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www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant
ARTISTSAriel
W inners of the First Prize
and the Amadeus Prize
at the London Interna-
tional String Quartet Competition in
2006, the Formosa Quartet is “one of
the very best quartets of their genera-
tion” (David Soyer, cellist of the
Guarneri Quartet). Its debut recording
on the EMI label was hailed as “spell-
binding” (Strad Magazine) and “remark-
ably fine” (Gramophone), and the
quartet has given critically acclaimed
performances at the Ravinia Festival, the Library of Congress, the Chicago Cultural Center, and Wigmore Hall in London. Formed in 2002
when the four founding members came together for a concert tour of Taiwan, the Formosa Quartet is deeply committed to championing
Taiwanese music and promoting the arts in the land of its heritage.
In its relatively brief existence, the Formosa Quartet’s active commissioning has contributed significantly to the 21st century’s string
quartet literature. They premiered Taiwanese-American composer Shih-Hui Chen’s Returning Souls: Four Pieces on Three Formosan Amis
Legends in 2014, and the Quartet’s recording of its first commission from Ms. Chen, Fantasia on the Theme of Plum Blossom, was released
on the New World Records label in 2013. Other pieces recently written for the Quartet include three pieces by Dana Wilson — Hungar-
ian Folk Songs, The night of h’s, and Apart — Wei-Chieh Lin’s Pasibutbut, and Thomas Oboe Lee’s Piano Quintet and Jasmine Variations.
The members of the Formosa Quartet – Jasmine Lin, Wayne Lee, Che-Yen Chen, and Ru-Pei Yeh – have degrees from the Juilliard
School, Curtis Institute of Music, and New England Conservatory, and have been top prizewinners in prestigious competitions such as
the Paganini, Primrose, Naumburg, and Tertis competitions. Each summer, they serve as faculty quartet-in-residence at the National
Youth Orchestra of Canada, as well as at their very own Formosa Chamber Music Festival in Hualien, Taiwan.
short bio
press“They deliver almost technically flawless performances, taking
particular care to ensure that textures are as crystal-clear as possible
throughout each work. This approach is particularly effective in the
Mozart K. 387, which is given a marvellously elegant performance full
of youthful freshness and exuberance in the outer movements with a
naturally warm lyricism in the Andante Cantabile. It also illuminates
the rhythmic complexities of the Scherzo of Debussy’s Quartet
presented here with spellbinding virtuosity.”–BBC Music Magazine
“The Formosa Quartet plays with exquisite definition… an appetite-
teasing Mozart Quartet in G, K. 387 (with a scintillating, sure-bowed
finale), and the quartet version of Wolf’s one-off Italian Serenade in a
glistening, vivacious, witty, encore-like performance…The disc is
marked by variety, technical brilliance and much charm.”–Classic FM
“Their playing of Schubert’s Quartettsatz is instinct with drama…
while Mozart’s K. 387 is remarkably fine both in meticulous
response to the letter and in a desire to look beyond the notes.
The Formosa Quartet certainly deserve to succeed.”–Gramophone
“Bold and intense, like shots of pure espresso…Although tradition-
al in terms of repertoire, the performances on this disc go beyond
the beautiful and into the territory of unexpectedly thrilling.”
–MUSO Magazine
“They also convey with seasoned skill the drama, poetry and
lyricism of Schubert’s Quartettsatz and inject Wolf’s Italian Ser-
enade not only with breathtaking vitality and athleticism but also
with a true joie de vivre.”–Strad Magazine
PHOTO BY MATT DINE
FORMOSA QUARTET string quartet
www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant
ARTISTSAriel
FROM HUNGARY TO TAIWAN
As an ensemble with Taiwanese heritage, it is the Formosa Quar-
tet’s ongoing mission to bridge our Western culture with the
culture of Taiwan, where Western art music was not a part of its
traditions until recently. Inspired by Kodály and Bartók, who went
into the Eastern European countryside over 100 years ago to study
folk music, we have commissioned pieces influenced by both
Hungarian and Taiwanese indigenous music; in doing so, we
explore the connections between East and West, as well as
between the lowbrow and highbrow. Dana Wilson’s Hungarian Folk
Songs is a direct adaptation of Hungarian music in its original
forms; Bartók’s Fourth Quartet is simultaneously one of his most
primal and most astonishingly refined pieces. Shih-Hui Chen’s
Fantasia on the Theme of Plum Blossom is influenced by Nanguan, a
musical style originating in China’s Fujian province and now
flourishing in Taiwan. Pasibutbut is a millet-harvest prayer song of
the the Bunun, a tribe of Taiwanese aborigines. They are best
known for their sophisticated polyphonic vocal music, and Wei-
Chieh Lin’s adaptation beautifully captures the spirit of their most
sacred ritual.
Works to be performed on the “From Hungary to Taiwan” program
include:
Shih-Hui Chen, Fantasia on the Theme of Plum Blossom*
Dana Wilson, Hungarian Folk Songs*
Wei-Chieh Lin, Pasibutbut*
Bartók, String Quartet No. 4
*COMMISSIONED BY FORMOSA QUARTET
HEIGHTS AND DEPTHS
Formosa Quartet offers this program of emotional extremes,
as music is unrivaled in its ability to capture the many facets of
human experience, from lofty beauty to dark despair. Two great
composers did so in remarkable, albeit very different, ways:
Mozart, known for his ebullience, guileless charm, and spunky
merrymaking, juxtaposes these sunny aspects with sudden turns
of melancholy and anguish, achieving interplays of light and
shadow profoundly reflective of life. In Beethoven, we hear all
that is noble in the human spirit, reaffirming our faith in mankind
— and then, equally powerfully, acute sadness and the com-
plete absence of hope. This program traverses such scope with
two resplendent works by Mozart and Beethoven, and with a
piece by Shih-Hui Chen based on aboriginal Taiwanese folklore
which takes us from the depths of violent barbarism to the
heights of radiant divinity.
Works to be performed on the “Heights and Depths” pro-
gram include:
Mozart, String Quartet No. 17 in B-flat major, K. 458 “Hunt”
Shih-Hui Chen, Returning Souls*
Beethoven, String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
*COMMISSIONED BY FORMOSA QUARTET
ITALIAN SERENADE
This program from Formosa Quartet explores two different
themes simultaneously: one-off chamber works by composers
who worked mostly in spheres other than chamber music, and
Italia, which, despite being well-represented in opera houses, is
an uncommon presence in string quartet concerts. From two
quintessential opera composers, Verdi and Puccini, we have two
program offerings
PHOTO BY MATT DINE
FORMOSA QUARTET string quartet
www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant
ARTISTSAriel
program offerings (cont.)strikingly operatic pieces; Austrian lieder composer Hugo Wolf gives
us a brilliant and witty Italian Serenade. A set of Hungarian Folk Songs
rounds out the program; written for Formosa Quartet by the group’s
friend Dana Wilson, this is a raucous, ebullient, funny, and moving
piece of music that you don’t want to miss.
Works to be performed on the “Italian Serenade” program include:
Hugo Wolf, Italian Serenade
Dana Wilson, Hungarian Folk Songs*
Puccini, Crisantemi
Verdi, String Quartet in E minor
*COMMISSIONED BY FORMOSA QUARTET
ENCORE, ENCORE
These are encore pieces that are near and dear to the Formosa
Quartet, with many gems written or arranged by close friends and
members of the group. This program begins with the last complet-
ed string quartet by the father of the genre, but then traverses the
farthest corners of the quartet repertoire. A study in contrasts
on the second half – Wei-Chieh Lin’s Pasibutbut and a set of
madrigals by the Renaissance composer Luca Marenzio –
launches us through a string of miniatures composed in the
intervening 400 years that each encapsulate an emotion and
experience we can all relate to irrespective of time or place.
Works to be performed on the “Encore, Encore” program
include:
Haydn, String Quartet in F major, Op. 77, No. 2
Dana Wilson, Hungarian Folk Songs*
Wei-Chieh Lin, Pasibutbut*
Luca Marenzio, Madrigals
Duke/Wei-Chieh Lin, Autumn in New York
Burwell/Grappelli/Jasmine Lin, Sweet Lorraine
Dana Wilson, The Night of h’s (on a poem by Jasmine Lin)
More encores TBA
*COMMISSIONED BY FORMOSA QUARTET
PHOTO BY MATT DINE
FORMOSA QUARTET string quartet
www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant
ARTISTSAriel
MASTER CLASSES AND CHAMBER MUSIC COACHINGS
The Formosa Quartet brings years of experience and immeasurable
enthusiasm to the instruction of the next generation of chamber musi-
cians. They are thrilled to work with students in a variety of contexts.
The group has teaching residencies at the Formosa Chamber Music
Festival and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and they also
have experience coaching and giving master classes at schools such
as the University of Southern California, Cal State Fullerton, Roosevelt
University, the Juilliard School, Cornell University, and Rice University.
AUDIENCE BUILDING
Formosa Quartet is eager to bring music to underserved commu-
nities, and to perform in unusual or surprising new contexts. This
could include performances at schools, retirement homes, and
hospitals; they are also available for short, ad hoc performances
in coffee shops, salons, cafés, cafeterias, and public spaces,
perhaps as a way to spark interest in an upcoming concert
within the community.
UNIVERSITY RESIDENCIES
University residencies with the Formosa Quartet offer a total-immer-
sion experience: beyond a full-length concert, individual lessons, and
chamber music coachings and master classes, Formosa Quartet can
conduct student composition readings and outreach programs in
the community, and can integrate themselves into the existing music
department curriculum for the length of their stay. They can trace
hundreds of years of music history through the medium of the string
quartet, illustrate concepts of music theory through performance ex-
amples, or even discuss the business of music or arts administration.
Formosa is happy to work closely with artistic directors and faculty
members to custom-design a residency specific to the needs of the
students and larger community.
additional offerings
PHOTO BY MATT DINE
FORMOSA QUARTET string quartet
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