Principal cellist Qizhen Liu will perform Lalo’s Concerto in D Minor at Symphony of the Hills season-opening concert on Oct 5.
Sept 18, 2023–Prize-winning cellist and international performer Qizhen Liu will be featured soloist at the season-opening concert of Symphony of the Hills on Oct 5, at 7:00 p.m., at the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville. A wine reception will be held in the lobby from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Qizhen Liu will perform Eduard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor, according to Dr. Eugene Dowdy, Conductor and Artistic Director.
“The final work on this celebratory program is the passionate cello concerto of Eduard Lalo,” Dowdy said. “We are thrilled that it will be performed by our symphony principal cellist, Qizhen Liu. This is sure to be a musical treat for our audience.”
Liu joined the Symphony of the Hills in 2021 as principal cello. Born and raised in Shanghai, she moved to the United States at age 17. She has performed in China, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, Japan, and across the United States. Liu holds a Doctorate in Cello Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Masters from Yale School of Music, and Bachelors from the Bard Conservatory of Music.
She considers Lalo’s concerto “a challenge to perform,” while giving her the freedom to interpret how she approaches it.
“This piece goes from fieriness to melancholy reflectiveness ending with ecstatic excitement,” Liu said. “Although this piece is quasi-free with various elements, I like to represent the whole concerto as one story.”
The program will also feature the premier of Everyone Sang, composer Donald Grantham’s work for soprano and orchestra, commissioned to commemorate Schreiner University’s Centennial celebration.
The complete music program includes:
Brahms – Academic Festival Overture
Elgar – Pomp & Circumstance March No. 1
Donald Grantham – Everyone Sang (composed in commemoration of the Schreiner Centennial)
-Haley Dove Montoya, soprano soloist
Lalo – Cello Concerto in D Minor
-Qizhen Liu, cello soloist
Seats can be reserved online at caillouxperformingarts.com or by calling or visiting the Cailloux Theater Box Office, (830) 896-9393. Box Office window hours are 10am to 1pm Monday through Friday, 10am to 3pm Saturday. Tickets start at $29.
Full descriptions of each concert along with ticket links are available at www.symphonyofthehills.org.
