Sarasota, Florida • Monday, January 26, 2015
GuitarSarasota Presents Beijing Duo as second event of 9th International Guitar Concert Season
GuitarSarasota is proud to present the Beijing Guitar Duo of Meng Su & Yameng Wang, Chinese classical guitarists, on Saturday, February 14 at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, 34232. Tickets are $25 for GuitarSarasota members and $30 for nonmembers and can be purchased online at guitarsarasota.org until noon on February 14, 2015. Remaining tickets are available at the door, starting at 7pm. We accept cash or check only; no credit cards please. Student tickets, which are $15, can be purchased at the door 15 minutes prior to the concert with a current student ID. A short reception for the guitarists, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments courtesy of Mattison’s Restaurants and Catering, is held after the event.
Beijing Guitar Duo – Meng Su and Yameng Wang first met at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China, where they studied with Chen Zhi. In 2006, the year of their graduation, they met Manuel Barrueco while he was on tour in Hong Kong. At Barrueco’s personal invitation they applied and were accepted into his studio at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. At Barrueco’s suggestion, Meng Su and Yameng Wang went on to form the Beijing Guitar Duo in December 2009. Both young women entered the partnership with exceptional credentials, including a string of competition awards. Both were born in the coastal city of Qingdao, in the province of Shandong, China. Ms.Su’s honors include victories at the Vienna Youth Guitar Competition and the Christopher Parkening Young Guitarist Competition. At age 12, Ms. Wang was the youngest guitarist to win the Tokyo International Guitar Competition. At 14, she was invited by Radio France to perform at Paris’ International Guitar Art Week.
Both artists had done solo recitals in China and abroad, and had made solo recordings, before they formed the Beijing Guitar Duo. Among their first achievements as a duo was winning the Solomon H. Snyder Award, which underwrites the New York debuts of exceptionally talented students. The duo made their New York debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in April 2009 to critical acclaim, thereby launching their international concert career. This past season they performed in Holland, Germany, Ireland, Finland, Croatia, China and the United States. They have also toured extensively with their mentor, Manuel Barrueco, appearing in Germany, Finland, Spain, and the United States. In 2009, the Beijing Guitar Duo released their debut recording, “Maracaípe,” for their exclusive label, Tonar.The title piece, written and dedicated to them by Sérgio Assad, received a Latin Grammy Award nomination for best contemporary classical composition. Their second recording, “Bach to Tan Dun,” was released in October 2011 and features the music of Bach, Scarlatti, Tedesco and Granados plus their own world premiere recording of Tan Dun’s “Eight Memories in Watercolor,” an arrangement for two guitars. In the future, they are planning to do a recording with Barrueco and to release their third album. The Beijing Guitar Duo are also resident artists of the San Francisco Performances. Their four-year residency takes them twice a year to the Bay area for performances and master classes in area public schools and the San Francisco Conservatory
Yameng Wang – Born in Qingdao, China in 1981, Yameng Wang fell in love with the classical guitar at a young age and began studying with the leading guitar professor in China, Professor Chen Zhi, when she was 10 years old. She became the youngest winner of the Tokyo International Guitar Competition at age 12. She went on to win second prize in the Michele Pittaluga International Guitar Competition in Italy at 13, and at age 14 she was invited by Radio France to perform at the Paris International Guitar Art Week and won second prize in the La Infanta Doña Cristina International Guitar Competition in Spain. “Classical Guitar” magazine noted that at age 14, she was already playing like a seasoned professional. After graduating in 2006 from the Central Conservatory of Music of China, Ms. Wang enrolled in the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. She earned a Masters of Music degree in 2008 and is currently in the Graduate Performance Diploma program, studying with Maestro Manuel Barrueco. Ms. Wang has given acclaimed recitals in the United States, France, Italy, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Finland, Croatia, Britain, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, Japan, and Malaysia both as a soloist and in chamber music settings. She recorded her first album, “Caprice,” when she was 16 years old. “A Very Special Album” was released in 1999, and in 2003 she contributed to GHA’s album, “The Best of Classical Guitar.” In 2005, she released “Classic Guitar – Aquarelle, Un Sueño en la Floresta.”
Meng Su – Born in the coastal city of Qingdao, in the province of Shandong, China in 1988, Meng Su demonstrated her artistic gifts as an exceptionally talented guitarist from an early age. Embarking on a career as one of the most outstanding musicians of her generation, Meng Su began training in classical guitar at age 9 with renowned Professor Chen Zhi. Before graduating from the High School of the Central Conservatory of Music of China in 2006, Ms. Su won many awards, including the 5th Vienna Youth Guitar Competition, the 48th Tokyo International Guitar Competition, the Christopher Parkening Young Guitarist Competition, and the 2nd Iserlohn International Guitar Competition in Germany. As a performing artist, she has performed solo, duo, and quartet concerts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Finland, Croatia, Korea, Japan, and China.Throughout her career she has impressed audiences with an ability and artistry that exceeds her years. Ms. Su performs regularly in chamber music settings and with orchestras as a soloist. This past season she performed the “Concierto de Aranjuez” by Joaquin Rodrigo and Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre for a chamber music ensemble. Meng Su obtained her Performer’s Certificate and Graduate Performer’s Diploma from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. She currently is continuing her studies with guitar virtuoso Manuel Barrueco in the chamber music program. Ms.Su’s discography includes a live CD and DVD release of a 2005 guitar concert in Korea as well as a release of “Four Angels.”
An annual GuitarSarasota membership is open to all who are interested in the guitar and starts at $20 for individuals. GuitarSarasota members receive discounts on concert tickets (including tickets for all guests), our email newsletter, and the satisfaction of supporting a respected, local nonprofit arts organization. The membership fee is tax-deductible. Membership applications and ticket information are available online at guitarsarasota.org.
GuitarSarasota is a nonprofit organization promoting the education, appreciation, and cultural significance of the classical guitar as a solo and chamber music instrument.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232 uusarasota.com
GuitarSarasota Inc. PO Box 15772, Sarasota, FL 34277-1772; telephone 941.362.2991• guitarsarasota.org
Mattison’s Restaurants & Catering, 7275 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida 34234 telephone 941.921.3400 • mattisons.com
