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International Chamber Players - ICP, Dallas, TX (2026)

04/24/2018

2018 Artist Profile: CHRISTOPHER ZIMMERMAN, conductor

Reviewing Christopher Zimmerman’s concert with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in May 2009, Mark Estren of The Washington Post writes, “(In Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony) Zimmerman pushed the strings, especially in the quicksilver second movement, and they delivered beautifully. And he paid close attention not only to sarcasm and grotesquerie but also to soft passages — this orchestra can handle quietude, but few conductors ask it to.” Zimmerman’s direction of the orchestra led to his appointment as its new Music Director, where he is about to begin his 6th season. In the words of Anne Midgette, chief art critic of the Washington Post: “The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra is evidently more willing to push the envelope…Zimmerman’s energy and good will showed their best effect in the Bernstein…It was a note-perfect end to a very refreshing evening that spoke well for the programming vision of Zimmerman who just extended his Fairfax contract for another three years.” No wonder, then, that the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, under Christopher Zimmerman, was honored as 2013 winner of the Best Classical Orchestra Ensemble by WAMA (Washington Area Musical Awards).

Building on a career leading regional orchestras in the US and England, this most recent post confirms what critics and audiences alike have experienced attending Zimmerman’s concerts. From his professional debut, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, of which The Daily Telegraph of London observed “Contact with the orchestra seemed immediate, the result a reading in which the playing responded keenly to gestures which themselves were expressive both of the symphony’s fiery vigour and of its finer nuances. Christopher Zimmerman revealed a sharp interpretative profile and control of orchestral timbre…. a most auspicious London debut.” to guest conducting in Cleveland with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, where Donald Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain Dealer described his performance as “some of the finest conducting at Severance (Hall) in recent years,” Zimmerman elicits enthusiasm and praise.

Christopher Zimmerman graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Music, and received his Master’s from the University of Michigan. He also studied with Seiji Ozawa and Gunther Schuller at Tanglewood, and at the Pierre Monteux School in Maine with Charles Bruck. Zimmerman served as an apprentice to Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony and in Prague, as assistant conductor to Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Zimmerman’s debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was followed by engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. He has since conducted orchestras all over the world–the Prague Symphony, the Slovak Philharmonic, the Turku Philharmonic, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Mexico City Philharmonic, the Caracas Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, the Shenzhen Symphony, the Xiamen Symphony–to name a few. In opera he has worked as the assistant conductor for “Carmen” at the Nimes Festival and as assistant conductor for “Salome” at the Mexico City Opera where he was re-invited to conduct a full production of “Gianni Schicchi” the following season. His U.S. operatic debut conducting Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah” won the National Opera Association’s First prize as did Bright Sheng’s “Song of Majnun”, which he also led. Zimmerman’s operatic repertoire is as diverse as it has proven successful, from Handel’s “Julius Caesar” through Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and Sheng.

Prior to his appointment to the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Zimmerman was Music Director of the Symphony of Southeast Texas, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the City of London Chamber Orchestra. His career has also embraced teaching and working with student orchestras and conductors; in 1993 he joined the conducting faculty at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati where he was Music Director of their concert orchestra, and in 1999 he was appointed as Fuller Professor of Orchestral Studies at the Hartt School as well as Music Director of the Hartt Symphony. A much sought after clinician and pedagogue, Mr. Zimmerman continues to teach at workshops and festivals around the world.

Christopher Zimmerman is committed to performing music by living composers and he has premiered over 35 works for orchestra by names such as William Bolcom, Martin Bresnick, Avner Dorman, Bright Sheng, Christopher Rouse, Ellen Taafe Zwilich and Judith Weir. On July 4, 2012, Mr. Zimmerman gave the world premiere of “Lingua Angelorum” by Czech composer Sylvie Bodorova, a 50 minute song-cycle with the internationally renowned baritone Thomas Hampson and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. On his upcoming schedule are premieres by Christopher Theofanidis and Jonathan Leshnoff.

Christopher Zimmerman was recognized as the winner of the American Conducting Prize in 2011, an award given for nationwide performances by orchestral conductors, choral conductors, and a host of other categories. Such recognition of his abilities has been born out in appointments to the Music Directorship of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony (2013-) and Artistic Directorship of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (2014-2017).

05/10/2016

ICP, in collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera, Goethe Institute Hanoi, and Vietnam National Academy of Music, proudly presents five exciting concerts at the Vietnam Connection Music Festival in August, 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi:

05/10/2016

International Chamber Players - 2016 Artist Profile:
CHUONG VU, violin

Praised for his “exquisite playing” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Yehudi Wyner, violinist Chuong Vu has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia with repertoire ranging from early baroque to modern music.

Chuong has appeared as a soloist with the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra, University of North Texas’s Baroque Orchestra and Concert Orchestra, Clear Lake Symphony Orchestra, Symphony North of Houston, Odysseus Chamber Orchestra, Northeast Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra, and Hochiminh City Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Chuong has been heard at music festivals such as Festival Internacional de Música do Pará in Brazil, Vietnam Connection Music Festival and Autumn Melody Music Festival in Vietnam, Boston Early Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, and Texas Music Festival, as well as at concert series such as Dallas’s Fine Art Chamber Players, Live at the Dallas Steinway Hall, and Chamber Music International. His solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast live on Ho Chi Minh City Television, Vietnamese National Television, and Brazillian TV Cultura Canal 2.

As an orchestral musician, Chuong is currently concertmaster of the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra and the VASCAM Ensemble. He has served as guest concertmaster of the symphony orchestras of Monroe and Amarillo. Other ensembles he has played with include Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Oklahoma City Philharmonic, among many others. A frequent Baroque violinist, Chuong is a member of the Fantasmi Baroque Ensemble and has collaborated with early music ensembles including Houston Chamber Choir, Mercury Baroque, Orchestra of New Spain, and Texas Camerata.

Chuong Vu received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, where he held a doctoral fellowship and a teaching fellowship. He completed his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at the University of Houston, where he was the recipient of the prestigious Lack Starling Scholarship from the Starling Endowment. His principle teachers include Fredell Lack, Emanuel Borok, Philip Lewis, Albert Muenzer, Cynthia Roberts, Nguyen Anh Giang, and Bui Cong Thanh.

Chuong is married to violinist Dr. Szemoke Jobbagy, the associate concertmaster of the Plano Symphony Orchestra. They live in North Texas with their daughter Elizabeth.

04/12/2016

International Chamber Players - 2016 Artist Profile:
ZHAN SHU, violin

Violinist Zhan Shu, current member of the first violin section of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), joined the PSO at start of the 2014-2015 season. Before coming to Pittsburgh, Shu spent eight seasons as a member of the first violin section in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, where he also served as Acting Associate Concertmaster for the 2008-2009 season. Shu has previously served as Concertmaster of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of Southeast Texas, Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Japan and Scheleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra in Germany.

Shu has won numerous competitions, including the first prize at the Friday Woodmere Music Club Young Artist Competition, the Midland-Odessa Symphony Young Artist Competition, the Indiana University Concerto Competition, the Mannes College of Music Concerto Competition, the Texas Music Festival Concerto Competition, and prize winner of the New Jersey Symphony Young Artist Competition, the Central Conservatory of Music Violin Competition and the China Youth Violin Competition. The recordings of Shu’s performances have been heard on WQXR’s McGraw Hill Young Artists Showcase in New York City, WUSF in Tampa, KUHF in Houston and NPR. Shu has appeared as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Indiana University Philharmonic, the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, the Mannes College of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra and the Hunan Symphony Orchestra in China. As an active chamber musician, Shu has been invited to participate in Sarasota Music Festival in Florida, Peninsula Music Festival in Wisconsin and Toronto Summer Music Festival in Canada.

A native of China, Shu received his early training from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. At 16, he was awarded a full scholarship to study at the Mannes College of Music with Lucie Robert. Upon graduation, Shu was awarded the George and Elizabeth Gregory Award for Excellence in Performance, and a full scholarship to study at the University of Houston for master’s degree with Emanuel Borok. Shu later became recipient of both Josef Gingold and Jascha Heifetz Scholarships at the Indiana University, where he was an Artist Diploma Student under the guidance of Mauricio F**s and Alexander Kerr. In his spare time, Shu enjoys hiking and playing basketball.

04/12/2016

International Chamber Players - 2016 Artist Profile:
BRONWYN BANERDT, cello

Cellist Bronwyn Banerdt has appeared in concert throughout the United States, Europe, Russia and Southern Africa. She made her solo debut with Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2002. Other notable solo appearances include performances with the Houston Symphony, New West Symphony and Symphony in C, as well as the world premiere of Poem for Cello & Orchestra by Michael Kamen with the YMF (Young Musicians Foundation) Debut Orchestra. She has appeared at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., and noted composer John Rutter personally invited her to play the solo from his Requiem in Carnegie Hall.

Banerdt was awarded Grand Prize at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Bronislaw Kaper Awards. She has also captured top prizes at the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition, Kingsville Music Competition and the Pasadena Showcase House Competition, as well as being a two-time prizewinner at the YMF Debut Competition.

A passionate chamber musician, Banerdt is a member of the prizewinning Trio Terzetto with violinist Diana Cohen and pianist Andrius Zlabys. She frequently collaborates with renowned artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Ida Kavafian, Charles Neidich and members of the Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, Borodin and Orion string quartets. She has performed at numerous chamber music festivals including Marlboro Music and Music from Angel Fire and plays regularly with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City. Banerdt has served as a regular substitute with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

A native of Los Angeles, Banerdt earned her bachelor's degree at age 19 from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she studied with Ronald Leonard. She subsequently studied at The Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of David Soyer and received her master's degree from The Juilliard School with Richard Aaron.

Banerdt is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She plays a Montagnana model cello made by Mario Miralles in 1998.

04/08/2016

International Chamber Players - 2016 Artist Profile:
ELLIOT FIGG, harpsichord

Elliot Figg is a keyboardist, conductor and composer from Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of the Historical Performance Program at The Juilliard School where he studied harpsichord with Kenneth Weiss. He has also studied with Arthur Haas at the Yale School of Music.

Elliot is an active member of several New York based early music and contemporary ensembles, including ACRONYM, New York Baroque Incorporated, and New Vintage Baroque. Recent engagements include: conductor and harpsichordist for L'Amant Anonyme with Little Opera Theatre of New York; assistant conductor and harpsichordist for Cavalli's Veremonda with Spoleto Festival USA; assistant conductor and harpsichordist for Dido and Aeneas with L.A. Opera; assistant conductor and harpsichordist for Alcina and Orlando with WhiteboxLab. Elliot has appearead as harpsichord soloist in Phillip Glass’s Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra with The New Juilliard Ensemble, as recitative harpsichordist in Don Giovanni with Juilliard Opera, and as organ soloist in Handel’s Il Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno with Juilliard415 and conductor William Christie.

Elliot received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music composition from the University of North Texas where he studied composition with Cindy McTee and Joseph Klein, and harpsichord with Lenora McCroskey. His own works combine baroque performance techniques with altered tuning systems and modern formal approaches. One such work, "Sonate für Violine und Generalbaß", was performed at the Boston Early Music Festival (2005). "And Music Shall Untune the Sky", on a text by John Dryden, was written for and recorded by tenor Richard Croft (2007).

04/08/2016

International Chamber Players - 2016 Artist Profile:
JOHN MOORE, double bass

Double bassist, John Moore is a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He joined the group in 1996, hired by Music Director Lorin Maazel. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, John attended the Curtis Institute of Music, graduating in 1988 where he was a student of former Philadelphia Orchestra Principal bassist, Roger Scott. In 1989 John attended the New England Conservatory to join the studio of Lawrence Wolfe of the Boston Symphony. In 1989 John became the Associate Principal bass of the Honolulu Symphony. In 1991 he joined the San Diego Symphony where he was a member till 1996. In 1996 he was the winner of the Columbus Symphony’s principal bass position.

John has attended numerous Summer music festivals including: National Repertory Orchestra, Tanglewood, Colorado Music Festival, Strings in the Mountains, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and the Grand Teton Music Festival. John has appeared as soloist with the La Jolla Symphony in San Diego, the University of Denver Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. John regularly appears with Chatham Baroque in Pittsburgh, a period ensemble specializing in historically informed performances.

As a pedagogue, John served as a Lecturer at the University of Hawaii in 1991. He was interim double bass professor at Penn State University in 2008.

The instrument he plays on is an early 1800s English bass from the workshop of John Betts. John is married to Susanne Park, a violinist in the Pittsburgh Symphony. They live in Lawrenceville with their son Oliver.

03/28/2016

International Chamber Players - 2016 Artist Profile:
YI-WEN CHAO, viola

Noted as a player of “intensity, musical intelligence and personality,” by the late Sergiu Comissiona, violist Yi-Wen Chao is the first Taiwanese/Chinese violist ever to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Juilliard School. Based in Taiwan, Ms. Chao performs frequently in Asia, Europe, and America. She made her Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall debut on April 9, 2006 which highlighted the New York premiere of Samuel Adler’s Canto XVI for solo viola and Philip Lasser’s Vocalise for viola and piano. Most recently, she had her solo debut at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China. Her compelling interpretation of contemporary music resulted in an invitation for her to give the Taiwan premiere of Adler’s Viola Concerto at Taipei National Concert Hall.

Ms. Chao has been a prizewinner in numerous competitions and awards both locally and abroad. Her success in competitions include prizes at the Artists International Competition, the Juilliard Concerto Competition, the National Viola Solo Competition at Beijing Central Conservatory, the Verbier Music Festival Viola Concerto Competition, the National Taiwan Viola Concerto Competition, and the National Taiwan Viola Solo Competition. She was named a National Young Concert Artist by the government of Taiwan, and was a recipient of the Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, a New York based foundation that supports cultural exchanges.

Ms. Chao has been invited as principal violist and chamber musician by music festivals including the Tanglewood Music Center, the Leipzig International Summer Academy, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Ecole d’Art Américaines de Fontainebleau in France, and the Verbier Academy in Switzerland. As a soloist, she has performed with the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the UBS Verbier Youth Orchestra, the Taipei Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, the Taiwan Viola Society Chamber Orchestra, and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Chao has collaborated with renowned artists such as Chantal Juillet, Hori Masafumi, Stephen Hough and composer Lowell Liebermann. She also served as violist of the Taipei Philharmonic Radio String Quartet and New York’s Continuum Ensemble for contemporary music.

A well sought pedagogue and educator, Ms. Chao has been invited to hold master classes and lectures in many institutions and festivals including the Shanghai Conservatory, Beijing Central Conservatory, New York University, Eastern String Summer Festival and Beijing International Music Festival and Academy.

Ms. Chao earned a Bachelor of Music degree from National Taiwan Normal University and obtained her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York, where she studied with Paul Neubauer and Samuel Rhodes. She is currently a viola professor at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan.

02/25/2016

Dear Friends who are asking for our website: we are in the process of building it. Thank you for your patience! For your enjoyment, please visit our Youtube Channel for some of our live performances from the Vietnam Connection Music Festival 2015 (Vietnamese American Music Festival).
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoiVnbyl4Jhb4ZJIijo_Rrg
Stay tune for updates on ICP at the Vietnam Connection Music Festival 2016 in August!

10/14/2015

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) - Piano Quartet in A minor (ca. 1876)

Dao Trong Tuyen - piano
Zhan Shu - violin
Susan Dubois - viola
Grace Ho - cello

Live from the 2015 Vietnamese American Music Festival at Vietnam National Academy of Music Grand Concert Hall on August 22, 2015

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