October 1, 2023 SEASON OPENING CONCERT
Featuring
Hao Liu, Piano Krystal Sun, Violin
Program Copland Rodeo Ballet Suite Piazzolla The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Mozart Piano Concerto in A Major, K.488 Yellow River Piano Concerto 黃河協奏曲 II. Ode to the Yellow River 黄河頌
Return to 2023-24 Season
New staging for our 15th Season-Opening Concert!
Krystal Sun performing The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Piazzolla
An inspiring performance by Liu Hao - a visually impaired pianist
A wonderful Stars and Stripes ending the concert!
The phenomenal pianist Hao Liu was born in Inner Mongolia. Hao was blind from birth, and he started learning the piano at 3 years old. He was greatly inspired by the famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang, and Hao was thrilled to fulfill his dream of performing a duet with Lang Lang at a young age in “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon.” At the age of 15, Hao was invited to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major with the Vienna Haydn Symphony Orchestra in Austria. He also received its "Life Goes On Award" as the youngest winner since its inception. Hao has performed in Montreal, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York, and across China. Hao has given numerous presentations at schools, where he shared his learning experiences as a person who lost his vision. He is committed to helping visually impaired people and raising awareness of their challenges with the public. This concert marks his second appearance in New Jersey.
Krystal Sun is a 17-year-old violinist who is a student at the Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest, New Jersey. Krystal won Silver Prize in both the 2022 and 2023 Bravura Philharmonic Young Artists Competition. Krystal started her musical journey at four years old and soon went on to win many competitions and awards. In 2018, she performed the Bruch Violin Concerto with an orchestra after winning first place in her division at the CAI competition. She also won the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2020. Krystal has been an active member of her school orchestra, and she was first chair in the New Jersey All-State Orchestra for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. She was also a member of the 2021 and 2022 All-National Orchestra and served as its concertmaster in 2022. Krystal is second principal violinist in the New York Youth Symphony. She has been a member of the orchestra for six years and performed with them at Carnegie Stern Hall.