Chinese professional violinist (born 1960)
Vera Tsu Weiling
|
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Also known as
| Vera Tsu, Vera Tsu Wei Ling, Vera Tsu Wei-ling
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Born
| Shanghai
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Instrument(s)
| Violin
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Musical artist
Vera Tsu Weiling
(born 1960) is a professional violinist and Professor and Master tutor of the
Central Conservatory
in Beijing and
Shanghai Conservatory
. She is featured in the
Academy Award
winning documentary
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
, directed by
Murray Lerner
. Tsu Weiling serves as co-chairman of the
Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition
and vice-president of the China Violin Society.
Early life
[
edit
]
Tsu Weiling was born in the city of
Shanghai
,
China
, and began playing the violin at the age of 3 under the guidance of her father.
[
citation needed
]
Both her parents were amateur musicians; her father played the violin whilst working as an electrical engineer, and her mother played the piano whilst working as a nurse. Tsu Weiling was first denied violin lessons by her father due to her young age of 3. Upon protest from Tsu Weiling, her father made a deal that if she could hold her body and arms in the correct violin playing position during the time it took for him to run errands, he would teach her to play. Unfortunately, he forgot the deal, and she was left standing for hours such that upon his return, Tsu Weiling's face had "turned green" resorting to her being given a small one-eighth violin. She would continue to learn from her father for another 13 years.
[1]
Chinese Cultural Revolution
[
edit
]
The
Chinese Cultural Revolution
, which began during Tsu Weiling's childhood, restricted all permitted music to eight
Peking operas
approved by
Jiang Qing
, the wife of
Mao Zedong
. Since the classical music that Tsu Weiling was taught was banned, she was forced to hide her violin practices, often in basements. She describes this period of her life and the fear of prosecution:
"We had a basement, actually, a very small room, and I practiced very secretively. You had to draw the curtain and play in a dark room, using a mute. You could not let people see you practice, because they called it 'unhealthy music.' We had seven or eight 'red songs' from Peking Opera, and they were all that was played. That was the only kind of music that people were allowed to hear."
[1]
Tsu Weiling also relied on music scores smuggled in from visiting
Soviet Union
musicians, which were then hand copied using pencil and passed to her, often with wrong notes or rhythms due to the copying process. Among the banned scores they were able to copy were etudes by
Schradieck
,
Sevcik
,
Kreutzer
, and
Dancla
. However, since concertos were so rare to find, Tsu Weiling had not even heard of
Mendelssohn's Concerto
until it was secretly copied.
[1]
She comments that "...this is how we learned, with no recordings, nothing. No model we could learn from. It was very difficult situation during the Cultural Revolution."
[1]
Around Tsu Weiling's sophomore year in high school, circa 1976,
The Gang of Four
, who had controlled the cultural and educational systems in China by enforcing the ideals of the Cultural Revolution, collapsed. This allowed her to audition for the
Central Conservatory of Music
after schools and universities were re-opened to college students, following a ban spanning ten years being lifted.
[1]
Career
[
edit
]
Tsu Weiling began her studies at the
Central Conservatory
in
Beijing
in 1977 as part of the first generation of college students post-
Cultural Revolution
. During her second year of college in 1979, Tsu Weiling performed in front of violin master
Isaac Stern
when he visited China. She was subsequently featured in the documentary
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
, directed by
Murray Lerner
, which details Stern's visit and his experiences being the first American musician to collaborate with the Chinese orchestra. She can be seen playing an excerpt from
Caprice after a study in the form of a waltz
by
Saint-Saens
, arranged by
Ysaye
. The documentary won an
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
in 1981.
[2]
Tsu Weiling describes meeting Stern as "revolutionary. Like a tornado,", and upon hearing him play, she comments, "it was like being in the desert for so long, and then all of a sudden ? water! A fountain!".
[1]
The meeting inspired her to pursue studies abroad. During filming, Tsu Weiling met violinist and conductor
Yehudi Menuhin
who sponsored her to study in
Switzerland
.
[
citation needed
]
In 1980 Tsu Weiling travelled to America where she first studied at the
Peabody Conservatory
with
Daniel Heifetz
.
[1]
She then enrolled in the
Juilliard School of Music
to be mentored by
Dorothy DeLay
, where she remained for three years until she transferred to the
Manhatton School of Music
to study with
Raphael Bronstein
. In 1981 she won first place at the Manoque International Young Artist Competition, and would soon after win the Waldo Mayo Talent Award and the Artists International Competition.
[3]
In 1984 Tsu Weiling had her debut recital at
Carnegie Hall
, and in 1988 she performed at
Avery Fisher Hall
with the
New York Symphony Orchestra
, becoming the first violinist from the Chinese mainland to perform as a soloist at both venues.
[4]
Between 1993?2000, Tsu Weiling held the position of First Associate Concertmaster of the
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
where her husband, maestro
Long Yu
, was guest conductor.
[5]
Tsu Weiling holds two professorships; one from the
Central Conservatory in Beijing
in November 2000, and the other awarded by
The Shanghai Conservatory
in September 2014.
[6]
In 2009 Tsu Weiling created the China Trio with pianist Sheng Yuan and cellist Zhu Yibing.
[
citation needed
]
One of the main reasons for forming the trio is to provide the Chinese public an opportunity to listen to
chamber music
, which has a more intimate experience than orchestral concerts due to the much smaller number of players performing, in this case, three. To explain a lack of chamber music presence in China, Tsu Weiling cites pressures for soloists to focus on their solo careers rather than divert time towards small group performances, "I founded The China Trio with two like-minded musicians to fill a vacancy for professional chamber music in China". The China Trio performed at the Shanghai Music in the Summer Air Festival in 2016.
[
citation needed
]
In 2016, Tsu Weiling and her husband, conductor
Long Yu
, honoured
Isaac Stern
by launching
The Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition
; the first ever international competition in her hometown.
[1]
Tsu Weiling served as a judge for this competition. In an interview, she expressed the cultural and political significance of Shanghai hosting such a violinist competition:
"Before, I couldn't even dream of all these people in my own city, and also being a judge in an international-level competition," she said. "We were so isolated in China: no music, no recordings, no live performance, no idea what real music is. And now, we have our own competition, bringing so many great musicians together in this city. This changes things tremendously."
[1]
She is married to a conductor,
Long Yu
and they have one daughter.
[1]
Teaching style
[
edit
]
Tsu Weiling teaches violin at the
Central Conservatory
in Beijing, the
Shanghai Conservatory
, as well as a masterclass in
Mozart's violin sonata no. 27 in G-major, K379
at the
iClassical Academy
.
[7]
The masterclass entails analysis of the composition by Tsu Weiling to provide detailed notes on bow distribution, stylistic pauses between notes to underline the sound, and attention to the conversational flow between piano and violin.
In an interview with The Strad, Tsu Weiling describes her approach to performing as a soloist among an orchestra, stating that one should learn the entire score as well as the solo part so they can perform with confidence, "the more prepared you are, the more room you have to adjust." She also states that being afraid of playing wrong notes or forgetting parts hinders soloists, causing them to "play like machines" by not making eye contact with the conductor and orchestra.
[8]
"A performance should be a conversation between the soloist, the conductor and the orchestra; at the same time you have to communicate with the audience. Music should connect, no matter what, through slow notes, long notes, melodic passages, fast passages ? even when you have an eight-bar rest while the orchestra plays."
[8]
Among Tsu Weiling's pupils are Renchao Yu (2018 Zarin Mehta Fellow), Angela Chan, and Strauss Shi.
[9]
[10]
Tsu Weiling is vocal about the need to continuously improve and credits the opportunities she was given for her achievements, "For me, the most disturbing problem at present is not the technical difficulties, but the most basic skills that we gain learning violin at the very beginning...It's more like a feeling and hard to explain but I enjoy, above anything else, the moment when I can extend a beautiful note and let it breathe. I am lucky to have so many great opportunities ? and I took them...I will play my violin as long as I can."
[
citation needed
]
Jury positions
[
edit
]
Tsu Weiling regularly serves as a jury member on a number of notable violin competitions which can provide prize winners with funds and in some cases, loans of valuable instruments such as
Stradivarius
violins. She credits the opportunity of judging these competitions for improving her own teaching style and solo performances.
[
citation needed
]
List of jury positions:
- Sion Valais International Violin Competition (Switzerland), 2005
[11]
- The
Queen Elisabeth Competition
(Brussels, Belgium), 2009,
[11]
2012
[
citation needed
]
- The First International Violin Competition Buenos Aires (Argentina), 2010
[
citation needed
]
- The 11th Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition (Spain), 2011
- The 3rd Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition, (Japan), 2011
[12]
- Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
2011,
[11]
2016
[13]
- The
Menuhin Competition
, 2012
[14]
- The Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition, 2014
[15]
- The XV International Tchaikovsky Violin Competition Moscow (Russia), 2015.
[16]
- The Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition
(China), 2016, 2018
[17]
- Elmar Oliveria International Violin Competition, 2017
[18]
- The
Isangyun Competition
presented by the
Tongyeong International Music Foundation
, 2017
[19]
- The First International Viktor Tretyakov Violin Competition 2018
[20]
List of notable performances
[
edit
]
- Premiere of
Tan Dun
's
Out of Peking Opera
and
Symphony No. 3 The Great Wall
, conducted by
David Eaton
. Soloist with the
New York Symphony Orchestra
, at
Avery Fisher Hall
, in 1988
[4]
- Solo recital in the national gala for society of members of the
Legion d'honneur
at the
Theatre des Champs-Elysees
in Paris 1993, performing
Sonate in E-flat Major
by
Strauss
,
Melodie
and
Scherzo
by
Tchaikovski
, and Polonaise brillante by
Wieniawski
. Chen Jiang on piano accompaniment.
- Soloist with
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
during their in Berlin and China tour in October 1998
- Beijing Music Festival
where Tsu Weiling performed with
Issac Stern
, 1999.
- At the
Shanghai Oriental Arts Center
, performing the
Beethoven Violin Concerto
with conductor
Krzysztof Penderecki
, 2005
- Opening ceremony of the
Women's Forum for the Economy & Society
, 2007
- During the 11th Beijing Music Festival in 2008, Tsu Weiling performed
Bernstein's Serenade
, which was also broadcast in Times Square, New York City
- As part of the opening of the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, Tsu Weillng played
Tan Dun
's violin concerto
Out of Peking Opera
with
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
, 30 years after its first performance in at Avery Fisher Hall
[21]
Discography
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
"Interview with Chinese violinist Vera Tsu Weiling: From the Cultural Revolution to Now"
.
Violinist.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
"Murray Lerner, Oscar-winning documentarian who captured rock history, dies at 90"
.
Washington Post
. Archived from
the original
on 2017-09-06
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
"Vera Tsu- Bio, Albums, Pictures ? Naxos Classical Music"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
a
b
New York Media, LLC (8 February 1988).
"New York Magazine"
.
Newyorkmetro.com
. New York Media, LLC: 116.
ISSN
0028-7369
.
- ^
"Shanghai conductor appointed to No 2 spot at Hong Kong Philharmonic"
.
South China Morning Post
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
"elmaroliveiraivc | Vera Tsu Wei-ling"
.
Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition
. Retrieved
2018-11-19
.
- ^
"Vera Tsu ? iClassical Foundation"
.
iClassical Foundation
. Retrieved
2018-11-26
.
- ^
a
b
"How do you prepare for a concerto competition?"
.
The Strad
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"Strauss Shi, violin and Yi-Fang Wu, piano | SFCM"
.
sfcm.edu
. Retrieved
2018-11-29
.
- ^
"Noontime Concerts ? Strauss Shi, Violin and Yi-Fang Wu, Piano"
.
noontimeconcerts.org
. Retrieved
2018-11-29
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Vera Tsu"
.
www.wieniawski.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
"宗次エンジェルヴァイオリンコンク?ル ~ヴァイオリニストの?掘と??的な支援~"
. Retrieved
2018-11-29
.
- ^
"JURY"
.
www.wieniawski.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
"2012 Concerts & Events"
(PDF)
.
Menuhin Competition
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 25 March 2018.
- ^
"Schoenfeld International String Competition"
.
schoenfeldcompetition.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"#TCH15 ? Vera Tsu Wei Ling"
.
tch15.medici.tv
. Retrieved
2018-11-23
.
- ^
李?.
"Next Isaac Stern violin contest in Shanghai to be held in 2018 ? China ? Chinadaily.com.cn"
.
www.chinadaily.com.cn
. Retrieved
2018-11-26
.
- ^
"elmaroliveiraivc | 2017 Jury"
.
Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"Jury | ISANGYUN Competition | Foundation | TIMF"
.
www.timf.org
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2018-11-29
.
- ^
"Vera Tsu Weiling"
.
violintretyakov.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"Shanghai Spring International Music Festival"
.
www.ssimf.org
. Retrieved
2018-11-29
.
- ^
"CHEN / HE: Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (The) / A Ke: Violin Concerto ? 8.223960"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"KORNGOLD / GOLDMARK: Violin Concertos ? 8.225908"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"The Hall of Fame ? 8.225911"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"KORNGOLD / GOLDMARK: Violin Concertos ? 8.553579"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"Dreaming of My Motherland ? Vera Tsui ? 8.225906"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"DISCOVER THE CLASSICS, VOL. 3: The Concerto ? 8.554486-87"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
- ^
"Marco Polo Sampler (2 CDs) ? MP-2000-1/2HDCD"
.
www.naxos.com
. Retrieved
2018-11-24
.
External links
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International
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National
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Artists
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