92NY to Present The Beijing Guitar Duo in November.

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York's leading cultural venues, presents Beijing Guitar Duo on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 7:30 pm at the Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center. Online streaming is also available for 72 hours following the performance. Tickets start at $25 and are available at https://www.92ny.org/event/beijing-guitar-duo.

The Beijing Guitar Duo - comprised of Meng Su and Yameng Wang - makes its 92NY debut in a program showcasing these two musicians' dazzling artistry. The guitarists, who were mentored by the legendary Manuel Barrueco, are hailed for their technical mastery, color-rich sound world, and embrace of transcription - all of which is captured in this program. Works include compositions originally written for piano, among them gorgeous selections by Albéniz and three French pieces from Franck, Debussy, and Granados, that sound almost uncannily natural on guitar in the duo's transcriptions. Their program culminates in Piazzolla's fabulous Tango Suite, written for Sérgio and Odair Assad, for a concert that furthers 92NY's place as the home for the art of the guitar.

Franck, Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18 (arr. Ophee)

Debussy, Petite Suite (arr. Meng Su)

Granados, Valses Poéticos (arr. Duo Gruber-Maklar)

Albéniz, Bajo la Palmera (arr. M. Llobet)

Albéniz, Castilla (arr. M. Llobet)

Piazzolla, Tango Suite

This concert is under 90 minutes and will be performed without intermission. Join us in the hall's lounge following the performance and meet the artist.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Praised by the distinguished Classical Guitar Magazine as "having the star potential to serve as inspiration for new generations of guitarists to come," the Beijing Guitar Duo made their New York debut in Carnegie Hall in 2010, launching their international concert career.

Guitarist Meng Su and Yameng Wang, the Beijing Guitar Duo has performed around the world in halls such as the Concertgebouw, Palau de Musica, Tchaikovsky Hall and The National Theatre in Beijing. This season will take them to a 12-city concert tour in the United States in February (Washington D.C., Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Knoxville) as well as other performances in Europe and China. The duo regularly collaborates with orchestras, in ensemble with flutist Marina Piccinini, guitarists Grigoryan Brothers and with their mentor Manuel Barrueco touring in Europe, Australia, Asia and the U.S.

The Beijing Guitar Duo's performances and recordings have impressed the public with "an ability and artistry that exceeds their years." Their debut CD Maracaípe, received a Latin-GRAMMY nomination for the titular piece, which was dedicated to them by renowned guitarist/composer Sergio Assad. Their second CD, Bach to Tan Dun, has been widely noted for the world-premiere recording of Tan Dun's Eight Memories in Watercolor, specially arranged for the duo by Manuel Barrueco. A recording in trio, China West, with Maestro Barrueco was released in May 2014.

Meng Su and Yameng Wang were born in the coastal city of Qingdao, China. They came to the partnership with exceptional credentials, including a string of competition awards. Su's honors include victories at the Vienna Youth Guitar Competition and the Christopher Parkening Guitarist Competition, while Wang was the youngest guitarist to win the Tokyo International Guitar Competition at the age of 12, and was invited by Radio France to perform at the prestigious Paris International Guitar Art Week at age 14. Both young artists had performed solo recitals in China and abroad, and produced solo recordings prior to forming the duo.

In addition to touring, the duo shares a love for teaching, which has brought them to major conservatories all over the world for masterclasses and to judge competitions. The duo served as Artists-in-Residence from 2011-15 for San Francisco Performances, during which time, they participated in community outreach throughout the Bay Area, performed, and taught masterclasses in both public schools and for the San Francisco Conservatory.

2023/24 Tisch Music Season

Working within 92NY's 150th Anniversary theme, Inspired by the Past, Transforming for the Future, 92NY's Vice President, Tisch Music's Amy Lam has curated a season featuring newly commissioned works and premieres and artist-driven programs that reference the history of 92NY, the artists themselves, and music more broadly. Some of the featured works at 92NY include the world premiere of a new, interdisciplinary project by Cécile McLorin Salvant, in which Salvant mines her classical music training to transform Baroque songs through a jazz-focused lens, the New York premiere of Damien Geter's COTTON, which explores an African American narrative of past and present performed by Denyce Graves and Justin Austin, and a new program from Broadway legend Audra McDonald, who takes the stage with a program inspired by her Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning 30-year career.



Building on the theme of transformation, 11 of this season's 42 concerts will be presented in 92NY's newly renovated and creatively flexible Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center. In its Buttenwieser Hall programs, Tisch Music will continue to expand on-site audience engagement in new and exciting ways. As it continues to build its global audience (having secured approximately 5 million views from 200 countries and all 50 states for its original programming across the institution last year), 92NY will maintain its commitment to making its offerings available globally, with more than 20 events available for streaming and on-demand viewing.

The 2023/24 Tisch Music Season builds on the recent success of its Midsummer MusicFest, launched this year in celebration of 92NY's 150th Anniversary. Consistent with 92NY's anniversary theme, the annual Festival will look back on 92NY's musical history, with 2023's festival inspired by 92NY's role in bringing jazz from small clubs to a concert hall setting. The Season also continues the evolution of Tisch Music's flagship Lyrics & Lyricists series, doubling the American Songbook offerings and focusing on the genre as defined, not only by Broadway, but in the many genres of American music found across the country.

Highlights of the 2023/24 Tisch Music Season include:

• Joshua Redman Group release concert of where are we featuring Gabrielle Cavassa

• NY premieres of new work by Tyshawn Sorey and COTTON by composer Damien Geter

• New York concert debuts of the Isidore String Quartet and pianist Tony Siqi Yun

• Pianist Conrad Tao returns to 92NY as part of the global celebration of Rachmaninoff at 150

• Ongoing partnerships continue with concerts from the Curtis Institute of Music, the New York Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with special guest artists

• Art of the Guitar Series with Beijing Guitar Duo, David Russell and Manuel Barrueco

• 2023/24 Lyrics & Lyricists series celebrating Howard Ashman, Laura Nyro, Stevie Wonder, andSheldon Harnick in a special event led by Ted Sperling honoring the legacy of three-time Tony Award winner and Broadway legend, Jason Robert Brown, featuring a one-night-only appearance.

• Expanded American Songbook offerings including exclusive concerts by Audra McDonald, Joshua Henry and Stephanie J. Block

For more information, please visit 92NY.org/Concerts.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York:

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.