Program

Robert Schumann
Three Romances, Op. 94                                                                                               

Francis Poulenc
Oboe Sonata, Fp. 185                                                                                                         

Benjamin Britten
Temporal Variations
Some of the images projected during Britten's Temporal Variations 
are graphic in nature. They may be disturbing to some. 

Performers

Mingjia Liu, oboe
Chia-Lin Yang, piano

Artist Profiles

Mingjia Liu, oboe
Mingjia Liu joined the San Francisco Opera as Principal Oboe in 2010. Recognized for his charismatic performing skill and "singing ability" on the instrument, he is currently the youngest Principal Oboist of all the professional orchestras in the United States. He was selected from nearly 180 applicants for his outstanding playing and musicianship.

Since joining the orchestra, Mr. Liu has received many favorable reviews from critics:

"The standout was Principal Oboist, Mingjia Liu, who plays his solos exceptionally well. This however comes as no surprise as Liu's technique is always clean and flawless in the pit ..." ~ GB Opera Magazine and quotes from Nicola Luisotti, Music Director of the San Francisco Opera as "... having his sound come from God".

A native of the northern coastal city Qingdao in China (home of TsingTao beer), Mingjia was born into a family of art and literature. At the age of 12, he was enrolled at the Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and immediately recognized as an outstanding student among his peers. Her studied with Weidong Wei, Professor of oboe at the Central Conservatory of Music and graduated with the highest distinction in 2006. He then went on to continue his studies in the United States at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He won a coveted position in the classes of two of the most sought after oboists of our time, Robert Walters from the Cleveland Orchestra and Alex Klein, Principal Oboist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He appeared as a Fellowship Musician at both the Colorado College Music Festival and at the Aspen Music Festival where he worked closely with two other distinguished oboists, Richard Woodhams and Elaine Douvas. He was a finalist in several notable auditions such as Principal Oboe for the Seattle Symphony and the Grant Park Music Festival in 2009 and the Marlboro Music Festival in 2010.

In 2009, at the age of 21, he won the position of Principal Oboe of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern. During that time, he collaborated with such artists as Gil Shaham and Emmanuel Pahud among others. In his short tenure, he received many favorable reviews among the local critics.

The Kansas City Journal of Performing Arts wrote: "Principal Oboist Mingjia Liu displayed especially brilliant and eager playing in his featured melodies."

The Kansas City Star wrote: "Principal Oboist Mingjia Liu was notable for his wonderful solo lines ..." 

In addition to playing with San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Mingjia has also appeared as a guest artist with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and the China National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2011, he made his debut as a soloist with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra and was especially lauded by Chinese critics. On his most recent tour of China, he was seen as an emerging star of western classical music. Recognized not only for his outstanding performing skills, Mingjia Liu is gaining considerable recognition as a teacher both in the United States and abroad. He continues to show his enthusiasm for education through this genre as can be attested by his recent invitation from the Central Conservatory of Music to give both recitals and master classes at the First Beijing International Oboe Festival. Mr. Liu became the oboe faculty of the San Francisco conservatory of music in 2015 and he has appeared as a special guest teacher at his Alma Mater, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music regularly. In the summer of 2014, he qualified for the position of Principal Oboe of the San Francisco Symphony and performed as their Acting Principal Oboe from January through May 2015. Mr. Liu is the super finalist for the principal oboe audition of the Chicago symphony orchestra in 2016.

Chia-Lin Yang, piano
Praised by critics for her "admirable fluidity of line and limpid touch", Dr. Chia-Lin Yang is a multidimensional artist, appearing in concerts throughout the United States, Canada, and her native country, Taiwan, as a concert pianist and a chamber musician. She has appeared at Rolston Recital Hall as part of the Banff Centre's Music and Sound Residency program in Alberta, Canada, and at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington, as the second-prize winner of the 2008 Seattle International Piano Competition. As a recipient of the Helen von Ammon Fund for Emerging Artists, her solo performances in the Noontime Concert Series in San Francisco were highly acclaimed for her variegated voices and multifaceted interpretation. She was also invited to play in the soundtrack of an award-winning independent movie, "Hide," directed by Robert Shelby.

She made her orchestral debut in 2002 with the Indiana University Concert Orchestra, performing Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto as the winner of the IU Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition. Since then, she has frequently appeared with various orchestras, performing Sergei Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, Camille Saint-Saëns's The Carnival of the Animals, and Francis Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos with Canadian pianist Scott Meek. Her performance of Liszt's First Piano Concerto with the Camerata Symphony Orchestra was acclaimed by critic Peter Jacobi as possessing "the requisite touch of poetry that eludes so many pianists.

A dynamic chamber musician, Dr. Yang has worked with many emerging artists. Besides being the founder of the Aristo Trio and the Yang-Shin-Bate Trio, she was invited to perform with the Queen Elizabeth Violin Competition Laureate and IU Professor Ik-Hwan Bae, Long-Thibaud Violin Competition winner Frederieke Saeijs, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra principal violist Andrew Ling, and renowned Polish violinist Bartosz Cajler, winner of the A. Postacchini Violin Competition and faculty at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. Her chamber music performances have been heard worldwide in venues ranging from The Forum in Taipei, Taiwan, to the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center in Sarasota, Florida. She has toured the States, presenting chamber music recitals at many major universities and community performing centers. Her most recent performances include chamber music collaborations with San Francisco Symphony violinist Florin Parvulescu at the Tateuchi Hall in Mountain View and with Mission College violin faculty Dr. Chag-Hee Lee in the Fortnightly Music Club Concert Series in Palo Alto. She was also featured in the 2015 annual concert of prominent Bay Area string orchestra, The Sonnet Ensemble, playing both harpsichord and piano.

Dr. Yang's First Prize win at the 2003 Kingsville International Isabel Scionti Piano Solo Competition in Texas paved the way for her future competition success at the national and international levels. Her second-prize win at the WAMSO Young Artist Competition in Minnesota gave her the opportunity to perform on the national broadcast as a featured artist on WQXR. Some of her additional recognitions include top awards in the National Arts and Letters Competition, the Wideman Piano Concerto Competition, and the Camerata Orchestra Solo Competition.

Dr. Yang received her degrees of Doctor of Music and Master of Music from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington as a student of André Watts and Evelyne Brancart. She has worked with Marc Durand, Robert Levin, Joseph Kalichstein, Seymour Lipkin, Arnaldo Cohen, William Wolfram, André Laplante, and Jacob Lateiner in public master classes. After graduation, Dr. Yang joined the faculty at West Valley College Music Department from 2008 to 2010. She co-established the Young Artist Concert Series at WVC and played both at the inaugural recital and subsequent concerts, bringing classical music to reach a new peak in the communities of Silicon Valley.

Dr. Yang is currently on piano faculty of the Music Department of University of California-Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division. She is a frequent adjudicator in piano competitions in the Bay Area. As a member of Music Teachers' Association of California, she conducts a private teaching studio and devotes a significant amount of time to music education of the younger generation.