A Decades-Long Harmony：Premiering Andrew Hsu’s Arabesques

Friendship and musical collaboration are the threads that bind my artistic life together. For fifteen years, pianist and composer Andrew Hsu and I have walked a shared path—from our formative years at The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School to collaborative summers at the Marlboro Music Festival. We have shared countless hours of chamber music and personal milestones, building a bond where musicianship and friendship are indistinguishable.

I am particularly honored to present the world premiere of Andrew’s new work, Arabesques, for viola and string orchestra. This performance is made possible thanks to New York Classical Players (NYCP) and the Music Director Dongmin Kim , whose commissioning of the piece invited this wonderful collaboration. Having played with NYCP since 2018, this ensemble truly feels like home to me. Their mission to serve music and the community is where my heart belongs, and it is a joy to bring a friend’s vision to life within such a meaningful artistic family.

The photo accompanying this article was taken this past January at the Brooklyn Museum during the “Monet and Venice” exhibition. The show’s focus on patterns and coloring served as a beautiful inspiration for the title of the new piece. It was a perfect moment of reflection before moving from the gallery to the concert hall.

We invite you to join us as we tour the greater New York metropolitan area from February 12–15, with performances in Flushing, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Norwood, NJ. These concerts represent a true celebration of long-standing artistic connection, and I look forward to sharing this new sound world with you.