Muskegon, Michigan, July 8, 2020 – The first concert in The Block after a five-month hiatus will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18 featuring violinist Chee-Yun. Originally slated for mid-May, the concert was postponed due to the Coronavirus epidemic. Even now, The Block remains closed to the public; the acclaimed Korean violinist will perform for her audience virtually via a video concert produced by the West Michigan Symphony (which operates The Block).
Accompanied by pianist Emily Grabinski, Chee-Yun will present a multi-national program that includes Polish composer Henryck Wieniawski’s Polonaise in D major, French composer Cesar Franck’s Violin Sonata, the Russion Igor Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, and Argentinian Astor Piazzolla’s Grand Tango.
Chee-Yun’s Block recital comes on the heels of another video concert, with the West Michigan Symphony and its Music Director, Scott Speck, held on Friday the 17th and featuring Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
Korean-born violinist Chee-Yun has toured the United States with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas and Japan with the NHK Symphony, among many others. Her recent recording of the Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2 on Naxos was acclaimed as “an engrossing, masterly performance” (The Strad) and “a performance of staggering virtuosity and musicality” (American Record Guide). Her beautiful violin, crafted in 1669 by Francesco Ruggieri, is in such amazing condition that it is rumored to have been buried with its original owner for more than 200 years.
Also in The Block next week, Scott Speck will host Chee-Yun for a virtual Lunch ‘n Learn at 12 noon on Wednesday, July 15, which will air on the WMS Facebook page and in WMS’s free, open-to-all website Listening Room. Patrons who would like to learn more about this fascinating artist are invited to tune in.
Following the Lunch ‘n Learn, prizewinning young pianist Lydia Seaver of Montague will perform a solo piano program, including excerpts from Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata and Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, along with works by Bach, Chopin, and others. A student of Dr. Sookkyung Cho, Seaver enters the music program at Grand Valley State University this fall. She won first place at the recent St. Cecilia Philharmonic Piano Concerto Competition and at the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony Piano Concerto Competition, among other awards and honors.
Passes for The Block video concert featuring Chee-Yun are priced at $25. To purchase, call 231.726.3231 (not available for online purchase). Patrons who sign up will receive an email with a link and password to access the Virtual Concert Hall. For more information, visit www.TheBlockWestMichigan.org.