Bion Tsang will perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra in its ninth season opening concert on Sunday, September 25 at 4:00 p.m. at Klett Performing Arts Center in Georgetown. The program also includes Mozart - Symphony No. 39 and Shostakovich - Symphony No. 9, all under the direction of Stefan Sanders. The concert is presented by the Georgetown Symphony Society.
Tsang enjoys having concert dates closer to home. “I just love the Rococo Variations. It’s the perfect blend of gorgeous melodies and virtuoso challenges for the cello,” he says. “I am proud to play it with the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra—which has so many UT connections both on the podium and amongst the players—for this season milestone.” The following week, Tsang takes the work to Korea to perform it at the Busan One Asia Festival.
Tsang also will introduce the Round Rock Symphony audience to pieces from his forthcoming CD, Bion Tsang – The Blue Rock Sessions, on his website and online this fall. Inspired by an artist retreat in the Texas Hill Country, The Blue Rock Sessions feature 18 virtuoso miniatures of works by Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rossini, Rachmaninoff and many more originally written for violin and piano. Many of the works featured in Bion Tsang – The Blue Rock Sessions were transcribed for cello and piano by Tsang.
“I’ve had a lifelong obsession with virtuoso miniatures,” he says. “Since I was a student years ago, I have spent countless hours listening to Casals, Piatigorsky, Heifetz, Stern and others who have performed them with virtuosity, artistry and sincerity.”
Tickets to the Round Rock Symphony opening concert are available at the door at the Klett Performing Arts Center, 2211 N. Austin Ave., Georgetown, Texas.
