Johan Halverson: Passacaglia (Duo for Violin and Cello, after Handel)
Antonin Dvorák: Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 “Dumky”
Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8
Yuan-Qing Yu, violin
This concert for Violin, Cello and Piano will feature three exceptional, Chicago-based musicians, all of whom have performed previously on the Norton Building Series. We’re delighted to welcome them back again.
An international award-winning violinist, Yuan-Qing Yu leads an active life in music as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and advocate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in her capacity as Assistant Concertmaster.
A native of Shanghai, Yuan-Qing began playing the violin at age 6 and graduated with highest distinction from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. At age 17, she won the Chinese Nationwide Violin Competition. The following year, she captured second prize at the world-renowned Menuhin International Violin Competition in England. She was awarded the grand prize in the Holland Music Sessions World Concert Tour Competition two years later. Yuan-Qing also took the third grand prize in the Jacques Thibaud International Competition in Paris, and a special prize for her outstanding performance of the contemporary work written especially for the competition.
Besides playing solo, Yuan-Qing is an active chamber musician. She has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Menahem Pressler, Michael Tree, Gary Hoffman, and Yo-Yo Ma. Yuan-Qing is a founding member of the Sebastian Quartet. She also performs with a number of chamber groups including the Rembrandt Chamber Players, and the CSO Chamber Soloists.
Kenneth Olsen joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Cello in 2005. Mr. Olsen is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and a winner of the Institute’s prestigious Concerto Competition. Other awards received by Kenneth include first prize in the Nakamichi Cello Competition at the Aspen Music Festival and second prize at the 2002 Holland-America Music Society competition. Mr. Olsen’s teachers have included Richard Aaron, Cleveland Institute of Music; Joel Krosnick, Juilliard School of Music; and Luis Garcia Renart, Bard College. He has also been a participant at The Steans Institute for Young Artists, the Ravinia Festival’s professional studies program for young musicians, and Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute.
A native of New York, Mr. Olsen is a founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), a group of talented young musicians from orchestras and ensembles all over the country.
A native of New York, Mr. Olsen is a founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), a group of talented young musicians from orchestras and ensembles all over the country.
Amy Briggs has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. In 1993, she was selected by the United States Information Agency to tour Africa and South Asia as a United States Artistic Ambassador. Her highly acclaimed concerts combined traditional repertoire with contemporary American music. Today, her recital programs connect composers from all eras and nationalities. She has performed with the Callisto Ensemble, the Chicago Contemporary Players, Chicago Pro Musica, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Klang, and the Empyrean Ensemble, and as an extra keyboardist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and regular pianist in the C.S.O.’s MusicNow Series. She has also been a prizewinner in the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition and the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition.
Kenneth Olsen, cello
Amy Briggs, piano