Michigan honors Gao
UD's Gao receives award from Michigan, releases concerto recording
11:22 a.m., Feb. 13, 2012--Xiang Gao, internationally renowned violinist and professor of music at the University of Delaware, has received the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance Alumni Award as an emerging artist.
This prestigious honor is granted to a School of Music, Theatre and Dance alumnus who has made a significant contribution to their field worldwide.
Honors Stories
National Medal of Science
Warren Award
The high profile award ceremony took place in Ann Arbor and was hosted by Dean Christopher Kendall.
The award was presented to Gao by renowned composer Bright Sheng, Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University Professor of Music at the University of Michigan.
In December 2011, Gao’s recording performance of Two Jade, a concerto for solo violin and symphony band commissioned for him by the University of Michigan and composed by the acclaimed American composer Kristi Kuster, was released in the U.S. The recording was under the baton of famed symphony band conductor Michael Haithcock.
Also featured on the Artifacts compact disc are new works by Grammy Award-winning composers William Bolcom and Michael Daugherty, and by Sheng, a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" recipient. To see the concerto Two Jades, click here.
About Xiang Gao
Xiang Gao is one of the world’s leading concert violinists of his generation from the People’s Republic of China. For years, he has maintained a rigorous and demanding performance schedule at the international level. His musical integrity and virtuoso technique have gained accolades from audiences and reviewers around the globe.
Gao, who is a professor at UD and director of its Master Players Concert Series, has performed solos with more than 100 symphony orchestras worldwide, including the Detroit Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony-National Orchestra of Sweden, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic of Russia, the China National Symphony, the Estonia National Symphony and the Mexico State Symphony, to name only a few.
Among the prestigious concert halls and festivals at which he has appeared as a soloist are Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, China, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, the Aspen Music tent, the Smetana Hall, the Prague Spring International Arts Festival, the Singapore International Arts Festival and the Spoleto Music Festival, among others.
He gives master classes and recital performances throughout North America, Asia, Europe and South America.
Master Players 6ixwire concert
Gao’s upcoming concert as part of the University of Delaware Master Players Concert Series celebrates Valentine's Day and will take place on Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18, at 8 p.m., in Mitchell Hall.
Gao's world class crossover duet 6ixwire Project will give a crossover jazz concert featuring jazz musicians from New Orleans, Philadelphia, Wilmington and UD.
Click here for the concert information. Tickets for the popular concerts will likely be sold out soon, so purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recommended.