Li Dan

WITH stunning swiftness, China’s classical musicians have found a home in Western concert halls, conservatories and opera houses, reversing a tradition of talent being born in the courts and churches of Europe. Following in the footstps of Lang Lang and Li Yundi, many young Chinese artists have studied music and become famous abroad.

The Shenzhen Concert Hall has arranged for five solo concerts to be performed by this “pride of Chinese” group during its spring season.

Opening the series is a violin concert by Shanghai native Huang Mengla on the night of April 11.

Born in 1980, Huang began to study violin at 4. At 8, he was accepted by the primary school attached to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. A student of Yu Lina, Huang first attracted attention when he won major prizes in several international competitions between 2000 and 2002. The most frequently mentioned is the Gold Medal and Award for Best Interpretation of Paganini’s Caprices, which he won at the 2002 Paganini International Violin Competition.

As a concert soloist he has collaborated with the Danish National, NHK, and many other symphony orchestras as well as a number of conductors including Henrik Schaefer and Neeme Jarvi. Acclaimed for his interpretation of the most difficult scores, Huang has a fantastically smooth bow arm, and his tone is rich and lyrical.

A May 30 concert by 17-year-old Zhang Haochen will appeal to piano fans. A pupil of Dan Zhaoyi like Li Yundi, Zhang began to play the piano at 3. At 11, he learned to play 12 demanding etudes by Frederick Chopin in 16 days. In 2002, he became the youngest winner of the first prize for piano at the 4th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Xiamen. He was also winner of the gold prize and three special prizes at the Asian International Chopin Competition in Japan. He now studies at the Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman, Lang Lang’s teacher and former president of the institute.

Violinist Chen Xi, 23, will give a solo concert June 7, bringing Chinese songs and classical Western music to fans. The youngest winner of the silver prize at the International Tchaikovsky Violin Competition, Chen is no stranger to the local stage.

Less familiar to the local audience is Yang Xuefei, a rare female guitarist who is well known internationally. She will stage a solo concert May 10.

A Beijing native, she began to play the guitar at 7 and later graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music. In 2000, she went to England to study under Michael Lewin, John Mills and Timothy Walker at the Royal Academy of Music. As a soloist she has performed with many orchestras including the China Broadcasting Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. John Williams gave his own Smallman guitar to her after listening to her play. Her unique performance will surely mesmerize the audience.

On May 23, tenor Wei Song with the Shanghai Opera House will give a solo concert. Having studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and furthered his learning in France, Wei is acclaimed for his Caruso-style passionate singing. John Dolman with the Cosmopolitan Opera House once praised him as one of the best tenors today.