UT College of Music to Host New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Frank Huang
The University of Tennessee College of Music is thrilled to announce that New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Frank Huang will come to the Knoxville campus for a week of activities with students and faculty, culminating in a special performance with the UT Symphony Orchestra.
Frank Huang is a highly-respected violin virtuoso who joined the New York Philharmonic as Concertmaster in 2015. His many accolades include First Prize in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s Violin Competition and the Hannover International Violin Competition, top prizes in the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition and the Indianapolis International Violin Competition, Gold Medal Awards in the Kingsville, Irving M. Klein, and D’Angelo international competitions. He has performed with many of the world’s greatest symphonies.
“We could not be more delighted for our students to share the stage with such a talented virtuoso as Frank Huang,” said Jeffrey Pappas, Natalie L. Haslam Founding Dean of the College of Music. “This is just another indication that the College of Music is part of a university on the rise that such an accomplished artist is eager to work with our faculty and students.”
Huang will conduct master classes with College of Music students earlier in the week before capping off the week’s events at a joint concert with the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra. The performance will feature colorful orchestral masterworks including UT alumna Dosia McKay’s “Watercolors,” Ottorino Respighi’s sensational “Fountains of Rome,” and the virtuosic Violin Concerto by Jean Sibelius. The concert will be conducted by James Fellenbaum, director of orchestras at the University of Tennessee College of Music.
“I’m so excited that an artist the caliber of Frank Huang will be performing with us, and I’m thrilled for our students who will get to collaborate with him in orchestra, play for him in masterclasses, and get to learn more about him and his career,” Fellenbaum said. “It’s going to be an incredible week!”
“I met Frank Huang at a festival and when I had the honor to play chamber music with him,” said Miroslav Hristov, coordinator of strings and professor of violin. “It was such an amazing experience that I immediately thought our students at the University of Tennessee College of Music must have that same opportunity to work and be around one of the most prominent artists in the world. That wish is coming true!”
Events open to the public:
Saturday, September 16 at 12:00 p.m., Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall
Violin Master Class and Q&A
Saturday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m., Alumni Memorial Building, James R. Cox Auditorium
Concert with the UT Symphony Orchestra
NOTE: This concert will not be livestreamed.
To see a preview of the piece that Huang will perform with the UT Symphony Orchestra, watch this video.