11:31 a.m., Oct. 27, 2009----The University of Delaware Master Players Concert Series has received a $20,000 grant through the Delaware Division of the Arts to support the production of next spring's classical concert at UD, “iMusic III -- Xiang Gao and Friends.”

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The funding will not only support production of the concert series on location in Mitchell Hall on UD's Newark campus, but also enable the performances to be beamed to a new audience: children and adults with disabilities at the Mary Campbell Center in Wilmington.

“iMusic” (“i” means “love” in Chinese) is a series of fun, family concerts designed to “share our love for music and to humanize music in ways people never imagined and create significant rapport between the artists and audience,” according to Gao, professor of music, who is an internationally renowned violin soloist, founding member of the China Magpie ensemble, and founding artistic director of UD's Master Players Concert Series.

The “iMusic III” concert series, set for April 16-17, 2010, at 8 p.m. in Mitchell Hall on the University's Newark campus, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and feature world-class artists “who love and cherish planet Earth,” according to Gao.

“This grant is wonderful and will provide needed support for the series' production,” Gao said, adding, “A portion of the funding also will allow us to explore the use of technology to reach a special group of artistic audiences from the Mary Campbell Center who do not often attend live concerts due to their permanent physical limitations or severe illness, enabling them to join the rest of the concert hall audience to experience the power of live performance.”

For more information about the concert series, download the brochure on the Master Players Concert Series Web site.

Recognized as one of the world's most successful violin soloists from China, Gao has been called “a rare and soulful virtuoso” by the New York Times. Recently, the Stradivari Society in Chicago selected Gao to be a recipient of a Stradivarius violin for his international concerts.

Gao also increasingly is serving as a musical ambassador between his native China and his adopted country. His most recent activities are highlighted in this UDaily story.

In June 2010, Gao and his wife, Renee Dong, who is a Chinese language instructor at UD, will lead a special trip to China for UD alumni, friends, staff, and faculty. For more information, visit this Web page. The application deadline is Dec. 15.

Article by Tracey Bryant