(PLAINSBORO, NJ) -- The award-winning Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, under its renowned conductor Chiu-Tze Lin, presents "Bending of the East and West," on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro. The program will feature the Chinese Pipa Master Ms. Jin Yang. This collaboration of a Chinese folk instrument soloing with a western classical symphony orchestra is a one-of-a-kind event that will bring a unique experience in sound. Showtime is 7:00pm.

The pipa soloist Jin Yang, a leading figure in Chinese music and cross-cultural collaboration, has been hailed as one of the most energetic, passionate, and respected masters of the instrument.  The founder of the Chinese Musicians Association of North America, Ms. Yang graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She received the prestigious Golden Bell Award for Music in China, and a Silver Award at the Global Music Awards. Ms. Yang has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma in the Silk Road Ensemble and has performed at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. Ms. Yang is on the faculty of Bard Conservatory and an instructor at the University of Delaware’s Master Players Concert and Festival. She has also served as a judge for the Hummingbird International Music Competition at the Eastman School of Music.

Ms. Yang will perform with the orchestra in the pipa concerto “King Chu Doffs His Armor” by Zhou Long, and “Cloud and Flower Fantasia” by Wang Danhong.  These works not only showcase the expressive depth of the pipa but also offer profound musical interpretations of historical narratives and cultural heritage.

Pipa is a 4-stringed Chinese musical instrument plucked like a guitar and having a large body resembling a lute and a neck with 12 or more frets that leads into the body The program also includes Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, a masterful composition filled with lyrical beauty and Bohemian folk influences. The concert promises to be a spectacular and unforgettable evening of cultural fusion and musical brilliance that bridges East and West!

Tickets are available for purchase online. The Princeton Alliance Church is located at 20 Schalks Crossing Road in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

This program is made possible through the grant funding provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.

“… A luminous performance with tremendous energy level, … good orchestral sound” is what the jurors of the American Prize Award wrote about the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra, in its 13th season, has been honored with 2nd place in the American Prize Award competition in Orchestral Performance in the Community Orchestral Division. The orchestra was founded by and is under the direction of the internationally renowned conductor and Steinway Artist Chiu-Tze Lin. It consists of professional musicians, gifted amateurs, and outstanding young music students. A salient feature of the ensemble is its diverse repertoire, which includes timeless classics, popular Broadway arrangements, and multi-cultural music. The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra also includes chamber groups, such as its strings ensemble, wind ensemble, brass quintet, and string quartet. The orchestra, together with its ensembles, is available for musical community services.

Since the founding of the orchestra, the ensembles of the orchestra have performed for dignitaries such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and at the Luminaria Ceremony of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, fundraising events for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness, and various celebrations and banquets. The orchestra has also been invited to perform in concert series sponsored other arts and civic organizations.

The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra has four programs a year in its concert season: Season-Opening Concert in September, Holiday Concert in December, Family Concert in March, and Concerto Extravaganza Concert season finale. The orchestra also sponsors an annual Young Artists Competition, with the winners performing in the Concerto Extravaganza Concert.

The chamber groups of the orchestra collaborate with organizations like the Monroe Cultural and Arts Commission and Jewish Heritage Museum to celebrate the unique cultural heritage of our community. The orchestra expanded to include the Bravura Youth Orchestra (BYO) in 2010.