Shanghai String Quartet and Qing Jiang Set for Music Mountain's Labor Day Benefit

Music Mountain, America's Longest Running Chamber Music Festival, continues its 88th season with a holiday weekend of music on September 2 & 3 by the outstanding Shanghai String Quartet!

The Saturday evening concert (6:30pm) features Mendelssohn; Yi-Wen Jiang; and Brahms. Sunday afternoon (3pm) marks the annual Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception! The Shanghai String Quartet, with guest artist Qing Jiang, piano, perform Beethoven and Brahms. Concerts are scheduled thru September 17.

Saturday welcomes the Shanghai String Quartet performing Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E Flat Major, Opus 12; Yi-Wen Jiang: Selections from Chinasong; and Brahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Opus 51 #1. The Quartet's most popular disc, Chinasong, is a collection of Chinese folk songs arranged by Violinist Yi-Wen Jiang reflecting on his childhood memories of the Cultural Revolution in China.

Music Mountain's Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception is Sunday afternoon! Join the Shanghai String Quartet with guest artist Qing Jiang, piano, as they present a special concert featuring Beethoven: String Quartet in B Flat Major, Opus 18 #6; Beethoven: String Quartet in E Minor, Opus 59 #2; and Brahms: Piano Quartet in G Minor, Opus 25.

Renowned for its passionate musicality, impressive technique and multicultural innovations, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles. Its elegant style melds the delicacy of Eastern music with the emotional breadth of Western repertoire, allowing it to traverse musical genres including traditional Chinese folk music, masterpieces of Western music and cutting-edge contemporary works.

Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, the Shanghai Quartet has worked with the world's most distinguished artists and regularly tours the major music centers of Europe, North America and Asia. The Quartet has been regular performers at many of North America's leading chamber music festivals. Additionally, the Quartet has an extensive discography of more than 30 recordings, ranging from the Schumann and Dvorak piano quintets with Rudolf Buchbinder to Zhou Long's Poems from Tang for string quartet and orchestra with the Singapore Symphony (BIS). The Shanghai Quartet currently serves as Quartet-in-Residence at the John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, Ensemble-in-Residence with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and visiting guest professors of the Shanghai Conservatory and the Central Conservatory in Beijing.

Praised by the New York Times as a "fiery musician" whose playing is "vigorous and passionate," pianist Qing Jiang enjoys a diverse career in solo, chamber, and contemporary music. A dynamic chamber musician, Ms. Jiang has collaborated with many leading artists and chamber ensembles and has worked directly with contemporary composers. She has appeared in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Steinway Hall, and the Isabella Gardner Museum, as well as in the UK's Snape Maltings Hall, and China's Central Conservatory in Beijing. Committed to educating the next generation, Ms. Jiang is currently Assistant Professor of Piano at Bucknell University.

Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available.

Music Mountain is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission On Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chamber music concerts continue with Amernet String Quartet with Vivek Kamath, Viola (September 10); and Juilliard String Quartet (September 17).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series continues with The Galvanized Jazz Band (September 9); and Jive By Five (September 16).

Specially Priced Concerts are as follows: Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, September 3 (3PM) with The Shanghai String Quartet, guest artist Qing Jiang, piano, are $75. Tickets for the closing concert on Sunday, September 17 (3PM) with The Juilliard String Quartet are $60.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35. Twilight Series Concerts are $30. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm. Group rates are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

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