| Name:
| Christina Fong
| | Skills:
| Player, Soloist
| | Phone:
| +1 616-235-0284
| | Fax:
| +1 616-235-0284
| | Address:
| 1444 Dewberry Place NE (1), Grand Rapids/Kent/Michigan 49505, United States
| | Links:
|
Website E-mail | |
| | Michigan resident Christina Fong has established herself as a leading performer of new music on the violin and viola, having presented North American or Michigan premieres of compositions by Arvo Pärt, Michael Twomey, Philip Glass, Donald Erb, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, Robert Shechtman, David Lang, Lou Harrison, Michael Nyman, Michael Gordon, Roelof Bijkerk, Mark Thomas, Morton Feldman, Nathan Barber, Arved Ashby, and Henryk Górecki. Recent projects have included first performances at Yale University of works for violin and piano by Morton Feldman, and a concert presentation at The Ohio State University of the complete works for violin and piano by Nyman, Pärt and Górecki — both with pianist Arved Ashby. She also gave the first concert performance of Philip Glass' complete music for unaccompanied strings at Grand Valley State University, and performed Lou Harrison's "Suite for Violin and Gamelan" in a new version for handbell choir with Embellish. In January 1999 Christina Fong performed the world premiere of Michael Nyman's "On The Fiddle" with the Grand Rapids Symphony. As part of a recent focus on making recordings, Fong's ongoing "first recordings" series now includes the world premieres of John Cage's (1912-1992) final solo violin works (complete "number pieces" for solo violin, "One6" & "One10") and of Cage's final works for string ensemble (complete "number pieces" for string ensemble, "Twenty-Three" & "Twenty-Six").
Future work includes additional performances of Philip Glass' 75-minute music-theatre piece "The State of the Tibetan Nation — A Madrigal Opera" and the premiere of Amnon Wolman's hour-long version of his 11-hour techno-dance house-music epic "The Andy Warhol Diaries." Upcoming recording projects include a CD of violin|viola and keyboard works by Alan Hovhaness (2001 release), the world premiere recording of Morton Feldman's 2CD-length 1985 work "Violin and String Quartet" (2001 release), the first available recording of music by Bob Shechtman, a CD of piano and violin works by Roelof Bijkerk, a full-length CD of three unrecorded early works by Michael Nyman, and a CD spotlighting short works by various composers.
Fong has Bachelors and Masters degrees from Northwestern University, where she graduated Pi Kappa Lambda and was awarded the honorary title "Eckstein Scholar." Her principle violin teachers were Blair Milton, Myron Kartman, and Donna Schaff. She complemented special studies in orchestral music with Samuel Magad, Rubin Gonzales, Francis Akos, Charlie Pikler, Blair Milton, and Edgar Muenzer with chamber music coachings by Gerardo Ribiero, Donald Owens, and Ray Still. Fong has held positions with the Florida Philharmonic and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. As soloist, Fong has appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony and Grand Valley State University Orchestra, and as rehearsal soloist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
A member of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1988, Fong is currently Associate Concertmaster and plays in the Symphony's Calder Quartet, which tours western Michigan giving civic and educational concerts. Since 1990, Fong has also served as an adjunct instructor of violin at Grand Valley State University.
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