Asia Pacific Arts Management - Greatwall String Quartet

GREAT WALL STRING QUARTET

THE VISION
Four accomplished young artists in the world today, though coming from different education and culture backgrounds, living and working in different continents, they do share many similarities: they are Chinese; they are well established; they are tenured in world-class professional orchestras; they share the same passion of performing chamber music and they share the vision to better chamber music education in Asia. They have collaborated in concerts and performances long before the establishment of the group, and they hope to unite their talent and passion, share their knowledge in arts, and use music as the universal language to let their intimate and heartfelt interpretations be the bridges to connect each other and the audience.

THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Established in the summer of 2009, the Great Wall String Quartet has successfully concluded their 2009 debut season with performances at the Beijing Concert Hall, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Macau Culture Centre.   They have also been named the Honorary Advisors of the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra; earned the residency at the Great Wall International Academy in Beijing, and proudly represented Great Wall of China in a documentary film as one of the six historical sites in Beijing for the United Nations.

THE MEMBERS
Wei LU, the concertmaster of the Deutsches Symphony-Orchester Berlin, he is also the first Chinese guest concertmaster of Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal and Bayerische Staatsoper Munich. His concertmaster position, which was filled after 17 auditions, makes him one of the youngest concertmasters among the world’s leading major orchestras.

Qi ZHOU was invited by Maestro Justus Frantz to join the Philharmonie der Nationen as their second violin principal prior to his appointment as a violinist of the Munich Philharmonic in 2001. He was later chosen by the Munich Philharmonic to join its prestigious chamber orchestra, Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Muenchen.

Before joining the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Taiwanese violist Chi-Yuan CHEN was a winner of the 2004 International Paris Viola Competition, Ville d’Avary, the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and the recipient of Henri Kohn Award at the Tanglewood Music Festival for his contribution to chamber music.

Described by the New York Concert Review as “a superb cellist with intense and sensuous sound,” and by the Los Angeles Times as “being able to handle the most intricate musical works with unblinking ease and expressive zeal,” cellist Yao ZHAO is the principal cellist of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, he is also a faculty member of the Idyllwild Arts Academy and the San Diego State University.

THE INSTRUMENTS
The four artists perform on a group of outstanding instruments. Wei LU’s violin is a 1668 Nicolò Amati, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Kim-Min RIN of Singapore. Qi ZHOU plays on a Nicolaus Gagliano, 1738 which belongs to the Munich Philharmonic. The oldest instrument in the quartet, Chi-Yuan CHEN’s viola, is made by Christophrus Klingler, circa. 1650. Yao ZHAO owns a cut down cello believed to be made by the Roman maker David Techler in the early 1700s.

The Great Wall String Quartet is represented by Asia Pacific Arts Management Ltd.


	GREAT WALL STRING QUARTET THE VISION Four accomplished young artists in the world today, though coming from different education and culture backgrounds, living and working in different continents, they do share many similarities: they are Chinese; they are well established; they are tenured in world-class professional orchestras; they share the same passion of performing chamber music and they share the vision to better chamber music education in Asia. They have collaborated in concerts and performances long before the establishment of the group, and they hope to unite their talent and passion, share their knowledge in arts, and use music as the universal language to let their intimate and heartfelt interpretations be the bridges to connect each other and the audience. THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Established in the summer of 2009, the Great Wall String Quartet has successfully concluded their 2009 debut season with performances at the Beijing Concert Hall, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Macau Culture Centre. They have also been named the Honorary Advisors of the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra; earned the residency at the Great Wall International Academy in Beijing, and proudly represented Great Wall of China in a documentary film as one of the six historical sites in Beijing for the United Nations. THE MEMBERS Wei LU, the concertmaster of the Deutsches Symphony-Orchester Berlin, he is also the first Chinese guest concertmaster of Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal and Bayerische Staatsoper Munich. His concertmaster position, which was filled after 17 auditions, makes him one of the youngest concertmasters among the world’s leading major orchestras. Qi ZHOU was invited by Maestro Justus Frantz to join the Philharmonie der Nationen as their second violin principal prior to his appointment as a violinist of the Munich Philharmonic in 2001. He was later chosen by the Munich Philharmonic to join its prestigious chamber orchestra, Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Muenchen. Before joining the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Taiwanese violist Chi-Yuan CHEN was a winner of the 2004 International Paris Viola Competition, Ville d’Avary, the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and the recipient of Henri Kohn Award at the Tanglewood Music Festival for his contribution to chamber music. Described by the New York Concert Review as “a superb cellist with intense and sensuous sound,” and by the Los Angeles Times as “being able to handle the most intricate musical works with unblinking ease and expressive zeal,” cellist Yao ZHAO is the principal cellist of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, he is also a faculty member of the Idyllwild Arts Academy and the San Diego State University. THE INSTRUMENTS The four artists perform on a group of outstanding instruments. Wei LU’s violin is a 1668 Nicolò Amati, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Kim-Min RIN of Singapore. Qi ZHOU plays on a Nicolaus Gagliano, 1738 which belongs to the Munich Philharmonic. The oldest instrument in the quartet, Chi-Yuan CHEN’s viola, is made by Christophrus Klingler, circa. 1650. Yao ZHAO owns a cut down cello believed to be made by the Roman maker David Techler in the early 1700s. The Great Wall String Quartet is represented by Asia Pacific Arts Management Ltd.