Wu Man and Shanghai Quartet to Perform at Hanford Hall, 3/31

Portland Ovations presents Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet in a program titled "A Night in Ancient and New China" at Hannaford Hall at USM Portland for an evening concert on Thursday, March 31st at 7:30pm.

Heralded "a force of nature" by Gramophone, pipa virtuoso Wu Man inspires composers from Tan Dun to Terry Riley and is a founding member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project. She is joined by the Shanghai Quartet, one of the world's leading chamber music ensembles, known for their passionate musicality and dazzling technique. Their brilliant program takes audiences on a musical journey that spans the ages: from a suite of traditional Chinese folk songs to Beethoven's String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95, to contemporary works by Tan Dun and Zhao Lin.

On Wednesday, March 30th between 5:00-6:30 pm at Bowdoin College's Studzinski Hall in Brunswick,The Shanghai Quartet will hold a Masterclass where the public is invited to watch as the Shanghai Quartet observes and provides interactive feedback with quartet and piano quintet students. That same evening, Wednesday, March 30th between 6:15-8pm in Osher Hall at Maine College of Art, Ovations Offstage offers an evening of conversation with Wu Man, which includes a screening of her documentary Discovering a Musical Heartland: Wu Man's Return to China. This event is presented in collaboration with Fox Intercultural Consulting and MECA. Prior to the performance on March 31st a pre-performance lecture titled "East-West Cultural Encounters" will take place between 6:30-7:15 PM at Hannaford Hall, USM Portland. Where Dr. Jie Zhao, Associate Professor of History at USM, explores cultural interactions and change in modern China, including the Cultural Revolution.

Tickets for Wu Man and The Shanghai Quartet are $37.80 for Ovations' Members, $42 for the general public and a limited amount of $10 student tickets are also available.

The Wu Man and Shanghai Quartet performance is graciously supported by New England Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Center for Cultural Exchange Foundation, The Cricket Foundation and The Confucious Institute at University of Southern Maine. This performance is sponsored by WBACH.

To purchase tickets, contact PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit the box office window at Merrill Auditorium. Tickets are also available online at www.portlandovations.org.