“She generates electricity from the podium in two directions: into the orchestra and into the audience.” … The Oregonian

 

Maestra Hsu began her tenure as the Orchestra Director at the National Taiwan Normal University in the fall of 2003. Since the summers of 2000, Ms. Hsu serves as a guest faculty member at The Conductor’s Institute at Bard College in New York.

            Maestra Hsu studied at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford in CT for her Artist Diploma in Conducting and Master of Music in Double bass. As well as attended several prestigious conducting programs, the Conductors Institute in South Carolina, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and the Pierre Monteux Domaine School for Advanced Conductors in Maine. Her main conducting teachers include the late Maestro Charles Bruck, Maestro Murry Sidlin and Maestro Harold Farberman.

Maestra Hsu has previously served as the Music Director and Conductor of the Springfield Symphony in Missouri (1995-2003), Artistic Director of The Women’s Philharmonic in San Francisco (1997-2001) and as Music Director and Conductor of the Oregon Mozart Players in Eugene, Oregon (1991-1997) after completing a three-year tenure as Affiliate Artist/NEA Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Symphony (1991-1994).

In September 2001, “Avon Women in Concert” presented Maestra Hsu on tour in Brazil with The Women’s Philharmonic performing an all bossa nova program featuring the works of the Brazilian poet, Vinícius de Moraes. In spring of 2000, producer Debbie Allen included Maestra Hsu with The Women’s Philharmonic in a series entitled “Cool Women,” which was broadcast on US cable television through the 2000-2001 season. Maestra Hsu and The Women’s Philharmonic recorded a CD together featuring the symphonic music of African American composer Florence Price, released on the Koch International Classics label in spring of 2001.

Guest appearances have taken Maestra Hsu all over the US as well as Russia, Asia, South America and Australia. In a performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, she captivated students in an interactive Youth Education Series. Maestra Hsu has also collaborated with various Symphony Orchestras in Taiwan. Other guest appearances have included several performances for youth with the Saint Louis Symphony, a summer concert with the Minnesota Orchestra and two appearances with the San Francisco Symphony. In addition, with the Interlochen Music Festival, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, the Symphonies of: Southwest Florida, Kalamazoo, Detroit, Eugene, Elgin, Mobile, Harrisburg, Wheeling, West Shore, Lubbock, Wichita, Green Bay, Stockton and Oregon, three appearances with the Hartford Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival; the Missouri and Reno Chamber Orchestras, and a two-week residency in Irkutsk, Russia.

During 2003 season, Maestra Hsu collaborated with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. The fall of 2004 marked Maestra Hsu’s debut with the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan as well as the Sung Nam and Prime Philharmonic Orchestras in Seoul, Korea. Maestra Hsu returned to guest conduct the NTSO in spring 2005 and returned to guest conduct the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Symphony Orchestra in November 2005. Maestra Hsu has guest conducted and led the Taiwan Wind Ensemble and Tao Yuan Symphonic Band, both esteemed professional symphonic bands in Taiwan, with diverse and interactive programs.

Maestra Hsu led the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra (NTNUSO) for the University’s 60th Anniversary Celebration, on a weeklong, three-city, Australian cultural exchange tour in May 2006. With the NTNUSO and the Festival Chorus, they embarked a California tour titled “Formosa Dreaming” in September 2007. In September 2013 she led the NTNUSO and female choir for a Japan tour in Concert at the Beethoven Hall, Musashino Academia Musicae. 

Maestra Hsu was invited to guest conduct the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra in 2007 and returned again in August 2009. She returned to the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra in 2007, as well as guest conducting the China National Symphony Orchestra in the opening concert to the “2008 Beijing International Congress on Women in Music” at the new China National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Presented by the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) and the China Conservatory of Music (CCM), Congress held in April 2008. In March 2009, she appeared with the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra in Iowa on their Masterworks Series. In September 2009, Maestra Hsu returned to lead the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Missouri for their 75th anniversary season gala opening concert. In October 2010, Maestra Hsu guest conducted the Lamont Symphony Orchestra in Denver with an US premier of two pieces by Taiwanese composer Hsu Tsang-Houei’s Deux Mouvements pour orchestre a cordes, Op. 26 and Nu-guan-zi after The Poetic-tune of Wei Zhuang, Op. 14. In December 2011, Maestra Hsu was an exchange faculty member at the NTNU newly established sister school UC Irvine, where she led the orchestra in a concert at the Samueli Theatre, Orange County Performing Arts Center, in Costa Mesa, California. In January 2012 Maestra Hsu held a residency at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, culminating to a concert at the CCM Corbett Auditorium on Jan. 27th, with the innovative work by the award-winning composer John Corigliano, the Pied Piper Fantasy. In July 2012, Maestra Hsu returns to Brazil guest conducting the Barra Mansa Symphony Orchestra. In the Fall of 2013, Maestra Hsu joined the OSBM again in the Classical Brazil’s project, “Brazil Classical 2013 season Orchestral Tour Brazil and Simone Leitao”, featuring pianist Simone Leitao. A documentary was made with the filmmaker Katia Lund and broadcast in spring of 2014 for this project. In March 2014, Maestra Hsu was invited to guest conduct the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra in Manila; in February Maestra Hsu was invited to guest conduct The 192th Regular Concert of Seoul Philharmonic, in Seoul, Korea. In July 2015, Maestra Hsu will return to join Barra Mansa Symphony Orchestra in a celebration concert for their 10th anniversary season.

Maestra Hsu has served on the faculty for the American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Workshops, National Youth Orchestra Festival 2000, the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute 2002 and 2004, the 2007 All State Orchestra in New Mexico and the 2009 All State Orchestra in Colorado. She has been a Music Review Panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and Meet The Composers in New York City.  And has served as an Evaluation Committee member at the CKS Center in Taipei and various music panels. In April 2015, Maestra Hsu was invited to serve on the 2015 Singapore Youth Festival as an adjudicator.

Corby WELCH     Tenor

Corby Welch was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he studied at the University of Minnesota with Lawrence Weller and completed his studies with Rudolf Piernay in Germany at the Hochschule für Musik Mannheim.

First appearances as Pedrillo and Brighella followed at Staatsoper Hamburg, in Essen, Teatro Nacional de S?o Carlos in Lisbon, in Modena and Ferarra, as Orfeo in "L′Anima del Filosof" at the Schwetzingen Festival, Aix en Provence Festival, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Rheingau Musik Festival, Nemorino at the Ludwigsburg Festival, Lucarnio in "Ariodante" in The Hague and Amsterdam and Telemaco at the Schwetzingen Festival.

Concert and opera engagements made him collaborate with conductors such as Kent Nagano, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Semyon Bychkov, Marek Janowski, Eije Oue, Michael Schoenwandt, John Mauceri, Zoltán Peskó, Helmuth Rilling, Thomas Hengelbrock, Frieder Bernius, Alessandro De Marchi, Daniel Reuss, Christoph Spering and orchestras and ensembles such as Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Hannover Radio Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Berlin Radio Orchestra (RSB), Danish National Radio Copenhagen, Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome, International Bach Academy, RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Kammerchor Stuttgart.

Specialties of his vast concert repertoire include the works of Beethoven as well as the Passions by J.S. Bach, the H?ndel Oratories as well as contemporary composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Sofia Gubaidulina and Wolfgang Rhim. His concerts brought him to France, Italy, Europ?isches Musikfest in Stuttgart and the Oregon Bach Festival.

He sang “Elijah” in Bremen, “Paulus” in Milan, the “St. Johns Passion” with the Bach-Choir Gütersloh, the “St. Matthews’ Passion” with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s “Lied von der Erde” in Siegen, Don José in Solingen and 9° Beethoven in Innsbruck. Furthermore he appeared in a world premiere with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart.

Recent contracts until 2015 included Belmonte in Essen, Erik, Guido Bardi in "Florentinische Trag?die“, Ottavio, Peter Grimes, Siegmund, Lohengrin and Kaiser in “Frau ohne Schatten” in Düsseldorf, Siegmund in Weimar, Loge with Ingo Metzmacher in Geneva, Lohengrin in Magdeburg, Erik in Riga and Liège, Pylades in "Iphigenie en Taurdide" in Hong Kong, "Turn of the screw" in Taiwan and Britten’s "War Requiem" in Aachen and Kassel.

2015 he sang Bacchus and Matteo in Düsseldorf, concerts in Tokyo, Liverpool Oratorio in Bochum, Lohengrin in Riga and in Neuschwanstein with Bamberger Symphony and "Lied von der Erde" in Basel. 2015/16 he will be heard in Düsseldorf as Matteo, Erik, Bacchus, Florestan and Gvidon in "Coq d'Or".

Corby WELCH     Tenor

Corby Welch was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he studied at the University of Minnesota with Lawrence Weller and completed his studies with Rudolf Piernay in Germany at the Hochschule für Musik Mannheim.

First appearances as Pedrillo and Brighella followed at Staatsoper Hamburg, in Essen, Teatro Nacional de S?o Carlos in Lisbon, in Modena and Ferarra, as Orfeo in "L′Anima del Filosof" at the Schwetzingen Festival, Aix en Provence Festival, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Rheingau Musik Festival, Nemorino at the Ludwigsburg Festival, Lucarnio in "Ariodante" in The Hague and Amsterdam and Telemaco at the Schwetzingen Festival.

Concert and opera engagements made him collaborate with conductors such as Kent Nagano, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Semyon Bychkov, Marek Janowski, Eije Oue, Michael Schoenwandt, John Mauceri, Zoltán Peskó, Helmuth Rilling, Thomas Hengelbrock, Frieder Bernius, Alessandro De Marchi, Daniel Reuss, Christoph Spering and orchestras and ensembles such as Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Hannover Radio Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Berlin Radio Orchestra (RSB), Danish National Radio Copenhagen, Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome, International Bach Academy, RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Kammerchor Stuttgart.

Specialties of his vast concert repertoire include the works of Beethoven as well as the Passions by J.S. Bach, the H?ndel Oratories as well as contemporary composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Sofia Gubaidulina and Wolfgang Rhim. His concerts brought him to France, Italy, Europ?isches Musikfest in Stuttgart and the Oregon Bach Festival.

He sang “Elijah” in Bremen, “Paulus” in Milan, the “St. Johns Passion” with the Bach-Choir Gütersloh, the “St. Matthews’ Passion” with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s “Lied von der Erde” in Siegen, Don José in Solingen and 9° Beethoven in Innsbruck. Furthermore he appeared in a world premiere with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart.

Recent contracts until 2015 included Belmonte in Essen, Erik, Guido Bardi in "Florentinische Trag?die“, Ottavio, Peter Grimes, Siegmund, Lohengrin and Kaiser in “Frau ohne Schatten” in Düsseldorf, Siegmund in Weimar, Loge with Ingo Metzmacher in Geneva, Lohengrin in Magdeburg, Erik in Riga and Liège, Pylades in "Iphigenie en Taurdide" in Hong Kong, "Turn of the screw" in Taiwan and Britten’s "War Requiem" in Aachen and Kassel.

2015 he sang Bacchus and Matteo in Düsseldorf, concerts in Tokyo, Liverpool Oratorio in Bochum, Lohengrin in Riga and in Neuschwanstein with Bamberger Symphony and "Lied von der Erde" in Basel. 2015/16 he will be heard in Düsseldorf as Matteo, Erik, Bacchus, Florestan and Gvidon in "Coq d'Or".

Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio, the gold medalist of the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, is widely praised for her luxurious silken tone, long expressive phrasing and virtuoso techniques. The New York Times has called Kamio "a radiant talent." Kamio made her concerto debut in Tokyo at the age of ten under the baton of Charles Dutoit. Since then, she has appeared as a soloist with the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich with Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta.

She has toured with the National Philharmonic of Russia conducted by Vladimir Spivakov, the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, the Munich Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the German SWR Symphony Orchestra under Fran?ois-Xavier Roth, the Prague Philharmonic, the BBC Philharmonic and more. As a recitalist, she has performed in such major cities as New York, Washington DC, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Tokyo.

Kamio has released five recordings on the RCA RED SEAL labels, a recording of encore pieces, a sonata recording of Franck, Brahms and Strauss, a concerto recording of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, a collection of violin solo works with piano of Chausson, Stravinsky, Szymanowski, Waxman and Paganini's 24 Caprices for solo violin.

Kamio was born in Osaka and began to play the violin at the age of four. Her early teachers were Chikako Satoya, Machie Oguri and Chihiro Kudo, and then she studied with Koichiro Harada, Dorothy DeLay, Masao Kawasaki and Zakhar Bron. 

Miyazawa Artist, Swiss-Canadian flautist Michel Bellavance has performed concertos among others, by Nielsen, Ibert, Reinecke, Bernstein, Kabalevski, Liebermann, Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi with orchestras both in Europe and Latin America, including the Lisbon Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Mendoza, the State Symphony Orchestra of Bahia and the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra.

He has appeared at festivals in Switzerland, the United States, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador, on radio broadcasts for the CBC, the Radio Suisse Romande and National Public Radio (USA), and has given recitals in cities such as Prague, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Basel, London, Zürich, Paris, Montréal, Ottawa, Washington DC, New York (Carnegie Hall), Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Lima, S?o Paulo, Brasilia, Buenos Aires and Bogotá.

His discs for Meridian Records, Atma Classique, Brioso Recordings and SNE have received international critical praise and attest to his keen interest for both new and less familiar repertoire.

In addition to his activities as a performer, Michel Bellavance is Professor of flute at the (HEM) of the Geneva Conservatory, and regularly gives masterclasses in Europe, the Far East and Latin America, including the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Beijing and Shanghai Conservatories, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the San Jose and Lima International Flute Festivals. 

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conductor in Residence.

As a Chinese female conductor she made frequent appearance throughout the world. 

Zhang Jiemin began to study piano and percussion at the age of 7. She graduated in orchestral conducting and composition at Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1995 studied with Zhang Mei、Zhang Guoyong. After her graduation, she regularly conducted Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic, Shanghai and National Opera House, China Philharmonic, the Beijing Film Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Jiemin has abundant experience in opera conducting in Europe, especially in “The hometown of opera”—Italy. These experiences lay the foundation of her outstanding achievements in conducting opera and symphony.

Since 2016, Lin Daye has become music director of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and is one of the faculties of Conducting Division of Shanghai Conservatory. He won the First Prize at the 6th Sir Georg Solti International Conductors Competition in Frankfurt in 2012.

He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO), effective September 2010, and toured with the GSO in Bangkok to present two successful concerts for the Thai Royal Family. In October 2009 and December 2010, the GSO toured Europe, with memorable concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Teatro Verdi in Florence under the baton of Mr. Lin Daye. In January 2015, he conducted the GSO on its third Europe tour in Zurich, Geneva and Bern of Switzerland. In September 2014, he led the GSO in two concerts in Australia respectively in Sydney and Canberra. From 2012 to 2013, he conducted the orchestra on tours to Macau, Taiwan and Singapore for musical cultural exchange.

In 2010, he made his debuts with the China Philharmonic Orchestra at the Beijing Music Festival and with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and both orchestras issued immediate re-invitations. At the Shanghai “Music in the Summer Air” festival, in August 2010, he conducted London’s Royal Philharmonic. In October 2010 he conducted the Chinese premiere of Madame White Snake – the Pulitzer Prize-winning new opera co-commissioned from Zhou Long by Opera Boston and the Beijing Music Festival (BMF). 

Highlights of the 2012/13, with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra he conducted a program of contemporary music by leading Chinese composers, and with China Philharmonic Orchestra, a program featuring Franck Symphony in d minor, as well as making his very successful North American debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. 

Highlights of the 2013/14 season include the world premiere of a major new work named A Symphonic Epic “Nine Odes” by Zhou Long at the Beijing Music Festival, Mahler Symphony No.5 with Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, a Rachmaninoff program with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Chinese Premiere of Guo Wenjing’s Violin Concerto with the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana with Shanghai Opera House and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and Mahler Symphony No.1 to close the season of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra.

Recent highlights include the GSO 2014/15 Season Opening Concert, serving as the only conductor for the fourth time presenting the Guangzhou New Year’s Concert which inaugurated more than 20 years since 1993. In spring 2015 he conducted the St Petersburg Symphony at the Grand Hall of the Shostakovich St Petersburg Academic Philharmonia. In May 2015, he was invited to conduct the China Philharmonic Orchestra 15th Anniversary Concert in Beijing. In June 2015 he was chosen to replace Edo De Waart, and conducted the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in the new SSO Symphony Hall.

Mr. Lin has collaborated with many leading Chinese and international soloists, including Vadim Repin, Sarah Chang, Midori, Ryu Goto, Gary Graffman, Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Maxim Rysanov, Wang Jian and Shen Yang.

Lin Daye was born in Shandong Province, China in 1980. As a child he studied piano and at the age of 15 began to study conducting with Prof. Xu Xin at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.  In 1998, he was accepted into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to continue his conducting studies with Prof. Zhang Guoyong.  During this period Lin Daye was the guest conductor of the Shanghai Youth Symphony Orchestra and participated in a master-class of Maestro Seiji Ozawa, who praised him highly.

In 2005, he obtained a scholarship from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and began to study at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin under the guidance of Prof. Christian Ehwald. Retaining strong links with the musical scene in China during his study, Lin Daye developed a relationship with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra; in 2007 becoming assistant conductor and in 2008, their resident conductor. In 2009 he was appointed resident conductor of the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.

Wang Xiaoming started his violin education at 4 years old, and continued his studies at the Central Conservatory of Music Accessorial Grade School under violin professor Xu Jin. First prize winner of the 1997 First Sino-French MIDO Violin Competition, Wang Xiaoming held his winners concert in Beijing Concert Hall in the same year. In 2002, he became a student of famous violinist Gerhard schulz at world-renowned Universit?t für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien to go on with his master degree study, where he got Karajan International Scholarship and first prize in Wien International “Stephen” Violin Competition. From 2004 to 2008, he played as concertmaster in UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra. He was subsequently appointed concertmaster of the Zurich Opera House Orchestra to be the youngest concertmaster over the hundred years since the orchestra foundation. As guest concertmaster, she has ever been invited to China NCPA Orchestra and France Bordeaux National Symphony Orchestra.