Bion Tsang, cello, Anton Nel, piano
Saturday, April 9, 2005
2:00PM (I) & 8:00PM (II)
Jordan Hall
To purchase your ticket online, please click here
Tickets:
Online order:
$28, General admission open seating
Senior discount $3 off
Student special $10
Student rush tickets at door $12 (start selling at 12:30 pm for the 2 pm concert, and 6:30
pm for the 8 pm concert)
One ticket for both concerts
Children under 6 are not admitted
________________________________________
Mail Order
Mail this form with a stamped, self-addressed envelope with money order/check payable to:
Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts
3 Partridge Lane, Lincoln, MA 01773
Tel: 781-259-8195, Fax: 781-259-9147
Email: Foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net
Website: www.ChinesePerformingArts.net
________________________________________
Ticket prices: $28
Senior discount $3 off
Student special $10
Student rush tickets at door $12 (start selling at 12:30 pm for the 2 pm concert, and 6:30
pm for the 8 pm concert)
One ticket for both concerts
Children under 6 are not admitted
Group Discount: 10% off for minimum 20 tickets
No. of Tickets _____ @ $ 28 = $ _________
No. of Tickets _____ @ $ 25 = $ _________
No. of Tickets _____ @ $ 10 = $ _________
Group Discount (20+,10% off) $ -- _______
Ticket sales cover only a fraction of expenses; please consider making a generous
tax-deductible contribution.
Donor $50+ $ ____________
Sponsor $100+ $ ____________
Patron $500+ $ ____________
Any amount $ ____________
Total amount of this order = $ _________
Tickets can be ordered online at:
www.ChinesePerformingArts.net
Program (subject to change):
-----------------------------------
Cellist: Bion Tsang
The young American cellist Bion Tsang has captured the attention of critics and the
public alike with his ebullient charisma, unassuming virtuosity, and ability to
communicate. As recipient of a 1992 Avery Fisher Grant, a 1990 MEF Career Grant, and the
Bronze Medal in the IX International Tchaikovsky Competition, Mr. Tsang has been
internationally recognized as one of the outstanding instrumentalists of his generation.
He has appeared with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow
Philharmonic, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Taiwan National Orchestra.
Mr. Tsang's career as a chamber musician has been equally distinguished, marked by
numerous collaborations with violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Pamela Frank, frequent
appearances as guest artist of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and performances at
festivals such as Marlboro Music, the Portland and Seattle Chamber Music Festivals, Bravo!
Colorado, and the Laurel Festival of the Arts, where he serves as Artistic Director.
Highlights of Mr. Tsang's recent seasons include his solo debuts with the American
Symphony Orchestra at the Bard Festival, NY and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra at the
Orange County Performing Arts Center, CA; his recital debuts at the Usdan Center for the
Performing Arts, NY and the Irvine Barclay Theatre, CA; and several North American tours
with the Boston Chamber Music Society. Mr. Tsang also returned to Taiwan to perform the
Brahms Double Concerto with the Taiwan National Orchestra in two concerts for the
President of Taiwan.
Mr. Tsang made his professional debut at age eleven in two concerts with Zubin Mehta and
the New York Philharmonic. That same year he returned to perform two more concerts with
Maestro Mehta and the Philharmonic. One of these performances was broadcast worldwide on
the CBS "Festival of Lively Arts" television series. Following this, the young
cellist distinguished his career with numerous awards. While still in his teens, he became
the youngest cellist ever to receive a Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Prize and the youngest
recipient ever of an Artists International Award. He was also chosen as a Finalist of the
NFAA's Arts Recognition and Talent Search and subsequently as a Presidential Scholar in
the Arts. At age nineteen, Tsang became the youngest cellist to win a prize in the VIII
International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Born in Michigan of Chinese parents, Bion Tsang began piano studies at age six and cello
at age seven. The following year, he entered the Juilliard School to study cello with
Ardyth Alton. His other cello teachers have included: Luis Garcia-Renart, Aldo Parisot,
William Pleeth, Channing Robbins, and Leonard Rose. Tsang received his Bachelor of Arts
degree from Harvard University and his Master of Musical Arts degree from Yale University,
where he is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate.
Bion performs on a Giovanni Bianchi cello made in Florence, Italy in 1746 that is
affectionately named "Screechy." He enjoys playing golf, surfing the net and
following the ups and downs of the Miami Dolphins.
Pianist: AntonNel 
Anton Nel, winner of the first prize in the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition
enjoys a remarkable and multifaceted career that has taken him throughout North and South
America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. Recent highlights in the US include performances
with the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Symphonies of San Francisco, Boston, and Detroit. He
has an active repertoire of more than 100 works for piano and orchestra, including the
newly discovered Third Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn of which he gave the North American
premiere in November of 1997. His coast-to-coast recital appearances have included
numerous performances on the Great Performers at Lincoln Center series in New York, the
Library of Congress in Washington, DC, as well as the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. A
favorite at summer festivals he has performed with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia
Festival, at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, as well as at the Aspen and Blossom
Music Festivals (where he is on the artist-faculties), among many others. Over the years
he has regularly collaborated with some of the world's foremost artists including members
of the Juilliard and Cleveland Quartets, and cellist Zara Nelsova. With acclaimed
violinist Sarah Chang he recently completed a highly successful tour of Japan as well as
appearing at a special benefit concert for Live Music Now in London, hosted by HRH the
Prince of Wales. In addition to concerts throughout North America and his sixteenth tour
of South Africa (where he will perform the Beethoven Concerto cycle in Cape Town), he will
be making return visits to Japan and France as well as undertake his debut tour of Korea
during the 2002-3 season. Stephen Paulus has recently completed a new Piano Concerto for
Mr. Nel, and the world premiere took place in New York in March, 2003. He has three solo
CDs (including a recital disc for EMI) as well as several chamber music recordings to his
credit.
Following an auspicious debut at the age of twelve with Beethoven’s C Major Concerto
after only two years of study, the Johannesburg native captured first prizes in all the
major South African competitions while still in his teens, toured his native country
extensively and became a well-known radio and television personality. A student of Adolph
Hallis, he made his European debut in France in 1982, and in the same year graduated with
highest distinction from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He came to
the Unites States in 1983 attending the University of Cincinnati, where he pursued his
Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees under Bela Siki and Frank Weinstock. In
addition to garnering many awards from his alma mater during this three-year period he was
also a top prizewinner at the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition in England and
won several first prizes at the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition in Palm
Desert in 1986. Eager to pursue dual careers in teaching and performing he was appointed
to the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin at the age of 23, followed by
professorships at the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Michigan, where he
was chairman of the piano department. In September 2000, Anton Nel was appointed as the
Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Distinguished Professor of Piano and Chamber music at the
University of Texas at Austin. Since his return he has been the recipient of both the
Austin-American Statesman’s Critics Circle Award for his performance of the
Rachmaninov Second Concerto, as well as the University Cooperative Society/College of Fine
Arts award for extra-curricular achievement. He was also recently appointed Visiting
"Extraordinary" Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, and continues to
teach master classes worldwide.
"An uncommonly elegant pianist" -- New York Times
"A pianist of exceptional sensitivity and stylistic discrimination" -- L.A.
Times
" A beautifully weighted tone and a nearly flawless legato" -- Chicago Tribune
