UVA Chamber Music Series - I-Jen Fang, Percussion
The UVA Chamber Music Series presents percussionist I-Jen Fang on Sunday, March 26th at 3:30pm in Old Cabell Hall.I-Jen Fang will perform two solo pieces, The Bones of Chuang Tzu by her late teacher and mentor, Christopher Deane (1957-2021) on solo timpani and Adventure on Mt. Hehuan by Judith Shatin on solo bass drum. She will also be joined by her friend, Ming-Hui Kuo, percussion on three pieces: Dreaming of the Red Chamber for marimba duet by Hung, Chien-Hui, Ambient Resonances (Echoes of Time and Place) by Peter Klatzow (1945-2021), and they will finish the recital with Calienta by Emmanuel Séjourné.
I-Jen Fang, Percussion
Described as an “intrepid percussionist” by Fanfare Magazine, I-Jen Fang has a career as a solo performer, chamber musician, orchestral player, and teacher. She joined the faculty of the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia in 2005 and serves as the Principal Timpanist and Percussionist of the Charlottesville Symphony.
As a soloist, I-Jen has performed as a marimba soloist in Taiwan, U.S., Austria, France, Hungary, Romania, and South Africa. She was also the featured marimba soloist with the Charlottesville Symphony in 2006 and 2010. As a chamber musician, I-Jen has performed or recorded with artists such as Keiko Abe, William Cahn, Christopher Deane, Mark Ford, Heini Kärkkäinen, Mike Mainieri, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Jan Müller-Szeraws, Diane Pascal, Minna Pensola, Carsten Schmidt, Ed Smith, Michael Spiro, Ki Midiyanto, Muryanto, Nanik Wenton, Nyoman Wenton, EcoSono Ensemble, Cantata Profana, Attacca Percussion Group, DaCapo Chamber Players, and Victory Hall Opera. She is also a founding member, with Ayn Balija, of the Piedmont Duo, which explores the sonic possibilities of the viola and percussion. She has appeared in Staunton Music Festival, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Wintergreen Festival, Heritage Theater Festival, Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) and Regional PAS Day of Percussion.
An advocate of New Music, I-Jen was the director of the UVA New Music Ensemble for 14 years. The ensemble collaborated with composer/improviser George Lewis, flutist Claire Chase, and performed for composers such as Phillip Glass and Christian Wolff. She has also commissioned and/or premiered works by Jon Bellona, Matt Boehler, Becky Brown, Matthew Burtner, Cameron Church, Ted Coffey, Kevin Davis, Christopher Deane, Erik DeLuca, Aurie Hsu, Sarah O’Halloran, Chris Peck, Leah Reid, Judith Shatin, Brian Simalchik, Ed Smith, D.J. Sparr, Max Tfirn, Zachary Wadsworth, Kristina Warren, and Michele Zaccagnini.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, I-Jen began her musical education at age six taking piano. Taking up percussion at the age of nine, she came to the United States at age fifteen to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Percussion Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. She received her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas where she served as a teaching fellow.
I-Jen is an Innovative Percussion and Marimba One artist.
Ming-Hui Kuo, Percussion
Dr. Ming-Hui Kuo was an intern performing member of Ju Percussion Group (JPG) from 1993 to 2002. During her time with JPG, she performed over 500 concerts and hundreds of music related activities including annual seasonal concerts at Taiwan National Concert Hall, JPG Music Theatre such as – Dream • Wind Bell I, II, and Music Theatre – See the Sound, the Musical “Cyrano de Bergerac” with Godot Theatre Company, the Annual JPG Children’s Concert Tour, the Annual Lantern Festival hosted by Taipei City Government and Kaohsiung City Government, Keelung International Modern Music Festival, Taipei-Seoul Exchange Concert, Taipei International Percussion Convention. Her international performances with JPG include China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong-Kong, Macao, Spain, Hungary, Australia, Canada and the United States. In 1999, Kuo was a co-founder of the Butterfly Percussion Quartet with Pei-Ching Wu. In 2011, Kuo co-founded XPlorium Chamber Ensemble with Dr. Nathan Nabb. XPlorium Ensemble has been invited for performances at the 2011 WASBE Conference & 20th Chiayi City International Band Festival.
Kuo has been an active clinician, chamber ensemble performer, and solo performer since 2007. Events include Percussion Art Society (PAS) International Convention, PAS Kentucky Day of Percussion, Indiana Percussion Association Clinic Day, Music of the 21st Century Chamber Concerts, Indiana Music Education Association Conference Day of Percussion, The North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference, clinic tours in Taiwan and numerous Midwest colleges and high schools.
Dr. Ming-Hui Kuo also appears on many CD projects with JPG, the MSU Faculty Holiday CD, Dr. William Mann’s Trombone album, and XPlorium Ensemble. Her composition Ethan’s Road for solo marimba has been published through Tapspace Publications in The Blue Book – Volume 3. Ming-Hui proudly endorses Yamaha, Innovative Percussion, Remo Inc., and Zildjian Cymbals.
Dr. Kuo studies with Dr. Pei-Ching Wu, principal of JPG and with Mr. Tzong-Ching Ju, the Founder and Artistic Director of JPG before pursuing the master’s degree. Kuo earned her Master of Music degree at Morehead State University in 2003. In 2012 she earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance at the University of Kentucky as a student of Jim Campbell.
All programs are subject to change.
For more information please call the Department of Music at 434.924.3052.