At the Pinnacle brings together two Romantic masterpieces. DVOŘÁK's Cello Concerto unfolds with warmth and depth, shaping a vast and moving soundscape, while BRAHMS's final symphony—his life's culmination—reveals refined intensity and quiet grandeur.

Performed by the conductorless Taiwan Connection under Music Director, HU Nai-yuan, the program showcases chamber-like unity and vivid musical dialogue. Renowned cellist WANG Jian brings poetic insight and expressive depth. Join us to experience these enduring works at their peak.

  Program  

A. DVORAK: Cello Concerto in b minor Op.104

J. BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4 in e minor, Op. 98

  Creative and Production Team  

Music Director｜HU Nai-yuan

Cello｜WANG Jian

Orchestra｜Taiwan Connection 

Supervising Organization｜Ministry of Culture

Organizer｜Taiwan Connection

Supporting Partner｜The Alliance Cultural Foundation

Sponsors｜Yongyuan Education Foundation

Co-organizers｜National Theater & Concert Hall, National Taichung Theater, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chiayi City

Partner Hotels｜Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel, Windsor Hotel Taichung, Hotel Dua Kaohsiung

Partner Airline｜EVA Air

  Team Introduction  

TAIWAN CONNECTION (TC) 

Taiwan Connection (TC) Music Festival was co-founded in 2004 by violinist HU Nai-yuan and YEN Stanley, chair-man of the Alliance Cultural Foundation, to bring
together talented Taiwanese musicians, both local and from abroad, for chamber music performances that aim to promote classical music throughout Taiwan.

Over the years, TC has collaborated with well-known international artists including pianists FOU Ts'ong, Robert LEVIN, and Michael ENDRES; violinist Dong-Suk KANG and Marc DANEL; violists Nobuko IMAI, Paul NEUBAUER, and Rainer MOOG; and cellists WANG Jian, YANG Wen-sinn, Keith ROBINSON, Nathaniel ROSEN, and YANG Sung-won; and French horn player Andrew BAIN. In addition to presenting concerts in formal venues, TC regularly organizes master classes and educational outreach programs held throughout Taiwan.

Expanding on the principle of chamber music, a string orchestra was formed for the TC Festival in 2007. Two years later, a full complement of winds was incorporated to launch the TC Chamber Orchestra. This conductorless ensemble, led by Music Director HU Nai-yuan, has tackled such works as BEETHOVEN's Symphonies Nos. 3, 5, and 7; BRAHMS's Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, and 4; Mozart's late G Minor Symphony; and SCHUBERT's C Major Symphony (The Great) to critical acclaim.

In 2018, TC began the Chen-Yung x TC International Chamber Music Series. In 2024, to celebrate TC's 20th anniversary, we invited several prominent principals
from international orchestras to join our ensemble, including: HUANG Frank, Patrick JEE, Timothy COBB (concertmaster, former acting associate principal cello, and principal bass of the New York Philharmonic); Denis BOURIAKOV and Andrew BAIN (principal flute and principal horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic); WANG Yu-po (co-principal oboe of the Hong Kong Philhar-monic); Inn-Hyuck CHO (former principal clarinet of the MET Orchestra); Sung-Kwon YOU (principal bassoon of the Berlin Radio Symphony); and Lars KARLIN (principal trombone of the Danish National Symphony), as well as TC's own HUANG Hung-wei (principal viola of the Vancouver Symphony). Together, they participated in TC's 20th anniversary concerts and completed the recording project for TC's new album featuring Schubert's Symphony, The Great.

Music Director｜HU Nai-yuan

Since winning the First Prize of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1985, violinist HU Nai-yuan has appeared on many of the world's stages, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and other major venues in Europe. 

As a recitalist, Mr. HU performed in such venues as Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall in New York, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Casals Hall in Tokyo, and Jordan Hall in Boston where he premiered Bright SHENG's The Stream Flows in 1990. He has appeared either as guest soloist or chamber music artist in such festivals as Mostly Mozart, Marlboro, OK Mozart, Seattle, Grand Teton, Kirishima in Japan, Casalmaggiore in Italy, and Beijing where he performed with FOU Ts'ong, Martha Argerich and Misha MAISKY.  

Mr. HU's recording of GOLDMARK's Concerto and BRUCH's Concerto No. 2 with Gerard SCHWARZ and the Seattle Symphony (released by Delos Music) garnered Critics' Choice from Gramophone as well as praises from many publications including BBC Music Magazine, The Times of London, and The Washington Post. He has also recorded for EMI Taiwan, Koch International, Sunrise, and Chi-Mei in Taiwan, playing on the Foundation's Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù violins.

Mr. HU has served on the jury of international competitions such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium and the Seoul International Violin Competition.  He has given master classes in music schools in America, Europe and Asia. Born in Taiwan, Mr. HU began studying the violin at age five. He arrived in the United States in 1972 to continue his studies with Broadus ERLE and later with Joseph SILVERSTEIN. He attended Indiana University where he studied with Josef Gingold and subsequently served as Mr. GINGOLD's assistant. He currently resides with his wife June HUANG in New York City.

Cello| WANG Jian

WANG Jian has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras including the London Symphony, Cleveland, Zurich Tonhalle, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Stockholm Philharmonic, Santa Cecilia, Orchestre de Paris and NHK Symphony. These concerts have been with many of the greatest conductors, such as Myung-whun CHUNG, DAUSGAARD, DUDAMEL, ELDER, ESCHENBACH, GILBERT, HARDING, Neeme JARVI, LANGRÉE, van ZWEDEN, WIGGLESWORTH and SZEPS-ZNAIDER.

Recent and future highlights include concerts with the New York, Hong Kong, Netherlands Radio and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestras; Boston, Chicago, National Taiwan, Toronto, Melbourne and Singapore Symphony Orchestras, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Philharmonia. Amongst his many high-profile concerts in China, he has opened the season for the China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony and Macau Symphony Orchestras as well as performing with the China National Orchestra and Hangzhou Symphony. Jian was the first ever Artist in Residence for both the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing, the latter included his performance of the complete BACH Cello Suites.

Jian has performed at many festivals throughout the world, as both soloist and chamber musician. These have included Verbier in Switzerland, Miyazaki in Japan, Aldeburgh in the UK and Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart in the USA. In 2008 Jian made his debut at the BBC Proms performing three of BACH's solo Cello Suites.

He has an extensive discography with DGG, including the BACH Cello Suites and the BRAHMS Double Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado and Gil Shaham and chamber music with Maria João PIRES and Augustin DUMAY. 

Jian is a Professor at the Shanghai Conservatory. Whilst studying there as a student he was featured in the celebrated documentary film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. Mr STERN's encouragement and support paved the way for him to go to the United States and in 1985 he entered the Yale School of Music under a special programme where he studied with the renowned cellist Aldo Parisot. His instrument is graciously loaned to him by the family of the late Mr. LAM Sau-wing.