UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite," as well as music by John Adams and Frédéric Chopin, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Featured performers include graduate student pianist Soyoung Jung, a 2015 Philharmonic Concerto Competition winner. The Philharmonic Orchestra is directed by guest conductor Teresa Cheung, assisted by Benjamin Firer.
Tickets are general admission $12/students $4. Buy tickets in advance for School of Music concerts in Eisenhower Auditorium and save 40 percent. There is no limit on the number. Purchases made the day of the concert are not eligible. Tickets are available at any Arts Ticket Center location, by phone at 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX, or online at Penn State Arts Ticket Center.
This concert is available via livestream video at the Penn State School of Music website.
Program
The Chairman Dances (from "Nixon in China") ♦ John Adams
Allegro Maestoso (from Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11) ♦ Frédéric Chopin (Soyoung Jung, piano)Firebird Suite (1919 version) ♦ Igor Stravinsky
The compositions by John Adams and Igor Stravinsky on this program are performed in conjunction with the 2015-16 School of Music theme "Music & Dance: Exploring Connections Between Two Art Forms," a yearlong series of performances, classes and presentations that focus on the unique relationship between music and human movement.
Jung is an active soloist and chamber musician performing primarily around North America and South Korea. She was awarded an honorable mention at the Marian Garcia International Piano Competition in 2015. Some of her other prizes include first prizes at the Yale National Music Competition and Keimyung University Piano Department Alumni Competition, as well as second and third prizes from several national competitions in Korea.
Jung received her master’s degree in piano performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with renowned pianist Brian Ganz. She completed her undergraduate studies at Keimyung University in Daegu, Korea. She is currently a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant at Penn State. She studies with Penn State faculty member José Ramón Méndez.
The 2015-16 season marks Cheung’s eighth season as the music director and conductor of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, as well as the resident conductor for the American Symphony Orchestra in New York City. Since 2004, she has been the assistant conductor for the Bard Music Festival and SummerScape, serving as rehearsal conductor for their opera and concert productions. Some of the most outstanding examples of her work include the highly acclaimed U.S. premiere of Franz Schreker’s "Der ferne Klang" in 2010, the first U.S. fully-staged production of Robert Schumann’s "Genoveva" in 2006, and the 2004 production of Mark Blitzstein’s "Regina." Cheung was appointed orchestra conductor at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 2012.
Cheung began her career as resident conductor for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, where she was also conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Evansville Philharmonic Chorus. Amongst her many initiatives, she led the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra on its first international concert tour to Japan in 2002. A native of Hong Kong, Cheung earned her master’s degree in conducting from the Eastman School of Music. She is a recipient of the JoAnn Falletta Conducting Award for the most promising female conductors.
Cheung is a strong advocate of music education for all ages. Her passion for community outreach is evident with her lectures, collaborative projects, and creative concert programming. Since the beginning of her tenure with the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, Cheung has created numerous programs that engaged area children and high school musicians and choristers.