A4 ResidencyEvents
客厅音乐会

A RE-CONNECT | Sofa Sonata Vol.4

Introduction

On the occasion of May 20th approaching, the fourth installment of the Sofa Sonata invited cellist Zhao Mingwei, the principal cellist of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra, and pianist Li Chuang, the music director of the Sofa Sonata, as well as students from the Sunflower Opera Performance Society to bring us healing and wonderful music notes. Before the event began, we welcomed residents of different ages in the community; some relaxed on the floor, some sat on sofas or around dining tables, enveloped by music in the warm light of the lounge. The entire performance included popular anime scores and also featured “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” by Ryuichi Sakamoto. At the end of the concert, before the final piece, Zhao spoke about the moving essence of music:

“The inspiration for music comes from the late Romanticism in Germany, where true love is completely incompatible with the secular world, so often love and death are similar concepts. Our understanding of death refers to the physical body, because as long as we live in this world, our bodies, our thoughts are limited by this subjective and objective binary opposition. But true love completely breaks through this body and time and space, with the two individuals eventually merging into each other, without the concept of time and space. In fact, this song describes two people completely lost in each other’s eyes, which is the dissolution I perceive, dissolving in each other’s eyes, forming an eternal existence.”

In this journey of life, time and love are ancient themes with infinite forms and expressions. They can be hidden in the silent care between family members, in the tacit support between friends, or in the goodwill of strangers. The broad concept of love and time transcends personal relationships, flowing sustainably between every living being.

Whether it’s music, art, nature, or interactions between people, they carry the power of healing and solace. As we approach the beginning of summer, in the gradually warming air, they awaken the softest part of the soul, with notes like light, faint yet far-reaching.

  • Artists

    Zhao Mingwei (China)

    Zhao Mingwei, a cello professor at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, serves as principal cellist of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra and is recognized as an outstanding educator at the conservatory. He is also a visiting professor at the School of Arts at Xiamen University and holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Bowling Green State University and a Master’s degree and Artist Diploma from the University of Southern California, where he also served as a teaching assistant. Zhao is the permanent artistic director of the Absolute Classical Chamber Music Club.

    During his studies abroad, Zhao won numerous first prizes in competitions across the United States and received acclaim from master musicians such as Midori for his exceptional musicality and profound interpretations. He has been appointed as a visiting professor at Xiamen University School of Arts, a visiting scholar at Bowling Green State University, and an artist and instructor at international chamber music festivals including Ameropa in Prague, Czech Republic, and Lugano Lake International Chamber Music Festival in Switzerland. Zhao has performed hundreds of solo, chamber, and concerto concerts worldwide, including venues such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Concert Hall, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and many others.

    Collaborating with conductors such as Dohnanyi, Eschenbach, Rilling, M.T. Thomas, and renowned ensembles like the American Art Trio, Takacs Quartet, and Juilliard String Quartet, Zhao Mingwei continues to make significant contributions to both the stage and the classroom as a prominent cellist, orchestra principal, and educator in China. His students have consistently achieved top awards in international and regional competitions. Notable recent performances include the Chinese premiere of Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” at Sichuan Conservatory of Music in 2015, the Western China premiere of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra in Chengdu in 2017, and the complete cycle of Beethoven’s piano and cello sonatas in Chengdu City Concert Hall in 2020, marking the first complete performance in Western China on the occasion of Beethoven’s 250th birthday. In the fall of 2021, Zhao initiated a series of concerts featuring Bach’s complete solo cello suites, held at various venues including Peking University, churches in Chengdu and Chongqing, and contemporary art spaces.

    Li Chuang(China)

    Li Chuang, a Chinese pianist and chamber music performer, serves as the Music Director of Sofa Sonata at A4 International Residency Arts Center and is a contracted artist at the Chicago Cultural Center in the United States. He graduated from the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago and the School of Music at California State Polytechnic University. Li studied under distinguished pianists Professor Wu Chi, Dr. Daniela Mineva, and Professor George Vatchnadze. His performance venues include Merkin Hall in New York, the Tanglewood Music Festival in the United States, the Royal Jazz Myra Hess Memorial Concert in the UK, the Royal Danish Academy of Music, and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia. Li has collaborated with conductors such as Dr. Cliff Colnot of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s “Music Now” ensemble and Scott Seaton, Principal Conductor of the North State Symphony in California. His performances have been broadcast globally by Chicago’s classical music radio station 98.7 WFMT, and he has been featured in media outlets including the International Music Society and the Chicago Tribune.

  • Time

    19:30-21:00, May 18, 2024

  • Venue

    A4 Residency Art Center (1101, Unit 1, Building 1, LUXEZONE)

  • Organizer

    A4 Residency Art Center

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