Michael Fennelly, Megan Weston and More Have Been Added to CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR VI at Carnegie Hall

Harvard Wealth Strategy & Management, LLC and Premier Event Management Inc. announce the sixth annual Chinese New Year Spectacular Concert at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the Year of the Rat on February 7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. Taking place in the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall, this special program celebrates both Chinese and American cultures through art and musical performances and the diverse melting-pot that is New York City.

As a highly anticipated annual performance, Spectacular Concert has become a NYC tradition to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year. The performance will feature new artists including Pianist Cong Bi, Soprano Megan Weston, Pianist Michael Fennelly, The Athenians, and Kunqu Performers Jiehua Shi, Min Cheng and Qinglin Cai, as well as featuring returning headliners including Soprano Quan Chen, and American violinist Deni Bonet. Chinese Opera "Kunqu" is one of the oldest genres of opera, a ritualized fusion of acting, singing and stage movement.

"This year's Spectacular VI Concert is a diverse blend of cultures and musical sounds. We're thrilled to have such a strong and energetic group of new and returning talent," said Charles W. Sullivan, Spectacular VI Concert co-producer and president of Premier Event Management, Inc.

"This one-of-a-kind concert will be unique in its history, and we are extremely honored to continue to host this tradition at Carnegie Hall for six consecutive years," said Lily Li, Spectacular VI Concert co-producer and chief executive. "Our mission and passion for this event is to showcase a multicultural blend of music and art for our multicultural audience."

The evening's program will feature a wide range of musical arrangements:

· Pianist Cong Bi, who was born into a musical family in Guangzhou and was awarded a full scholarship to precollege at Julliard School in 2010. In 2014, he enrolled in the Mannes College of Music and graduated with honors winning the Outstanding Talents Honors Award, the Best Undergraduate Performed Award, and the 2019 Steinway Award.

· Soprano Quan Chen, is a uniquely expressive and internationally established soprano who has been invited to sing with Andrea Bocelli in the famous Colosseum in Rome, Italy in 2021. Quan Chen won the Puccini Ambassador Medal in the Premiere Opera International Vocal Competition and won the first prize of Lieder and Song in the Grand Stage International Arts Foundation Competition. Ms. Chen is a member of the Shanghai Musicians Association and has earned Master degrees in vocal performance from both Shanghai Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music.

Soprano Megan Weston, is the co-founder of the Athena Music Foundation, a non-profit organization which serves to inspire diverse audiences and increase awareness of the power and beauty of opera and classical music through programmed performances. Ms. Weston has performed at the WeLink International Film Festival, the United Nations International Women's Day Celebration, and Vital Voices and has been the recipient of major awards from such esteemed organizations as the Gerda Lissner International Competition, the Lee Schaenen Foundation Competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Auditions, the Pavarotti International Competition, and more.

Pianist Michael Fennelly, is the co-founder of the Athena Music Foundation and has the distinction of being named a Bösendorfer artist. He was recently knighted in Spain honoring his completion of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for solo piano, orchestra, and symphonic chorus, which he is set to perform later this season with the National Chorale in Lincoln Center. Michael has toured extensively around the globe including China, Japan, Dubai, South America, Morocco, Sweden, Spain, and more. He represented the US State Department on a tour of Japan, made his solo piano debut in Carnegie Hall and was the US winner of the Horowitz Competition in Kiev.

The Athenians, a New York City-based touring troupe of The Athena Music Foundation, comprised of virtuoso artists presenting enlightened concerts around the globe. Known for their thrilling gala concerts, they have appeared at the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colón, Covent Garden, and Opéra de Monte-Carlo. In 2019 they performed for the World Finance United Exchange Summit in Dubai, the National Arts Club and the Consulate General of France in New York City, the WeLink International Film Festival at the United Nations, and toured Macau and Beijing.

Violinist Deni Bonet, a New York City-based singer/songwriter, electric violinist, and multi-instrumentalist. Bonet has performed and recorded with Cyndi Lauper, R.E.M., Sarah McLachlan and many other musical legends. She was awarded a grant in 2019 through the Arts Envoy Program of the U.S. Government to spend a month's residency in Africa teaching violin, songwriting, and rock 'n' roll at a music college in Zanzibar. Bonet has released several CDs of her own original music, including the critically-acclaimed "Bright Shiny Objects" on Sony/RED.

· Kunqu Performers Jiehua Shi, Min Cheng and Qinglin Cai. Jiehua Shi is a graduate of the Shanghai Academy of Performing Arts and a former member of the Shanghai Kunqu Troupe. Ms. Shi has been invited to appear in many performing arts festivals in Spain, Taiwan, and the United States. She has been a Resident Artist of the Society since its inception and a teacher of the Kunqu Opera Workshop; Min Cheng is a graduate of the Jiangsu Performing Arts Institute. He studied with Kunqu Opera master Zhou Chuanying, Gao Jirong and Cai Zhengren, and was one of the leading actors of the Jiangsu Kunqu Institute for many years. He was a winner of the Orchid Award for Outstanding Young Kunqu Artists and was recognized as a top-ranked performer nationally in China; and Qinglin Cai is a leading Kunqu Opera performer of clown roles in China. Mr. Cai is a graduate of the Shanghai Academy of Performing Arts and a former member of the Shanghai Kun Opera Troupe. Mr. Cai has been a Resident Artist of the Society since its inception and has appeared in many performing art festivals in Spain and United States.

The annual Spectacular Concert is produced by Premier Event Management Inc. and Harvard Wealth Strategy & Management, LLC, two American organizations which share the common goal of bridging the culture gap between Chinese and American cultures.

Tickets start at $28 and can be purchased HERE or by phone at (212) 247-7800. Children under 12, seniors over 60 and active duty military members are eligible for a 25 percent discount.