Internationally celebrated concert pianist Jian Liu is returning to the Motueka Chanel Arts Centre, a venue he has played many times and one he says he loves for both its acoustics and its warmly welcoming audiences.
Jian is an acclaimed concert pianist, chamber musician and educator who has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America. His career has taken him to some of the world’s most prestigious concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Centre and Steinway Hall in New York, as well as Sprague Hall and Woolsey Hall at Yale University and Paul Hall at the Juilliard School.
A passionate champion of New Zealand music, Jian has collaborated frequently with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra musicians. He is currently the head of piano studies at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington, as well as deputy head of school and an associate professor.
For this Motueka concert, Jian has created a programme that explores how composers of New Zealand and Chinese heritage paint their worlds in sound.
The programme weaves together six pairs of Chinese and New Zealand piano works, linked by shared themes.
“From the innocence of children to the majesty of nature, from songs that sing of the heart to the energetic dance of sonatinas, I journey through the ways in which composers from these two lands paint their worlds in sound,” Jian says.
The concert begins at the winter-friendly time of 3pm on 13 June, and organisers are encouraging locals to keep up the strong attendance seen at recent performances.
Adult tickets are $25, with schoolchildren $5. Tickets are available in advance from Motueka Floral Studio on High Street, Motueka, cash only, and at the door on the day of the concert at the Chanel Arts Centre, with cash and EFTPOS accepted.
