Lord of the Strings: NCPA Stars Perform at ISB

(Newswire.net — May 25, 2016) Beijing —ISB staged an all-star recital on May 17 featuring famous violin soloist, Lü Siqing, and the world-renowned Shanghai String Quartet. 

Mr. Lü, an ISB father-of-two, began studying the violin at the age of 4 and was accepted into the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music at the age of 8. A regular performer at the NCPA, Mr. Lü was recently appointed artistic director for this year’s May Festival.

Eager to share his love for music with the ISB community, he invited the Shanghai String Quartet to perform at the theater and share the stage with ISB’s high school orchestra.

“The chance to perform with one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Cindy Bulteel, ISB’s high school orchestra conductor. “This is a special occasion and we are very grateful to Maestro Lü. It’s an honor to have him perform in our theater.”

In between his solo performances, Mr. Lü explained to parents, teachers, and students how the school recital marked a unique milestone in his musical career.

“I’ve been friends with a couple of the quartet’s musicians for many years. However, as we were rehearsing I realized this is the first time we’ve all performed together on the same stage,” he said.

Mr. Lü praised ISB’s performing arts department, lauding teachers for igniting children’s lifelong passion for music.

“As a proud ISB parent, I think the music program here is wonderful. Everyone enjoys their music, and I thank Ms. Bulteel and all the other music teachers who have done a great job inspiring students to pursue their creative passion,” he said.

Founded in 1983, the Shanghai String Quartet is one of the world’s busiest ensembles, performing more than 200 days a year. Following their performance, Mr. Lü expressed his desire to invite more world-class musicians to perform for the ISB community.
“I really hope in the future I will have more opportunities to bring other outstanding musicians to ISB,” he said.