Xiayin Wang, piano and the City Symphony

George Manahan, Conductor

Monday, April 16, 2007

Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall

$40, $30, $20 at Carnegiecharge: 212-247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org

Tickets:

PROGRAM:

Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, in E Major, Op. 21

Schumann Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54

Stravinsky Le baiser de la fée (The Fairy's Kiss) Divertimento for Orchestra

Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major

ARTISTS:

  Xiayin Wang    George Manahan

BIOGRAPHIES

By the time pianist Xiayin Wang arrived in the United States from her native China, she had completed studies at the Shanghai Conservatory and garnered an enviable record of first prize awards and special honors for her performances throughout China, most notably in the Fu Zhou National Piano Competition, Hang Zhou Instrumental Competition, Zhe Jiang Competition, and the National Piano Competition in Beijing.

She was heard with some of China’s leading orchestras, including the Beijing Opera House Symphony and the Zhe Jiang Symphony, and in many of the country’s most prestigious concert halls. In addition to her performances in China, Ms. Wang has been heard in Europe with the Tenerife Symphony of Spain.

Ms. Wang, who began piano studies at the age of five, came to New York where in 2000 she won the Associated Music Teacher League Award and was given First Prize - the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. She also pursued studies at the Manhattan School of Music and won the school’s Eisenberg Concerto Competition in 2002, as well as the Roy M. Rubinstein Award. For the upcoming 2008-2009 season, Ms. Wang presents a number of New York concerts in addition to extensive performances around the United States, including the Smithsonian in Washingoton, D.C. Ms. Wang has just signed a recording contract with Naxos and Marquis Classics, works to include an all Scriabin album.

She made her Carnegie Hall debut on May 16, 2007 in the Stern Auditorium as well as two recent appearances in 2006 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and an evening of chamber music with her colleague, the Amity Players. This summer she performed at the Prestige Series at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes. 

Ms. Wang commands a particularly eclectic repertoire, ranging from Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt to such later masters as Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Medtner, Scriabin and modernists like the American George Perle. She has had unusually wide experience as a chamber music pianist, with a special interest in the chamber works of such French composers as Fauré, Ravel, Poulenc, Messiaen, and Dutilleux. Ms. Wang has been invited to perform at master classes given by many renowned piano teachers, including Byron Janis, Eugene Istomin, Ramzi Yassa, Yefim Bronfman, David Dubal, and Joseph Kalichstein.

An active recitalist, Ms. Wang has been heard in Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, California, Chicago and at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York. Xiayin Wang holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Professional Studies degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Her principal teachers have included Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and Nina Svetlanova.

Xiayin Wang is represented by Gurtman and Murtha

George Manahan, conductor and Music Director of the New York City Opera, is currently in his tenth season with the company. During his tenure, the New York City Opera has earned a reputation for maintaining the highest musical standards. Mr. Manahan is especially well known for his leadership of diverse productions such as La fanciulla del West (Puccini), Daphne (Strauss), Ermione (Rossini), Dialogues of the Carmelites (Poulenc), and also for three "Live from Lincoln Center" telecasts: La bohème, Lizzie Borden, and Tosca. The company recently toured Little Women (Adamo) to Japan.

He served as Music Director of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (Virginia) from 1987 to 1998. Under his leadership, the orchestra recorded the music of Ginastera and Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and was honored four times by the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) for their commitment to 20th century music.

Mr. Manahan served as acting Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1985 and has been a regular guest conductor ever since. He has made frequent appearances with the Manhattan School of Music, the Juilliard Orchestra, as well as the Aspen Music Festival. Other appearances include the Atlanta Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, and the National Symphony.

He received his formal musical training at the Manhattan School of Music, studying conducting with Anton Coppola and George Schick and was appointed to the faculty of the school upon his graduation in 1976. After the Juilliard School awarded him a fellowship as Assistant Conductor with the American Opera Center, he began his professional activities as a pianist and coach at the Santa Fe Opera in 1978.