Cheng² Duo
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CHENG² DUO
Siblings Bryan and Silvie Cheng have been performing together since childhood and now tour the world as the Cheng² Duo, bringing a rare, unguarded intimacy to the concert stage. Their performances have been called “truly exhilarating” and “absolutely captivating,” and audiences tend to leave wondering why they don’t go to more classical concerts. Cellist Bryan is the only musician in 40 years to have won top prizes at both the Queen Elisabeth and Geneva International Music Competitions. Pianist Silvie has served as Cecilia Concerts Musician-in-Residence and National Arts Club Artist Fellow. Together, they are JUNO-nominated for their latest album Portrait, a collection of works written for, or arranged by, the duo that explores their heritage as Chinese-Canadians who now call Berlin and New York home.
Their program “Night at the Museum” is a kaleidoscopic journey through time and across continents. Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte opens the evening with its famous, luminous stillness — music that sounds like a painting you want to linger in front of. Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, reimagined in the duo’s own arrangement, translates one of classical music’s great storytelling works into an epic conversation between cello and piano. Fazil Say’s Cello Sonata is a musical travelogue through four Turkish cities inspired by folk music and jazz that shaped the composer’s imagination. The evening closes with a world of its own: Portrait of an Imaginary Sibling, composed for the duo by Dinuk Wijeratne: a work that could only exist because of who these two are to each other.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Captivating audiences and critics alike, the “brilliant” (The Times, UK) and “truly exhilarating” (The WholeNote, Canada) Cheng² Duo (pronounced Cheng Squared Duo) distinguishes itself with its uncompromising musical integrity, undeniable chemistry, and unparalleled communication with its listeners. The Chinese-Canadian brother-and-sister duo is formed by 22-year-old cellist Bryan Cheng, first cellist to win Grand Prize at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Competition (2019) and playing the Canada Council for the Arts’ prized ca. 1696 ‘Bonjour’ Stradivari; and pianist Silvie Cheng, recipient of the Roy M. Rubinstein Award for exceptional promise in piano performance.
Named one of CBC Music’s “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30”, the dynamic Cheng² Duo has been making music together for the past 17 years. With wide-ranging repertoire from baroque to contemporary, from original arrangements inspired by folk music to new commissioned works, the duo has presented engaging recitals in world-class concert halls throughout North America (Canada and USA), Europe (Belgium, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, Italy, UK), and Asia (China and South Korea). Now touring extensively, they have established a reputation for being invited for return engagements at renowned venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall (NY), Chamber Music at the Clark (Los Angeles), the National Gallery of Canada, and Ottawa Chamberfest. The duo has also been featured at numerous other international festivals, including Aspen (Colorado), Trasimeno (Italy), Usedom (Germany) and Festival of the Sound (Ontario), as well as broadcasts on CBC Radio, ICI Musique, Radio-Canada International, Vermont Public Radio, WCRB Classical Music Boston, WCNY Classic FM, Kulturradio RBB and SWR2 Germany, ORF Radio Austria, and Classical Radio Orpheus (Moscow).
In the vanguard of creative programming, Bryan and Silvie are equally committed to presenting both traditional masterworks and the music of their time. Since 2013, they have commissioned nearly a dozen new works, as well as curated cross-disciplinary concert experiences that meld classical and contemporary music with jazz, poetry, and visual/media arts — leading collaborative partners have included photographer and cinematographer Edward Burtynsky, Mercury Films, and multimedia studio Normal.
Recent and upcoming concert highlights include the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Symphony Nova Scotia; a summer 2020 tour of their Beethoven project, Ludwig & Beyond, to Paris, Frankfurt, London, Michigan, and throughout Canada; debut recitals at the California Center for the Arts, Dame Myra Hess Series (Chicago), National Arts Club (NYC), Harvard University (MA), Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Salle Bourgie (Montréal), Cecilia Concerts (Halifax), as well as the Indian River (PEI), Elora (ON), Bravo Niagara! (ON), and Toronto Summer Music Festivals; and tours across China and Canada. Cheng² Duo has released a trilogy of critically-acclaimed albums on the German label audite: Russian Legends (2019, BBC Radio Scotland Album of the Week), Violonchelo del fuego (2018), and Violoncelle français (2016, one of WCRB Classical Radio Boston’s top CDs of 2017). The duo’s recordings have been lauded by the press in a dozen countries worldwide for their “phenomenal virtuosity”, “maturity and perfection”, “extremely imaginative and personal interpretation”, “taste, sure flair for phrasing, and tonal beauty”.
BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
The Norton Center is located on Centre College’s campus in historic downtown Danville, Kentucky. Please take a moment to review our event policies before arriving.
The Norton Center is located in Danville, Kentucky at the corner of Walnut Street and College Street. Limited parking is available in the Norton Center lot. Reserved accessible parking is available by calling the Box Office at 859-236-4692.
Norton Center Lot + Accessible Parking
$5 Paid Parking on Show Nights
99 Charleston Green, Danville, KY
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Danville City Parking Garage
Free weekdays after 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays
Located just a few blocks from the Norton Center.
105 South 3rd Street, Danville, KY
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Please note that the Norton Center is a historic venue with limited accessible seating. Special reserved wheelchair and companion seating is available for all shows. Please call the Box Office at 859-236-4692 to request assistance with your accommodations.
The Grand Foyer and Will Call open 60 minutes prior to show time. The theater opens 30 minutes prior to show time.
Enjoy sweet and savory treats, assorted beverages and bar service before the show and during intermission.
Ticket sales are non-refundable. Tickets purchased through a subscription package may be exchanged for another show in the same season. Tickets are transferable to friends or family. Donations for the value of tickets are appreciated.
Please note that dates and times of all performances are subject to change. In the event of a canceled performance, ticket holders will be notified by email and will have the opportunity to donate the value of their tickets to the Norton Center, exchange their tickets for another show or receive a full refund.
Tickets to Norton Center performances are sold exclusively through the Box Office in person, by phone at 859-236-4692 or online at www.nortoncenter.com. If you purchase tickets from any other source, including Ticketmaster, StubHub or an individual, we cannot guarantee your seat. The prices of tickets obtained from unauthorized sources are often greatly inflated. The Norton Center is not responsible for tickets purchased from other sources. Tickets purchased from secondary sellers are not eligible for replacement if tickets are lost or stolen, or if the event is canceled or rescheduled.
For more information, please call the Box Office at 859-236-4692 or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
