CHICAGO – The Chicago Sinfonietta Board of Directors presented an exciting 25th Anniversary Season Opening Reception Benefit at the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago, Illinois on September 28, 2012. The internationally-acclaimed Zhou Brothers conducted a live painting demonstration, creating a one-of-a-kind artwork inspired by a Chicago Sinfonietta ensemble performance under the baton of Maestro Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta. The evening raised funds to support the Chicago Sinfonietta’s educational outreach programs and its 25thAnniversary concert season. Judy Hsu, Anchor/Reporter, ABC7 Chicago TV News, served as emcee.
Maestro Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta (second from left) and Judy Hsu, anchor/reporter, ABC 7 Chicago (third from left), with The Zhou Brothers, September 28, 2012 at “CS at Zhou B,” a benefit for the Chicago Sinfonietta held at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Rieny G. Cualoping for ENERI)
The Zhou Brothers are one of the most accomplished contemporary artists in the world today renowned for their unique collaborative work process. They always work together on their paintings, performances, sculptures, and prints, often communicating without words in a so-called dream dialogue. Their thinking, aesthetic, and creativity are a symbiosis of Eastern and Western philosophy, art, and literature that informed their development since early childhood. Their indomitable spirit allowed them to leave behind their brilliant success in China, where they were hailed as national heroes for their early work, to step onto the world stage. They have since achieved international acclaim while continuing to work in the West.
From left to right: Maestro Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta (left); Lisa Ko, Owner, Tamarind, a project sponsor; and entrepreneur Mabel Moy, September 28, 2012 at “CS at Zhou B,” a benefit for the Chicago Sinfonietta held at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Rieny G. Cualoping for ENERI
The Zhou Brothers, Shan Zuo and DaHuang Zhou, were born in China 1952 and 1957 respectively. They studied drama and painting at the University of Shanghai from 1978 to 1982 and the National Academy for Arts and Crafts in Beijing from 1983 to 1984 where they received their MFAs. During the beginning of the 1980s they became leaders of the contemporary art movement in China. In 1985 they won the National Prize of the Chinese Avant-Garde of the Ministry of Culture and the Prize for Creativity from the Peace Corps of the United Nations. They were also honored as the first contemporary artists ever to show their work in an exhibition that traveled to the five largest museums in China, including the National Art Museum of China in Beijing and the art museums in Shanghai and Nanjing. Their work has been documented in over 20 books and catalogues and has been collected by private and public institutions world wide.
About the Chicago SinfoniettaThe mission of the Chicago Sinfonietta is to serve as a national model for inclusiveness and innovation in classical music through the presentation of the highest quality orchestral concerts and related programs. The Chicago Sinfonietta aspires to remove the barriers to participation in, and appreciation of, classical music through its educational and outreach programs that expose children and their families to classical music, and by providing professional development opportunities for young musicians and composers of diverse backgrounds enabling new, important voices to be heard. The Sinfonietta was recently honored with two national awards for excellence from the League of American Orchestras, one for adventurous programming and one recognizing Maestro Mei Ann Chen with the Helen M. Thompson Award for an Emerging Music Director. For more information on the Chicago Sinfonietta, visit http://www.chicagosinfonietta.org/.
About the Chicago SinfoniettaThe mission of the Chicago Sinfonietta is to serve as a national model for inclusiveness and innovation in classical music through the presentation of the highest quality orchestral concerts and related programs. The Chicago Sinfonietta aspires to remove the barriers to participation in, and appreciation of, classical music through its educational and outreach programs that expose children and their families to classical music, and by providing professional development opportunities for young musicians and composers of diverse backgrounds enabling new, important voices to be heard. The Sinfonietta was recently honored with two national awards for excellence from the League of American Orchestras, one for adventurous programming and one recognizing Maestro Mei Ann Chen with the Helen M. Thompson Award for an Emerging Music Director. For more information on the Chicago Sinfonietta, visit http://www.chicagosinfonietta.org/.
