
As seasoned concert-goers know, last-minute changes in artist and programs happen routinely, even in non-COVID epidemic times. Carefully planned tours and schedules made years in advance get upended, causing artists and conductors to jump continents on a dime and stand in. And with the wealth of young talent on the world’s stages, these events often catapult performers to even greater heights overnight. Hearing a new artist or unscheduled work keeps classical music programming fresh, personal, and alive.
Since Zhu Wang’s orchestral debut at age 14 with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, where he performed Mozart Piano Concerto No.21, he has soloed with Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Zermatt Music Festival Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Brunensis Virtuosi Orchestra, San Juan Symphony, and Xiamen Philharmonic.
A native of Hunan, China, Zhu began learning piano at the age of five where he trained at Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music with Zhe Tang, and Fou Ts’ong. He continued his study at the Juilliard School for his Bachelor of Music degree where he received Gina Bachauer and Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. Zhu is currently pursuing his artist diploma at Curtis Institute of Music, under the guidance of Robert McDonald.
The event celebrates Walden’s 20th season of bringing Classical Chamber Music to Chaffee County and the night’s performance is a major source of funding for the nonprofit arts group. In addition, Walden provides financial support to music programs in Salida and Buena Vista Schools.
Featured artist: Pianist Zhu Wang. Kevin Condon photo
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