Sutton Coldfield Philharmonic Society presents a piano recital by young Chinese pianist Di Xiao, who is rapidly gaining an international reputation as a rising star, at Sutton Coldfield town hall on Monday, January 26 at 7.30pm. Di Xiao studied at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, emerging as the conservatory's top student in both academic and piano studies. After graduating with a Master's Degree in piano performance, achieving one of the highest marks in the history of the conservatory, she was awarded a full scholarship to study for an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma at UCE Birmingham Conservatoire, from where she graduated with distinction in 2006. Di is now enjoying a flourishing career as a concert pianist. She aspires to be an international ambassador for the piano, combining both Chinese and Western repertoire in her concert programmes, thereby creating a bridge between the two cultures. She featured as a `Rising Star' in the October 2008 edition of BBC Music Magazine, and her first commercial CD recording, Di Xiao presents
has recently been released, to considerable critical acclaim. She has also been appointed an ambassador for Birmingham as Symphony Hall's chosen `Rising Stars' representative in a scheme designed to bring the finest of young performers to international recognition. This involves a concert tour in which Di will perform in some of Europe's most prestigious concert halls. Her concert performances have drawn favourable comment from the media, particularly for the sensitivity of her musical interpretation. A review of a recent piano recital at Symphony Hall in the Birmingham Post noting that her recital `ended in whoops, cheers and a standing ovation.' Di's Sutton town hall concert will feature famous sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven and Scarlatti, Chopin's virtuosic preludes and heroic Ballade no4, as well as Nielson's lively Humoresque-Bagatelles. In addition Di will be performing a Chinese work, Chen Qigang's Instants d'un Opéra de Pékin (Moments from a Peking Opera.) Peking opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics, and this modern work captures the spirit of this art form perfectly. It is particularly appropriate that Di should be performing some Chinese music in her programme as the Chinese New Year begins on the day of the concert. 2009 is the Chinese year 4707, and is the Year of the Ox. Tickets are priced at £15 (£5 for students and children) and are available from Robert Mathieson on 0121 373 1779 or Bill Parker on 01889 504 382...SUPL: | 
