Concert Features San Diego Symphony and Faculty Members
The string trio's recital features SDSU professor of violin Felix Olschofka.
Chamber music by Dvorak, Halvorsen and Prokfiev will be performed at a string trio recital featuring members of the San Diego Symphony and SDSU faculty at noon on Wednesday, April 15, in Smith Recital Hall.
The concert is free and open to the public, and is part of a semester-long free concert series.
San Diego Symphony musicians Jing Yan, violin, and Chu-Yuan Chen, viola, will be joined by School of Music and Dance professor Felix Olschofka on violin.
About Yan
A Chinese native, Jing Yan began playing violin at age seven. She later entered Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music and continued her studies with a full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Yan also earned a performance diploma from Indiana University and has performed throughout Europe, China and the United States.
She has played with Beijing Symphony, London Philharmonic and Chicago Civic Orchestra. In 2006 Ms. Yan won a position with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and also performs with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and the California Chamber Orchestra.
About Chen
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, violist Chi-Yuan Chen is recognized as one of the leading violists from his native country. Both of his parents have musical backgrounds.
"I was exposed to both Chinese and Western music at a very early age," Chen said. "Music to me is not a profession; it is my life. Learning and practicing music is an extremely lonely path, but making and sharing music makes up for the loneliness."
In 1999, Chen became the first violist ever to win the New England Conservatory Concerto Competition. In 2000, he was awarded the Henri Kohn award from the Tanglewood Music Center for his outstanding musicianship and contribution, and in 2004, he won the third prize at the International Paris Viola Competition Ville d'Avray. A graduate of New England Conservatory, Chen also holds a doctoral of musical arts degree from Stony Brook University in New York.
About Olschofka
Olschofka currently serves as professor of violin and chair of the performance area at SDSU.
He has toured as soloist, chamber musician, concert master and adjudicator throughout Europe, Asia and North and South Americas. As a proponent of contemporary music, Olschofka frequently presents the premiers of new works for violin and is a founding member of SWARMIUS. Olschofka holds degrees from "Hanns Eisler" Academy of Music Berlin, Indiana University and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of California San Diego.
