TNUA’s Department of Music invited three renowned musicians, Lilya Zilberstein, Wang Jian and Dave Samuels as guest lecturers in December.
The Russian pianist Ms. Zilberstein made her third visit to TNUA, while the Chinese cellist Mr. Wang visited the school for the second time. Prof. Samuels, the percussionist from the United States, arrived on Dec. 13 to offer a week-long series of lectures. All three distinguished guests demonstrated and explained their arts in their respective one-on-one teaching sessions with TNUA students.
Ms. Zilberstein won the 1987 Concorso Busoni, and since then she has been frequently touring in Europe and the United States. She has partnered with Martha Argerich in piano duets for many times. In 1991, she performed with the Claudio Abbado-conductd Berliner Philharmoniker. She has also performed with many other famous orchestras and conductors, such as Christoph Eschenbach and James Levine. She is known for her perfect rendition of works by Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky.
Mr. Wang, who last visited TNUA two years ago, lectured on Dec. 12, teaching students how to play works by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Boccherini. Explaining the bowing technique of spiccato, Mr. Wang showed how the bow actually did not leave the strings and how the wrist should act like a “spring,” instead of using the strength of the arm. He made his debut recital at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1986, and since then has enjoyed a successful career as a performer. In1993, he formed a trio with pianist Maria Joao Pires and violinist Augustin Dumay to perform in many prestigious venues, which propelled him further to international fame.
Prof. Samuels told students to observe the common grounds in the world of music. Citing the father of western music as an example, Prof. Samuel noted that J.S. Bach’s harmony was employed in Jazz music from the 1940s to 1960s, and even The Beatles used the same harmony. He also advised students to record their own performance. By listening to one’s own performance, one can discover his or her own strengths and weaknesses. This learning process is what he calls “one’s musical mirror.”Prof. Samuels is known as the top mallet player of his generation, and recognized for his fresh new sound and creative approach to both the vibraphone and marimba.