The Musicians Club of New York proudly presents to New York in a free concert the phenomenal bassoonist Yen-Chen Wu. This concert is Ms. Wu's 2015 Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Award Winner's Recital. To RSVP, email bhunter@musiciansclubofny.org or leave a voice mail at (212) 333-7844 - your reservation should be confirmed within 24 hours.

     

                     YEN-CHEN WU, BASSOON        LIVAN, PIANO

Friday, December 18, 2015, 8:00 PM

Liederkranz Concert Hall

6 East 87th Street
New York City


PROGRAM

Variation for bassoon and Orchestra / F. Devienne

Bassoon Sonata in G Minor, Op. 24, No. 5 / C. Kreutzer

Seul Contre Tous pour bassoon / M. Solal

Variation suun' arietta di pergolesi per bassoon e orchestra d'archi / O. Nussio

Interferences 1 pour bassoon et piano / R. Bounty

Yen-Chen Wu, Bassoon

Hailing from Tainan, Taiwan, Yen-Chen Wu began studying bassoon at the age of 9. Her interest and talent in bassoon performing as a young student has grown ever since.

By winning the Second Prize of the 2015 Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards for all woodwinds and brass instruments, Ms. Wu became the first bassoonist to win a Koussevitzky Young Artist Award since 1983. In addition, Ms. Wu has received several major awards, including First Prize at the Tainan student competition and the Taipei student competition several times.

Having won several concerto competitions, she has played as a soloist with orchestras in major cities around Taiwan, including her solo concerto debut at age 16 with the National Tainan Girl’s High School. After performing as a concerto soloist with University of Taipei and Taipei Wind Orchestra, she received Second Prize in the 2013 International Solo Competition of the Asian Double Reed Association. As a result, Ms. Wu performed the Weber Andante e Rondo Ungarese, Op.35 with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to playing in her school orchestras, Ms. Wu has performed with several orchestras including the Tainan Symphony Orchestra and Taipei Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Ms. Wu earned her bachelor degree in University of Taipei with Chia-Chu Hsu, and is currently pursuing her master degree with Frank Morelli at the Yale School of Music, and playing as a member of Yale Philharmonic Orchestra. 

 

Livan, piano

“His playing reminds me of Vladimir Horowitz.” - Dang Thai Son, pianist; winner of the 1980 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition

Livan’s music has touched my heart.” - Ingrid Lange, Mayor of Hanover City, at the Sichuan Earthquake Charity Concert.

“His performance is extraordinary.” - Mme Chow Ching Ling, Lauréate du prix Mozart de l’UNESCO and Chevalier des arts et de lettres

After giving his very first piano performance in Switzerland, Livan began the piano studies relatively late at the age of twelve. He was awarded the first prize - Prix d’Oslo and prize for the Best Interpretation of a Romantic Composer at the 2010 International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition in Norway, which presented him in his New York debut at Carnegie Hall and a world tour across the United States, Russia, Germany, Norway, and Italy, among others. In 2011, Livan was invited by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to make his Paris debut at the Festival international de la diversité culturelle. One month later, he toured China with the German singer and songwriter André Fuckert in the concert series Classic Meets Modern. In 2012, Livan was named the Artistic Ambassador of ICHOICE. His piano trio, Trio Concorde, was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, the 40th Anniversary Celebration, in 2013. That same year he received the Chimei Arts Award. In 2014, Livan recorded for the soundtrack and is the featured pianist in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Sony Music), a role-playing video game released worldwide in 2014, and Final Fantasy XV - Episode Duscae -, released in 2015.

Livan is recognized with numerous prizes and awards, including the first prize in the 2003 Città di Barletta International Piano Competition in Italy, the first prize and audience prize in the YAS Piano Competition in Taipei, the Chimei Arts Award, and the IBLA Grand Prize in Sicily. He was invited to music festivals, where he has worked with Emanuel Ax, Bruno Canino, Dang Thai Son, José Feghali, Masashi Hamauzu, Andrzej Jasinski, Choong Mo Kang, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Anton Nel, Garrick Ohlsson, Aldo Parisot, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Serkin, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Arie Vardi, Rolf-Peter Wille, and Wu Han. Livan has collaborated with major orchestras including the National Symphony, National Taiwan Symphony, Taipei Symphony, and Oslo Symphony.

During these years, Livan has made appearances in benefit activities such as Sichuan earthquake charity concert, Weihnachtshilfe charity concert, among others. He also composed and arranged musical, theater, and modern music compositions. In 2006, he received audience’s top prize for composition in the Sounds of the Human World, Master Hsing Yun Buddhist Music Competition. He has freely extended his ability to other types of music. In 2012, Livan joined the Video Game Orchestra, a Rockestra that performs the most elaborate and exciting arrangements of video game music, and is the pianist and keyboardist in VGO’s Rock Band.

Livan accomplished the program for talented musicians in Taipei and studied at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Germany. In 2011, he moved to work with Russell Sherman, Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at the New England Conservatory, and Wha Kyung Byun as a recipient of the Dorothy Hinton Congleton Memorial Presidential Scholarship. Livan worked with Peter Frankl at Yale University and later with Boaz Sharon at Boston University. Livan is a Steinway Young Artist.