Weicong Zhang, PIANO  |
| Works by Dinicu, Wagner, Wieniawski, Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Gluck and Vitali.
Weicong Zhang, PIANO An already accomplished virtuoso, Elizabeth Woo has risen from the level of young virtuoso to seasoned professional with remarkable speed. Her performance debut at Carnegie Hall as the youngest performer to play all of Paganini’s 24 Caprices for the Solo Violin is evidence alone of her ability, and her many performances around the world including Asia, Europe, and the U.S. is proof of her experience. While performing the Paganini caprices is her most prominent accomplishment in Ms. Woo’s career, by no means is it her only accomplishment. Her debut of the 24 caprices led to an invitation to perform for the United Nations’ UNICEF memorial celebration. In addition to her performance in the affluent Carnegie Hall, she has also performed in the Lincoln Center and Merkin Hall. With the acknowledgment of her ability by the classical world, Ms. Woo has been invited to perform in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Bulgaria and with music organizations of international recognition such as the Bulgaria Symphony Orchestra, the Romanian National Constanza Orchestra, the New Jersey Philharmonic, the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, the Pyongyang Symphony Orchestra of North Korea, as well as the Sung-Nam, KBS, Jeju, and Kangwon Province’s Philharmonic Orchestras of South Korea. Ms. Woo’s involvement in the classical music scene of South Korea has led to her national acclaim as the “Best Outstanding International Musician of the Year” in 2002 by the Arts Critic Association of Korea, as well as “Artist of the Year” in 2005 by the Kangwon Talent Support Foundation of Korea. Her musical talent has led to her position in her home province as a “Goodwill Ambassador of the Kangwon Province Youth Association”. Along with these awards, Ms. Woo was signed to two record labels: the EMI CLASSICS record label in Korea, which released her CD of romantic compositions, and the MOOK SOUND record label, which released the live recording of her performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Bulgaria Symphony Orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria at the age of 12. Along with her focus in the classical music field, Ms. Woo has had experience in other genres as well, such as her performances with the KBS Korean Traditional Orchestra where she has performed a fusion of Korean traditional music and classical music. The blending of traditional eastern and western music is an identifier for Ms. Woo both musically and culturally, having lived in both western and eastern societies. Born in Freiburg, Germany, Ms. Woo returned to Korea as an infant. At the age of 10, she moved to the US and enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of renowned violinist and composer, Albert Markov while balancing out her academic life in the US. By the time she graduated from both Brewster High School in New York and the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Woo had already developed a professional musical career as a young talent, and continued her career to the violinist she is today. Entering the professional music world at the age of 11, Ms. Woo’s career has blossomed from a young precocious talent into an accustomed, sophisticated musician that the musical world can enjoy. |