Series Outstanding Performances from China's National Art Troupes

Chen Sa——Pianist

Described as "one of the brightest performers of her generation" by Clasical FM in London, Chen Sa has been delighting audiences in European countries, China, Japan and the United States. Her first major performance was in 1996, when at the age of 16, she was seen live on BBC Television, competing in the Final of the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition, with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony. The British public was captivated.

Chen Sa was born in Chongqing, China. She began her musical studies at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and then at the Shenzhen School of Arts with Prof. Dan Zhaoyi in both places. In 1994, Chinese President Jiang Zemin listened to her performance and interviewed her along with Prof. Dan. Following her success in Leeds in 1996, she was subsequently offered a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, where she has been studying with Prof. Joan Havill and obtained Master Degree in Performance. Since 2001, Chen Sa also studied with Prof. Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover.

Major awards and honors began in 1994 for Chen Sa, when she won first prize at the 1994 China International Piano Competition. Winning fourth prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition 1996 as the youngest contestant in the competition, marked the beginning of Chen Sa's international career. She was also awarded at the 14th International Chopin Piano Competition in October 2000, at which she claimed the Best Polonaise Performance Award as well as the Fourth Prize, overall. Her success in the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition made her the only pianist in the history to award in all the top three piano competitions.

Recently, Chen Sa performed with Los Angeles Philharmonic (Hollywood Bowl series), Bremen Philharmonic, Orchestre National du Capitole in Toulouse (Tugan Sokhiev), Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (Edo de Waart), Stockholm Royal Philharmonic (Edo de Waart), toured in China with Hong Kong Philharmonic, participated in the Piano Extravaganza as well as a solo recital in the China National Centre for Performing Arts. In 2009, she collaborated with Pittsburgh Symphony (Manfred Honeck), she has been invited back by Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. In 2010, she will perform with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony (Suntory Hall), and tour with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Vasily Petrenko) in Europe. She performed recital dedicated to Chopin's anniversary in Duszniki Chopin Festival in Poland. She will tour in America, Europe, Poland, Japan and China. One of the stops was Louvre Museum among many others.

Chen Sa was awarded Chopin Art Passport from Polish Government as a recognition for her achievement and devotion in Chopin's music during Chopin bicentennial in 2010. In the same year, she also awarded China's Classical Elite Award in both Shanghai and Beijing in the categories of "Top Ten Best Concerts of the Year" and "Best Recital Concert of the Year". Chen Sa is a Steinway Artist. As the only female artist, Chen Sa was named as one of top ten focused Chinese artists of 2009 by L'OFFICIEL magazine. She appeared in the Heart of Music and Encore, the film documentaries about the 2005 Cliburn Competition which was aired on PBS stations across the United States beginning October 2005. Gramophone magazine chose Chen Sa as its featured artist for the launch of its Chinese edition. Documentaries have been produced and telecast by RTHK and Phoenix TV and CCTV. Chen Sa's two latest albums with PentaTone label has been released worldwide.

Performer:The National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra

The National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1959 under the National Ballet of China, is the only professional ballet orchestra in China. Zhang Yi is the music director and chief conductor and Liu Ju is the resident conductor. Orchestra members are mainly graduated from renowned conservatories of music in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and other places at the average age of 35 years. They have been subject to rigorous professional training with excellent music quality. It is a national symphony orchestra with most vitality and development potential in the Chinese music industry.

Jean Perrison(from France), the internationally renowned conductor has visited the orchestra and offered guidance during his stay in China; the chief conductor of Peru's National Symphony Orchestra Ashley Lawrence, chief conductor of Royal Danish Ballet and American Peter Larsen and the American Music Education Delegation soloist(singer) held concert with the orchestra separately. In addition, well-known Chinese conductors like Li Guoquan, Bian Zushan, Hu Bingxu, Chen Zuohuang, Tan Lihua, Hu Yongyan, Li Xincao are extensively acclaimed by music community at home and abroad for their ballet and symphonic music concerts.

In recent years, the orchestra is regularly invited to audio and video recording by Central station, China Central Television, China's record companies, publishers and film studios. In addition to tour performance across China including Hong Kong and Macao, it also went overseas to spread Chinese culture. It is popular at home and abroad. The orchestra has performed not only Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Raise the Red Lantern, Pirates, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Leiquan, Ji Purcell, and other fine ballet repertoire, but also has classical and romantic tracks authored by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Sibelius and other artists as well as numerous works created by Chinese and foreign contemporary composers. The orchestra also recorded a number of high-quality records.

Program

Piano Concerto No. 3                                                                            Bartok

      Piano: Chen Sa

                                                         ——Intermission——

Pictures at an Exhibition                                                                  Mussorgsky