Chinese musicians Li Jian, Hai-Ye Ni and Siqing Lu will perform at Carnegie Hall next month

A trio of world-renowned Chinese musicians — pianist Li Jian, cellist Hai-Ye Ni and violinist Siqing Lu — will appear at Carnegie Hall in New York City next month for the Piano Trio Concert, An Afternoon of Cultural Splendor.

The performance in Zankel Hall on Nov 23 at 3 pm aims to bring East and West together through the playing of technically demanding chamber music masterpieces. The musicians will perform Beethoven's "Archduke" Piano Trio No 7 in B-flat Major, and Schubert's Piano Trio No 2 in E-flat Major.

The event, the latest in the cultural splendor concert series, is jointly presented by the Gong Family Foundation and the US-China Cultural Foundation. Contributors include executive producer Elizabeth B. Wang; Tim Gong, chairman of The Gong Family Foundation; John Catsimatidis, chairman of Red Apple Group; and John W. Allen, founder trustee of the US-China Cultural Foundation.

Gong told China Daily: "I've finally realized my dream of bringing together Beethoven's ‘Archduke' Trio and Schubert's E-flat Trio, D 929 in one performance. I believe Schubert was saluting Beethoven — but in reality, he went beyond him! Friends in New York, please get your tickets and join us!"

The three featured artists, among the most distinguished in their generation, all revealed that they not only share a bond of years of friendship, but also a deep passion for classical music.

Hai-Ye Ni, principal cellist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, told China Daily: "It is my honor to play this trio concert with Siqing Lu and Li Jian. Both are my good friends and virtuosic soloists. The Beethoven ‘Archduke' and the Schubert trio No 2 are giants in the chamber music repertoire.

"The Beethoven is a grand work and the Schubert has a famous slow movement in which the theme is first played on the cello."

The gifted cellist has played as a soloist with a wide range of orchestras such as Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Finnish Radio and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. She adds that she is "looking forward to playing at Zankel for the first time with my colleagues."

Lu, one of China's most well-known violinists, currently serves as president of the Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao, artistic director of the May Festival at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and Lifetime Artistic Ambassador of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia.

He told China Daily: "I'm looking forward to being united with my wonderful colleagues as music bridges cultures. Li Jian is a pianist, but we've actually played not as a pianist and violinist but as a conductor and violinist.

The enigmatic violinist added that he was excited to play alongside Ni, an old school friend, who is a "wonderful" musician with "a really good career as the principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

"It's so exciting to play in New York," Lu added. "I spent quite some years in New York as I graduated from Julliard School. I love the vibrant cultural scene."

Lu described New York audiences as being "very open minded and very deeply appreciative" of music and art.

Li Jian, a renowned pianist, who won the Grand Prize at the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris at the age of 16, said: "Performing Beethoven's ‘Archduke' Trio and Schubert's E-flat Trio with my esteemed colleagues is both a challenge and a joy. I look forward to sharing the beauty and depth of these masterpieces with the New York audience."

The concert will be followed by a special award ceremony, where Catsimatidis on behalf of New York City and the mayor's office will present the US-China Cultural Foundation's Global Cultural Excellence Award to the three artists.

The concert is supported, in part, by public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and promoted by China Daily, 77 WABC and New York Music Radio / WQXR.

All of the artists thanked the organizers and sponsors for their efforts to unite the US and China through music by bringing the best Chinese artists to a New York stage.

Wang, co-founder and president of the US-China Cultural Foundation, reflected on the upcoming concert, saying that "art is a bridge that connects the world. Every concert we present is not just a performance — it's a dialogue between cultures and a celebration of the human spirit. We hope audiences will feel the emotional depth and universal beauty that only music can express."

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com