| The Exceptional Hanzhi Wang Coming to Great Barrington. Prize-winning Accordionist in Concert, Community Engagement |
| The groundbreaking young musician Hanzhi Wang is the only accordionist ever to win a place on the roster of the legendary talent agency Young Concert Artists (YCA) in its 59-year history. She will soon be visiting the Berkshires as Clarion Concerts' Leaf Peeper series continues with her appearance at St. James Place in Great Barrington MA on Saturday, 12 October 2019 at 5pm. Tickets are $40, $25, and will be free to students with ID and free to children accompanied by an adult. The vivacious Ms. Wang will also be performing for the children at Muddy Brook Elementary School in Great Barrington earlier in the week. Such school visits are central to the philosophy of Clarion Concerts, a presenting organization which has been bringing music to the Hudson Valley/Berkshires for decades. "Community engagement initiatives are as important to our mission as our concerts," says Clarion Board President Dave Hall. "We're delighted that Hanzhi Wang will be helping us reach out to young people in the Berkshires." As part of her Young Concert Artists prize Hanzhi Wang has performed in New York at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and made her Washington, DC debut at the Kennedy Center, co-presented by YCA and Washington Performing Arts. Young Concert Artists Series has also presented Ms. Wang in New York with the Omer Quartet at The Morgan Library and Museum. Ms. Wang has also won First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy. She inspires the next generation of accordionists with lectures, performances and master classes, at the Manhattan School of Music, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Tianjin Music Conservatory, Ghent Music Conservatoriy (Belgium), and the inaugural 2018 Nordaccordion Festival in Norway among many others. Composers Martin Lohse, James Black and Sophia Gubaidulina have written and dedicated works to her. Ms. Wang earned her Bachelor's degree at the China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She completed her Master's degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with the renowned accordion professor Geir Draugsvoll, and now serves as an assistant teacher at the Academy. Ms. Wang's first recording, On the Path to H.C. Andersen, is available on Naxos Records (8.573904). |
*** Post UPDATE- see bottom of post*** I just got off the phone with Lisa Carter, Interim Superintendent of the Region One School District....
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