Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO) principal conductor CHANG Yu-an joins hands with internationally renowned sheng (Chinese: 笙) player Wu Wei to present The Secret of Demons & Spirits, tailored for Wu by Enjott Schneider. In addition, TCO will also perform several contemporary Chinese music works, including The Blasting of Master Handan, and The Worship, which depict religious and folklore activities with a sense of mysterious rituals. Finally, Charm of Formosa is based on Taiwanese Hoklo folk songs, resonating with abundant oriental folk customs. Please enjoy (and indulge)!
Program
Gagaku (Arr. WU Wei): Banshikicho
KWAN Sheng-yau: The Worship
Enjott Schneider: The Secret of Demons & Spirits for Sheng and Chinese Orchestra
LIN Tsen-ling: The Blasting of Master Handan
KUAN Nai-chung: Charm of Formosa
(Change of Program is reserved)
Performer
CHANG Yu-an, Conductor
WU Wei, Sheng solo
Taipei Chinese Orchestra
CHANG Yu-an/ Principal Conductor
Born in Taipei and raised in Penghu, Taiwan, Yu-an was awarded the 1st. Prize of the Bucharest International Conducting Competition in 2016. In 2018, he served as a conducting fellow at Tanglewood Music Festival and was then appointed as Assistant Conductor to the Boston Symphony Orchestra for two seasons until 2020. He was appointed as Principal Conductor of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra in 2022 as continuing his conducting activities across Europe, America, and Asia.
Yu-an began his music journey at the age of 16 with traditional instruments. Prof. Apo Ching-hsin HSU was his first mentor, leading his way to the field of conducting. In 2022, he graduated with a Meisterklasse degree from Hochschule fuer Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin, under Prof. Christian Ehwald and Prof. Hans-Dieter Baum.
In August 2019, Yu-an made his Tanglewood debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He then led 4 subscription concerts at Boston Symphony Hall in January 2020, which the critics described as “A marvel of precision, expression, and clarity.”
In 2016, Yu-an married the girl of his dreams, Kai-chuan. They live together in Berlin.
WU Wei/ Sheng
Sheng virtuoso Wu Wei has performed with such leading orchestras and ensembles as the Berlin and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, and Ensemble Intercontemporain. He has played with conductors including Jaap van Zweden, Kent Nagano, Gustavo Dudamel, Marin Alsop, Myung Whun Chung, Susanna Mälkki, Ilan Volkov, Markus Stenz, and Matthias Pintscher.
Wu Wei has appeared at prestigious festivals, including the BBC Proms, Paris Autumn Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Berliner Festspiele, Warsaw Autumn, and Musica Nova Helsinki. He has performed in venues worldwide, such as the Berlin Philharmonie, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Log Angeles’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Philharmonie de Paris.
Wu Wei has performed the World Premieres of 400 works, including 20 concertos for sheng and orchestra by composers such as Cage, Unsuk Chin, Jukka Tiensuu, Toshio Hosokawa, Enjott Schneider, Guus Janssen, Bernd Richard Deutsch, Ondřej Adámek, Liza Lim, and Huang Ruo. A prolific composer himself, he has received commissions from the Royaumont and Civitella Ranieri Foundations, among others.
He is a winner of Germany’s Musica Vitale competition, German Global Root Award, German Record Critics’ Award, and Edinburgh International Festival Herald Angels Prize, and he was named best soloist at the Chinese Music Awards 2017. He has recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Harmonia Mundi, and Wergo labels. His recording Unsuk Chin: 3 Concertos (Deutsche Grammophon) garnered the International Classical Music Award and BBC Music Magazine Award in 2015. His performance was one of the highlights of the BBC Proms in 2014.
Wu Wei studied at the Shanghai Music Conservatory and Hanns Eisler Academy Berlin with a DAAD scholarship. He has developed the ancient instrument into an innovative force in contemporary music.
Taipei Chinese Orchestra
Founded as the first professional Chinese orchestra in Taiwan in 1979, the Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO) has established a reputation for great versatility and artistic excellence. The orchestra annually touches the lives of nearly 100,000 music lovers. Besides giving more than 100 concerts every year, the TCO also shoulders the responsibility of arts education, presenting numerous school concerts as well as an extensive series of community concerts entitled "Bringing Arts to the Alleys." To date, the TCO has released nearly 100 recordings, several of which have been recognized with awards and nominations at the Golden Melody Awards for traditional arts and music. And its outstanding performances have consistently impressed audiences worldwide.
Moreover, the orchestra is also active in international exchange. The TCO has performed at major concert halls around the world, making its presence known in more than 20 countries across Europe, the United States, and Asia, garnering warm reception from music lovers. In February 2011, a U.S. tour arranged by the internationally renowned management company Opus 3 Artists made the TCO the first Chinese orchestra to be promoted by an international arts management company. Another milestone was achieved in November 2018 when the TCO became the first professional orchestra from Taiwan to perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall.
From its humble beginnings in 1979, the TCO has progressed steadily on its musical journey over the past 45 years. It is a world-class orchestra that is devoted to forging the path forward to a new era of Chinese orchestral music.