Watch Bion Tsang perform with the seven junior finalists of the 2014 Menuhin International Violin Competition live at Ustream. The broadcast begins Friday, February 28, at 2:30 PM CST. About the finalists...
Bion Tsang, age 11, rehearsing with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra
The Menuhin Competition comes to Austin later this weekend! Bion had this to say about it:
"The Menuhin Competition is like no other international music event: it’s more festival than competition with so many collaborative concerts, master classes, talks and outreach activities. That’s why I’m so very excited that this year it’s happening right here at UT! I’m fascinated to be working with the junior participants in particular. My own memories of competing at this age seem at once so distant and so close, having my own son who is already this age! I can recall the jitters and excitement of experiencing the 'real' world of classical music through the eyes of an eleven year old. After my performances with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, Maestro Mehta invited me to attend the Philharmonic’s rehearsals whenever I could. Watching the professionals work from behind the scenes was always incredibly exhilarating and educational. I’ll never forget the time that my family and I went to Tanglewood to see an open rehearsal of the Philharmonic with Maestro Mehta. At the break, I went backstage to see the Maestro, at which point he asked me to join the orchestra onstage for the second half. I got to sit next to principal cellist Lorne Munroe and was introduced to the glories and challenges of the Finale of Beethoven’s 9th in front of thousands of spectators! I have never been so nervous turning pages in my life! I hope that all the young participants at the Menuhin Competition this month come away with a deeper love and understanding of music and at least a couple of treasured memories!"
Bion Tsang's appearance with violinist Scott Yoo and pianist John Novacek in a Notable Encounter at Festival Mozaic on November 2, 2013, is now available for viewing on YouTube.
Bion Tsang is back on American Public Media's Performance Today. Bion's performance of the Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme with conductor Roberto Abbado and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra highlights the first hour of the broadcast. The recording comes from the last of four concerts and was made at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, MN.
Performance Today is broadcast on 260 public radio stations across the country and is heard by about 1.3 million people each week. To find out where and when Performance Today is broadcast in your area, visit performancetoday.org.
For the second consecutive year, Scott Cantrell of the Dallas Morning News lists Bion Tsang's performance as one of the ten best of the year. In his article "The year in classical music: These 10 performances hit the highest notes," he writes:
"With musicians assembled from hither and yon, concerts in this series don’t always jell. But, apart from pianist Meng-Chieh Lu’s tendency to overplay, this one was a winner, with violinist Nai-Yuan Hu, violist Scott Lee and, especially, cellist Bion Tsang. It was also another demonstration of the acoustical marvels of the Dallas City Performance Hall."