PIANIST STEVEN LIN AT ZANKEL HALL NOVEMBER 18

Concert Artists Guild and the American Friends of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society will jointly present pianist Steven Lin in recital Wednesday evening, November 18, 2015, 7:30 p.m. at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. Winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and Silver Medalist of the 2014 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, Mr. Lin will perform a varied program including the world premiere of alba, commissioned by Concert Artists Guild from the young American composer David Hertzberg.

This concert, which marks the launch of the American Friends of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society, will continue a precedent established in London when laureates of the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition were presented in concert at Wigmore Hall. The American Friends plans to present future concerts of the competition winners in the United States. The complete program follows:

BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3

SCHUMANN Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13

MENDELSSOHN Rondo capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14

DAVID HERTZBERG alba (World Premiere) (commissioned by Concert Artists Guild)

RAVEL La Valse

Taiwanese American pianist Steven Lin is an immediately engaging and imaginative young artist, applauded by the New York Times for playing that is "...immaculately voiced and enhanced by admirable subtleties of shading and dynamics," (February 12, 2014) and his growing list of awards features the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the John Giordano Jury Chairman Discretionary Award at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In May 2014, Mr. Lin entered The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Israel, competing against 35 other contestants, all of them first-rate pianists screened and carefully chosen by a committee of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. He advanced through three rounds as one of the six finalists, and performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in the final round. His dynamic playing was recognized with the Silver Medal as well as numerous performance prize engagements in Israel and internationally.

Mr. Lin begins the 2015-16 season with summer performances at Korea's DITTO Festival and The Finca World Piano Festival in the Canary Islands, and a concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony and Music Director Miguel Harth Bedoya. He is also featured prominently in the Cliburn Competition documentary film, Virtuosity, which premiered on PBS in late July 2015. He will give a recital this season at the Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills. Mr. Lin's North American concerto appearances include three performances with the Kansas City Symphony and his debut in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium with the New York Youth Symphony.

Internationally, Mr. Lin performs in Asia frequently during 2015-16, including a solo recital tour of Taiwan, and four recitals in China, including Shanghai, as well as a tour of Korea and China with the DITTO Ensemble. He also returns to Israel for a concerto performance with the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva, and other recent concerto performances abroad include: National Taiwan Symphony; Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (Taipei); Taipei Symphony Orchestra; and the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Steven Lin's artistry was clear from an early age when he was accepted into the Juilliard Pre-College Division on a full scholarship at the age of ten to study with Yoheved Kaplinsky. A two-time winner of the Juilliard Pre-College Piano Competition, he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in Avery Fisher Hall at the age of 13. Additional concerto performances include the New Jersey Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic and Sendai Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared on radio broadcasts including NPR's From The Top and WQXR's McGraw Hill Young Artists Showcase.

The pianist's broad musical interests allow him to move with ease between concertos, recitals and chamber music, enjoying appearances world-wide at important venues including the Louvre and Salle Cortot in France, National Dublin Hall in Ireland, Seoul Arts Center in Korea, Sendai Cultural Center in Japan, and Avery Fisher Hall in the United States. Recent recital debuts include: Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; The Kennedy Center; The Gilmore Rising Stars series; and the National Chopin Foundation. Recent summer festivals include the Aspen Chamber Music Workshop, under the mentorship of David Finckel and Wu Han, and the La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest, curated by violinist Cho-Liang Lin.

In 2012 Mr. Lin became a prizewinner at the William Kapell International Competition, The Juilliard School's Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, and was awarded an unprecedented three honors at the International Hilton Head Piano Competition, cited for his excellence in baroque and contemporary music as well as his overall pianism.Steven Lin earned both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at The Juilliard School, studying with Robert McDonald and Matti Raekallio. He is currently pursuing a Performance Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, under the guidance of Robert McDonald.

In addition to this commission from Concert Artists Guild, two other works by the innovative young composer David Hertzberg will be premiered this season: a work for voice and chamber ensemble at (le) poisson rouge in spring 2016 and a piece commissioned by the BMI Foundation, Inc./Carlos Surinach Fund for Concert Artists Guild by CAG violinist In Mo Yang at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. Noteworthy in his rapidly growing career is his new position as 2015-2018 Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia and Music Theatre Group. Among his numerous prizes

are the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2015 and 2012 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, and the 2012 Aaron Copland Award from Copland House.

The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition came into being in 1974 with the aim was of uniting the name and the artistic legacy of Arthur Rubinstein with the cultural life of Israel. Rubinstein himself gave his name and blessing to the competition and attended the first two, once in 1974 when Emanuel Ax was the Laureate, and then again in 1977. Conceived in the spirit of this legendary pianist, the Competition is committed to attaining standards of the highest order and is a valid international forum for presenting talented, aspiring young pianists and fostering their artistic careers. The Arthur Rubinstein Award and other prizes are presented to young master pianists whose talents reveal outstanding musicianship as well as the ability to render versatile, artistically convincing interpretations of works, ranging from the pre-classical to the contemporary. It also fosters Israeli music. Rubinstein laureates include Emanuel Ax, Gerhard Oppitz, Angela Cheng, Alexander Korsantia, Kirill Gerstein, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Igor Levit, Khatia Buniatishvili, Boris Giltburg, and Daniil Trifonov.

The success of the first three competitions led, in 1980, to the creation of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. These contests were recognized as having added significantly to the development of Israel's cultural life and also received worldwide acclaim as an important musical manifestation at the international level. Among its goals are the continuing development of the Competition in Tel Aviv, awarding scholarships to talented pianists selected for entry into the Competition, the awarding of a special prize in the name of Arthur Rubinstein, and promotion of the artistic careers of the Competition laureates. In addition, the Foundation sponsors lectures and exhibition on Rubinstein's life and art, organizes worldwide "Homage a Rubinstein" recitals, concerts, and international festivals.

The newly established American Friends of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society was formed to create performance opportunities for Rubinstein Laureates in the United States as well as to support other Rubinstein Society activities. For further information, please visit www.afarims.org.

Founded in 1951 with a mission to discover, nurture, and promote young musicians, Concert Artists Guild has helped several hundred young musicians start careers over the past sixty years. The range of artistry has been great: from the heart of the classical music tradition to the cutting edge. Notable alumni artists include violinist Jennifer Koh, clarinetists David Krakauer and David Shifrin, flutists Carol Wincenc and Marina Piccinini, Imani Winds, the Grammy-winning ensembles eighth blackbird, Pacifica and Parker String Quartets, and MacArthur Fellow flutist and arts entrepreneur Claire Chase.

CAG provides support to a roster of talented artists during the critical and formative time between completion of formal studies and the achievement of an established career. Artists are selected through a rigorous multi-round

annual competition open to traditional and non-traditional instrumentalists, ensembles and singers. CAG offers comprehensive management services including concert bookings and tour management, commissioning and recording opportunities and marketing and publicity support. The NewMusic/New Places initiative presents CAG artists in non-traditional venues such as bars, clubs, and galleries, introducing diverse audiences to concert music. 2015-16 NM/NP concerts will be announced during the season. Writing for The New York Times, music critic Zachary Woolfe captured the essence of CAG's desire to broaden the performance possibilities for its winners: "Concert Artists Guild, which manages and promotes rising classical performers, is well aware of the challenges its musicians face as they embark on their careers. Stable, dependable engagements may well be a thing of the past, and it is necessary to think beyond the same traditional halls. To that end, the organization started the series New Music/New Places which presents its young charges and alumni in a wider-than-usual range of places." (October 4, 2013)

The CAG Records label enables roster musicians to get their music onto disc and into the marketplace. The CAG Commissioning Program ensures that classical music continues to be a living art form by fostering collaborations between performers and composers.

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