17cÍøÒ³°æ Tech 17cÍøÒ³°æ Presents:
Russian Flames
Wednesday, February 19th, 2025
7:30pm
Ferst Center
17cÍøÒ³°æ Tech Symphony Orchestra
Dr. Chaowen Ting, Conductor
Composer Bio ¨C Alice Hong
Alice Hong is an international award-winner both as a violinist and composer. One of CBC¡¯s 2018 edition ¡°30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30¡±, Alice¡¯s compositions have been praised as "beautifully cinematic" and "stunning" (EarRelevant) and have been played by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Niagara Symphony, 17cÍøÒ³°æn Bay Symphony and more. As a violinist, Alice has performed in 28 countries and frequently joins orchestras across the USA and Canada as a guest violinist including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as a section violinist with the Colorado Music Festival, as a chamber musician at festivals like Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, and as a soloist with orchestras like Alpharetta Symphony and more.
Alice has enjoyed commissions by Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, 17cÍøÒ³°æ Tech Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Summer Music, L?vstabruks Kammarmusikfestival, Chamber Music @ New Park, ensemble vim, and principal members of the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Buffalo Philharmonic. Her compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and China and have won multiple awards, including ASCAP Morton Gould Awards as well as first prize at the International Keuris Competition, among others.
Soloist Bio ¨C Jes¨²s Castro-Balbi
An internationally-renown concert cellist and pedagogue, Jes¨²s Castro-Balbi has performed extensively across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and recorded 13 albums. He is regularly featured in major venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Mexico City¡¯s Sala Nezahualc¨®yotl, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai¡¯s Oriental Arts Center, and Tokyo¡¯s Suntory Hall. He has appeared as a soloist with the Aarhus (Denmark), Dallas, and Fort Worth symphony orchestras; China, and Mexico City philharmonic orchestras; the Leipzig (Germany) and Norwegian radio orchestras; and the National Symphony Orchestra (Peru). A passionate champion of new music, he presented the first recording of 19 works, 57 premiere performances, and is the dedicatee of 21 compositions.
After teaching at The Juilliard School¡¯s Pre-College Division, he served as a faculty member at Texas Christian University over 18 years. There, he developed an internationally sought-after cello program, founded the TCU Cellofest and the Faculty & Friends Chamber Music Series, and led the faculty senate, collaboratively raising the music program and the university¡¯s academic profile and impact. His students are now productive artist-citizens in the U.S. and abroad. He has given masterclasses at Beijing Central Conservatory, Paris Conservatoire, the Yale 17cÍøÒ³°æ, the Orchestra of the Americas, and has adjudicated at national and international competitions.
A graduate of the Conservatoire National Sup¨¦rieur at Lyon (France), Indiana University Bloomington, and the Yale 17cÍøÒ³°æ, he holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School. He is currently a professor of music at Kennesaw State University. Please visit www.jcbcello.com.
Soloist Bio ¨C Noah Hur
Noah Kim Hur is a third-year undergraduate pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in micro- and nano-engineering at the 17cÍøÒ³°æ. He is currently enrolled in the 17cÍøÒ³°æ Tech co-op program and has recently completed his first rotation as a Mechanical Co-op in the ELSYS lab at the 17cÍøÒ³°æ Tech Research Institute. He began his piano studies at the age of 6 with Paolo Vairo and has been under the tutelage of David Auldon Brown for the past 6 years.
Notable awards and scholarships Noah has earned include the 2020 Darlington Arts Center Athena Scholarship within the senior division, first prize in the 2019 and 2020 Music School of Delaware Piano Competition within the junior and senior divisions respectively, second prize in the 2022 Music School of Delaware Concerto Competition, and most recently, first prize in the 2024 GTSO Concerto Competition. One of his long-term goals alongside a career in engineering is to maintain his passion and enthusiasm for piano and classical music as the years go by.
Outside of music performance, Noah is a member of GT Esports, ASME, and GT Mechanical Keyboards and enjoys playing PC games, listening to podcasts, baking, and trying new coffee places.