Yang AND Olivia
The 5,000 Mile Journey
Sunday, September 11th @ 7:30 PM
Throughout history, people have traveled thousands of miles to trade between the west and the east: produce, spices, gold, leather… etc. Music traveled along with them.
In this program, you will hear works by a Taiwanese female composer who incorporates ethnic children’s folk songs in her music, an American composer who incorporates Cuban dance music, and ancient Chinese folk tunes arranged for western instruments during a dark time in China when anything western was banned. You will even hear the story of how Mozart traveled hundreds of miles to advance his career and how that effort came to a disappointing end. We are fortunate to live in an era where the music of all the cultures of the world is easily accessible and musicians are able to draw upon this diversity of cultures. This program showcases the richness of different music styles and the stories behind them.
Husband and wife duo Yang and Olivia are virtuosic talents who create an unforgettable storytelling event on violin and piano. Their programs feature combinations of Chinese music and Western classical. In recent years, not only have they traveled to more than 30 cities in the United States, but they have also been performing and teaching in China, Portugal, Brazil, and Taiwan. Through music, this dynamic duo shares their messages of joy, love, and faith.
Read more at yangandolivia.com.
KCH’s Classical Salon presentations are generously supported in part by Genre Underwriters, Maurice & Linda Binkow.
Yang and Olivia appear through the courtesy of Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates.
COVID-19 Policy for Indoor Concerts at Kerrytown Concert House
- Masks are strongly encouraged and available as needed.
- Please do not attend a performance if you are feeling ill or have any symptoms of COVID-19.
Yang Liu is a prize winner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and a first prize winner of China’s National Violin Competition. The New York Times described his playing as “a scorching performance”. His repertoire ranges from baroque to the most contemporary of works, and from western classical to eastern traditional. He has performed as a soloist with many leading orchestras including Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra to name a few. His award-winning album “Song of Nostalgia” showcases his virtuosity and musicality. An avid advocate of cultural exchange via classical music, he is a founder of Yang and Olivia Foundation, and Momento Virtuosi, an ensemble of diverse ethnicity and instrumentations.
Olivia Tsai In addition to touring as part of Yang and Olivia duo, Olivia (a.k.a. Dr. I-Hsuan Tsai) has appeared as soloist with QingDao Concert Hall Orchestra, Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and Highland Park Strings. She was the staff pianist of world renowned Aspen Music Festival and Musicorda Music Festival in US, as well as artist faculty/performer of Oficina Music Festival, Curitiba Music Festival in Brazil and Algarve Music Festival in Portugal. In addition to performances, She currently serves as chair of Theory and Piano and associate professor at VanderCook College of Music. Her book “Schubert’s Piano Trios” was invited to publish by Scholar’s Press in Germany, and was published in 2014. She co-founded Yang and Olivia Foundation to promote cultural exchange via classical music between China and the US.
