From left to right: Huan Ci (volin), Zhangjuan Liu (viola), Xinyang Lv (cello), and Ke Karl Zhu (violin) Photo credit: Zhang Di
On April 23, the MILA quartet performed at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center in Pudong, Shanghai, kicking off the first in a series of concerts across China. Tianjin Juilliard’s first chamber music fellowship quartet, the MILA quartet, comprising of Ke Karl Zhu (violin), Huan Ci (violin), Zhangjuan Liu (viola), and Xinyang Lv (cello), was established last year.
This series of concerts marks their first tour together as a professional quartet. Following the performance in Shanghai, the very next day, the quartet flew to Quanzhou, a well-known port city in Southeast China’s Fujian province, for another performance at the Quanzhou Grand Theatre. For this tour, the MILA Quartet specially prepared two programs covering 200 years of classical music, including one program featuring works by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Ravel, and another with music by Beethoven, Bartók, and Schumann. This month, the MILA quartet will be performing at the Jiangxi Art Center in Nanchang and at the Xiamen Strait Grand Theater in Xiamen, on May 22 and 23 respectively.
MILA Quartet performing at the Quanzhou Grand Theatre Photo credit: Quanzhou Grand Theatre
As fellowship recipients, the quartet members have fully immersed in their two-year graduate studies, taking classes in the morning and having many late-night rehearsals. One of their mentors, Angelo Xiang Yu, the second violinist of the Shanghai Quartet, noted that: “The diligence and professionalism of the MILA quartet members have paid off and they have experienced tremendous growth.” Recently, the quartet also signed a contract with well-known performing arts agency in China, Wu Promotion, and is currently represented by the agency.
Tianjin Juilliard Chamber Music Fellowship Program
The Tianjin Juilliard School is currently accepting applications from pre-formed string quartets and piano trios interested in applying to the Tianjin Juilliard Chamber Music Fellowship program. The school is looking for outstanding applicants of the highest artistic merit to join their two-year Master of Music program and hone their skills for a professional career as a quartet or piano trio.
The selected fellowship ensemble is offered expanded program opportunities, performance tours, teaching and coaching experience, full-tuition fellowship, on-campus housing, a professional development stipend, and more. The quartet or trio will study under the mentorship of the Tianjin Juilliard Resident Faculty, including members of the Shanghai Quartet and Visiting Faculty, including the Juilliard String Quartet. The fellowship string quartet will also be given the opportunity to participate in the annual Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York. To learn more, please visit the chamber music program section and get in touch with the Office of Admissions.