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Georgia Tech School of Music Presents:
Heimweh

Georgia Tech School of Music Presents:
Heimweh

Sunday, November 12th 2023
3:00pm
Ferst Center for the Arts

Dr. Chaowen Ting, Conductor

For their second concert of the season, the GT Symphony Orchestra explores universal themes of yearning for home, opening with two commissioned pieces by composer and violinist Alice Hong. Joanna Cheng, winner of the 2023 GTSO Concerto Competition, is then featured performing the first movement of Prokofiev’s second piano concerto. The orchestra will conclude with Dvorak’s beloved ninth symphony, “From the New World.”

Program

Landfall (2022)
[GT commission, world premiere]
Alice Hong (1992-)
Pheonix, for solo violin and orchestra (2023)
[GT commission, world premiere]
Alice Hong (1992-)
Alice Hong, violin
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
  • I. Andantino
Sergei Prokofiev
Joanna Cheng, piano (winner of the 2023 GTSO Concerto Competition)
Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, Op. 95, B. 178 (1893)
  • I. Adagio – Allegro molto
  • II. Largo
  • III. Molto vivace
  • IV. Allegro con fuoco
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Program Notes – Landfall

“LANDFALL” is about the joy, the bravery, the turbulence, the heartbreak, the heartwarming, the uncertainty, the sense of wonder, nostalgia, love, and finality that come with the process of saying good-bye.

Program Notes – Pheonix

"The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise." -Miguel de Cervantes

picture of composer and soloist Alice Hong

Composer/Soloist Bio – Alice Hong

Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, Alice Hong is an international award-winner both as a violinist and composer. She was featured on CBC’s 2018 edition of “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30” and has appeared as a composer-performer for the Atlanta Symphony’s Conversation of Note series with Robert Spano. As a violinist, Alice has toured with Lincoln Center Stage, with which she has performed in 28 countries, and has performed in the violin sections of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic and The Atlanta Opera, among others. In the summer, she performs as a section violinist of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Alice has also performed her own compositions at venues and events such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Spoleto Festival USA, and Heifetz on Tour. As an avid chamber musician, Alice has performed alongside esteemed musicians such as James Ehnes, Frans Helmerson, Mihaela Martin, Jonathan Crow, New Orford String Quartet, and Barry Shiffman, among others. Her performances have been featured on CBC Radio, WABE 90.1 Atlanta and WSMR 89.9 Tampa.

As a composer, Alice’s pieces have been performed and recorded by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Niagara Symphony, Georgian Bay Symphony, Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, CIM Symphony Orchestra, Amersfoort Youth Orchestra, and principal members of the New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, Rolston String Quartet and Cypress String Quartet. Her works have won multiple awards from the ASCAP Morton Gould Awards as well as first prize at the International Keuris Competition, Carl E. Baldassarre Composer-Virtuosi Competition, NorCal Viola Society Commission Contest, Pikes Peak Composition Competition, and third prize at the 2021 „Steirischer TonkünstlerBund“ International Composition Competition and at the 2018 Lands End Ensemble Composition Competition; they have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and China. She has also been a commissioned composer and composer-in-residence for festivals such as Toronto Summer Music and Lövstabruks Kammarmusikfestival. Upcoming premieres include orchestral commissions by the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra and ensemble vim.

Alice earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto under the private tutelage of Jonathan Crow, as well as a Master of Music degree from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music as a Dorothy R. Starling Foundation Scholar studying with Cho-Liang Lin and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music with David Updegraff. Alice recently started her acting journey in October 2019, with appearances in filmwork such as Netflix movie "Red Notice" (2021) starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot, Disney Marvel’s “Hawkeye,” BET+’s “First Wive’s Club” and Netflix’s “First Kill.” She is represented by STW Talent Agency.

picture of soloist Joanna Cheng

Soloist Bio – Joanna Cheng

Joanna Cheng is a second year Computer Science major from Northern Virginia. She studied piano with Dr. Marjorie Lee for thirteen years, from the age of five. Throughout this time, she received various honors, such as 1st place in the 30th International Young Artist Piano Competition (IYAPC), for which she played at the winner’s concert at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium stage. She also won the MTNA Virginia State competition and represented Virginia in the MTNA Southern Division competition in Tampa, winning Honorable Mention. More recently, she was awarded 1st place in the Elite International Music Competition, for which she was invited to play at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, as well as 2nd place in the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition. Her favorite composers are Ravel, Debussy, and Prokofiev and in her free time, she enjoys doing crosswords, watching Chinese shows, and listening to lots of music.

Ensemble Members

Violin I Major
Claire Kim, Concertmaster Biomedical Engineering
Marissa Mandir, Assistant Concertmaster Electrical Engineering
Nathan Lin Computer Science
Sila Keha Industrial Engineering
Lawrence Ro Electrical Engineering
Harold Graney Green Computer Science
Daeyong Kwon Computer Science
Suann Kim Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Raymond Jia Computer Engineering
Madison Park Mechanical Engineering
Sohum Gala Computer Science
Xiaomeng Ye Computer Science
Violin II  
Adrian Cheung, Principal Computer Science
Anu Raghavan Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Matthew Rohan Chemistry
Amartya Kallingal Computer Science
Rick Nguyen Computational Media
Ryder Johnson Computer Engineering
Banglue Wei Aerospace Engineering
Jonathan Shi Computer Science
Subrahmanyam Mullangi Computer Science
Chengrui Li Computational Science and Engineering
Jaiden Lulla Aerospace Engineering
Viola  
Ivy Xue, Principal Neuroscience
May Tang Computer Science 
Julian Aldana Brol Civil Engineering
Emma Axelson Transportation Systems
Olivia Johnson-Liu Business Administration
Ayush Narain Computer Science
Cello  
Sean Yoshihara, Principal Computer Science
Benjamin Borthwick Computer Science
Nathan Shepherd Computer Engineering
Ryan Stover Aerospace Engineering
Will Deinzer Computer Science
Layla Libanan Biomedical Engineering
Matthew Zhou Computer Science
Nat Wertz Computer Science
Bass  
Atharva Gujrathi, Principal Aerospace Engineering
Audrey Nguyen Biology
Flute Major
Yoojin Jeong + Neuroscience
Annabelle Lee ~* Computer Science 
Alex Yang ^* Economics
Oboe  
Renzo Jansema ~* Industrial Design
Oliver Long ^+ Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Clarinet  
Nathan Duggal ^~+ Computer Science
Ryan Murphey * Mechanical Engineering
Bassoon  
Hannah Tourial * Industrial and Systems Engineering
Lixin Zheng ^~+ Mathematics
Horn  
Alex Bendeck * Computer Science
Carlos Sanchez ~  Biomedical Engineering
Cathleen Bolger + Aerospace Engineering
Akhil Gopal  Mathematics
Nicholas Reed ^ Computer Science
Trumpet  
Camryn Aguilar ~* Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Jonah Wu ^+ Industrial Engineering
Trombone  
Joshua Antony ^ Industrial Engineering
Pranjal Chatterjee ~+* Electrical Engineering
Sanjay Rangarajan Chemistry
Tuba  
Alejandro Martinez  Physics
Harp  
Anoushka Scaria Computer Science
Piano  
Matthew Zhou Computer Science
Timpani/Percussion  
Sam Woolsey Mechanical Engineering
Ulyana Buslovska Mathematics

Denotes principal player: ^Landfall, ~Phoenix, +Prokofiev, *Dvorak 

Georgia Tech School of Music

Through interdisciplinary degree programs, outstanding performance ensembles, and innovative research endeavors, the Georgia Tech School of Music cultivates a rich legacy of musical traditions and develops cutting-edge technologies to help define music's future. The School serves students in bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs in music technology and offers innovative performance opportunities, courses, and cultural and artistic experiences for students throughout the Institute.