
Online Press Kit
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Montclair State University
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California Artists' Management
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Delos International
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Thomastik-Infeld Strings
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About the Quartet
Weigang Li, violin
Yi-Wen Jiang, violin
Honggang Li, viola
Nicholas Tzavaras, cello
“The whole performance was superb,” says The New York Times. Originally
formed in Shanghai 25 years ago, this versatile ensemble is known for their
passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovations. The
Shanghai Quartet's elegant style of melding the delicacy of Eastern music with
the emotional breadth of Western repertoire allows them to traverse the genres,
from traditional Chinese folk music to cutting edge contemporary classical works.
To celebrate their 25th anniversary (2008-09), the Quartet will premiere
commissions from the three continents that comprise their artistic and cultural
worlds: Chen Yi, Krzysztof Penderecki, and jazz pianist Dick Hyman.
The Quartet has performed on the world’s most prominent concert stages, and
regularly tours the great music centers of Europe, North and South America, and
Asia. Recent seasons have included tours of Japan, China, Australia, New
Zealand, and Europe. The Quartet has made regular appearances at Carnegie
Hall both in chamber performance and with orchestra, and in 2006 performed
the world premiere of a Concerto for Quartet and Orchestra by Takuma Itoh in
Carnegie’s Isaac Stern Auditorium.
The Quartet has a long history of championing new music and juxtaposing
Eastern and Western sounds. In addition to their 25th Anniversary Commissions,
the Quartet’s range of commissions and premieres includes Works by Lowell
Lieberman, Bright Sheng, and Zhou Long, among others.
The Quartet has built an extensive discography that now totals over 20
recordings, on multiple labels. Some of the most recent include Mendelssohn
Octet (Camerata), and Zhou Long’s “Poems for Tang” Quartet and Orchestra
(BIS). In 2003, the Quartet released its most popular disc to date: a 24-track
collection of Chinese folk songs, titled ChinaSong, featuring music arranged by
Yi-Wen Jiang that reflect on his childhood memories of the Chinese Cultural
Revolution. Their current projects include recording the complete Beethoven
string quartets (Camerata), beginning with the Opus 18 Quartets. The complete
cycle is scheduled for release over the next five years.
The Quartet has appeared in a diverse and interesting array of media projects.
They performed on the soundtrack recording (Bartok Quartet No. 4), as well as
making a cameo appearance on screen, for the Woody Allen film, “Melinda and
Melinda.” They have appeared on PBS’s Great Performances television series.
Other on-screen film accomplishments include an appearance by violinist
Weigang Li in the documentary “From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China,” and
cellist Nick Tzavaras’ family was the subject of the 1999 film “Music of the Heart,”
which starred Meryl Streep.
The Quartet has a distinguished teaching record. They serve as the Ensemble-in-
Residence at Montclair State University. They also serve as visiting professors at
the Shanghai Conservatory and the Central Conservatory in China.
The Shanghai Quartet proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld Strings.
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