FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Snyder
ssnyder3@umd.edu
(301) 405-8151
October 8, 2012 – College Park, MD – On Sunday, November 4 at 3 p.m., Mayron Tsong performs Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 with the UMD Symphony Orchestra. The program also includes Debussy’s imaginative Nocturnes and Shostakovich’s bold Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10.
Creative and destructive energy
Dr. Tsong, a Steinway Artist and University of Maryland School of Music piano faculty member, learned the first movement of the piece at age twenty, but never completed the entire work. She comments, “Brahms had many issues with the piece, actually. He kept revising and revising, occasionally at Clara Schumann’s urging. I’m not sure if he would call it a masterpiece if he was alive, but perhaps this is part of what makes the piece so captivating. One can sense his struggle with many layers of creative and destructive energy and it’s fascinating — it compels an artist to keep probing.”
A natural collaboration
James Ross, who is a distinguished horn player in addition to conductor, performed Brahms’ Horn Trio with Tsong at the Clarice Smith Center last year. When the opportunity for another collaboration arose, it seemed natural for Ross and Tsong to play Brahms again. Tsong says, “We had our first sing-through over breakfast at his house, which was such a natural and wonderfully nurturing environment! That’s what I love about Jim; he can access his creativity at any moment.”
About Mayron Tsong
Mayron Tsong has performed around the globe, including Carnegie Hall, with reviews declaring her "a genius, pure and simple... perhaps, a wizard." She has collaborated with Jeffrey Zeigler of the Kronos Quartet, the Brentano String Quartet, the Philharmonic Quintet of New York, the Miró String Quartet and Antonio Lysy.
A native of Canada, Dr. Tsong was one of the youngest musicians to complete a Performer’s Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto at age 16. She also holds graduate degrees in both Piano Performance and Music Theory from Rice University and has studied with John Perry, György Sebök, Robert Levin, Anton Kuerti and Marilyn Engle.
Tickets
More information can be found on our web site. Tickets for this performance are $25/$10 (Regular/Students) and can be purchased online or by calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).
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The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more about the Clarice Smith Center's donor support.