Have a Ball

Concert Duration: 2 hours (includes intermission)

Natalie Joachim

New Work, commissioned by Orpheus

Chopin

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
Adapted by Shuying Li
Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano

Schumann

Carnaval, Op. 9
Orchestrated by Zachary Wadsworth

About the artists

Nobuyuki Tsujii
Piano

Described by The Observer as the “definition of virtuosity” Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii (Nobu), who has been blind from birth, won the joint Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 and has gone on to earn an international reputation for the passion and excitement he brings to his live performances.

Nobu has appeared in concert with leading orchestras worldwide including Mariinsky Orchestra, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Tokyo Symphony and Japan Philharmonic orchestras, Seattle and Baltimore symphony orchestras, Filarmonica della Scala and the Sinfonieorchester Basel under the baton of conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Spivakov, Juanjo Mena and Vasily Petrenko. Nobu’s past appearances as a recitalist have seen him perform at prestigious venues across the world such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Vienna’s Musikverein.

Following a summer season that included critically acclaimed appearances with Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, at the Verbier Festival, the Snape Maltings Proms, Biarritz Piano Festival, Musica Mundi Festival, and the Festival de Menton, Nobu’s 2022/23 season sees him perform recital programmes at Carnegie Hall, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, and the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Nobu also features as a concerto soloist with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Domingo Hindoyan, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under Jiri Rozen, the Sarasota Orchestra, and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, in addition to numerous solo and concerto appearances across his native Japan. Earlier seasons have seen Nobu work with Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg under Kent Nagano and the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover under Andrew Manze. He received critical acclaim for his recitals at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, as well as his debut with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Nathalie Joachim
Composer

Nathalie Joachim is a Grammy-nominated performer and composer. The Haitian-American artist is hailed for being “a fresh and invigorating cross-cultural voice”. (The Nation). Her creative practice centers an authentic commitment to storytelling and human connectivity while advocating for social change and cultural awareness, gaining her the reputation of being “powerful and unpretentious.” (The New York Times)

Ms. Joachim is co-founder of the critically acclaimed duo Flutronix and has performed and recorded with an impressive range of today’s most exciting artists and ensembles, including Gabriel Kahane, Miguel Zenón, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird with whom she held tenure as flautist for many years. As a composer, Joachim is regularly commissioned to write for instrumental and vocal ensembles, dance and interdisciplinary theater, often highlighting her unique electroacoustic style. Recent commissions include new works for St. Louis Symphony, Yale University’s Schwarzman Center, Sō Percussion, Roomful of Teeth, and Imani Winds; and forthcoming are new works for Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Spoleto Festival USA. Joachim’s Fanm d’Ayiti, an evening-length work for flute, voice, string quartet and electronics that celebrates and explores her personal Haitian heritage, received a GRAMMY nomination for Best World Music Album. The highly anticipated release of her sophomore album, Ki moun ou ye – an intimate examination of ancestral connection and self – is slated for release in 2024.

As an active educator, Ms. Joachim is devoted to supporting creative pedagogy with intention. She is Assistant Professor of Composition at Princeton University, and has held faculty positions at The Hartt School at The University of Hartford, the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, the Perlman Music Program and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. She has also served as a mentor for The Juilliard School’s BluePrint Fellowship with National Sawdust, Luna Composition Lab, and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her youth music education workshops focused on creative collaboration and igniting the spirit of composition in young people have led to innovative educational initiatives, including the 2020 release of Transformation, an album co-created with students at New York City’s Special Music School High School and the Kaufman Music Center.

Ms. Joachim is a United States Artist Fellow and currently serves as an Artistic Partner with Oregon Symphony. She is an alumnus of The Juilliard School and The New School.