Shadows & Light: Sibelius & Brahms

Featuring: Earl Lee, Andrew Wan A glorious affirmation of the human spirit. Discover the resilient brilliance of three composers who transform darkness into radiant, enduring beauty, each in their own unique way: from Brahms’ triumphant breakthrough First Symphony to the beautiful melodies and technical brilliance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto (featuring violinist Andrew Wan), and a specially-commissioned world premiere by Canadian composer Matthew-John Knights. *Maria Anna Mozart Award winner & world premiere About the Artists: Earl Lee, conductor Winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee has emerged as one of the most compelling and versatile artists of his generation. He has led many of North America’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As Music Director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Lee has revitalized the ensemble’s artistic vision with programming that bridges tradition and innovation. His leadership blends a deep respect for the symphonic canon with a curiosity for new and diverse forms of expression, bringing a fresh sense of energy and purpose to the orchestra’s seasons. Under his direction, the Ann Arbor Symphony has presented bold repertoire alongside genre-crossing collaborations with artists such as Jacob Collier and Chris Thile, broadening the ensemble’s reach and musical scope. Beyond Ann Arbor, Lee has worked closely with composers Unsuk Chin, Tod Machover, Donghoon Shin, Katherine Balch, and Carlos Simon, leading numerous world premieres and championing works that expand the expressive possibilities of today’s orchestra. Lee has been mentored by Andris Nelsons, Manfred Honeck, Hugh Wolff, Peter Oundjian, Kurt Masur, and Bernard Haitink. At Masur’s invitation, he studied privately with him in Leipzig, focusing on the life and music of Felix Mendelssohn — an experience that profoundly shaped his artistic identity. A former cellist trained at the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Marlboro Music Festival, Lee brings a chamber musician’s sense of communication, listening, and shared purpose to every performance, seeking to create music that is both unified and deeply expressive. Andrew Wan , violin Andrew Wan has been Concertmaster of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2008, while pursuing an acclaimed international career as soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. He has performed as soloist with leading orchestras across North America, Europe, and Asia, appearing under conductors including Rafael Payare, Kent Nagano, Maxim Vengerov, Vasily Petrenko, Bernard Labadie, Carlo Rizzi, Peter Oundjian, Xian Zhang, Michael Stern, and James DePreist. A dedicated chamber musician, Wan is a founding member of the New Orford String Quartet, one of Canada’s most acclaimed ensembles, noted for its dynamic performances and award-winning discography. He has also collaborated with the Juilliard Quartet, Vadim Repin, Marc-André Hamelin, Daniil Trifonov, Menahem Pressler, Jörg Widmann, Emanuel Ax, Johannes Moser, Arabella Steinbacher, James Ehnes, and Gil Shaham, and is a frequent guest at leading festivals such as Seattle Chamber Music, La Jolla SummerFest, Ottawa Chamberfest, Toronto Summer Music, Orford Musique, St. Prex, Colorado College, and Olympic. He regularly appears as guest concertmaster with the Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis, National Arts Center, Toronto, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. His discography spans Grammy-nominated, Juno, Félix, and Opus award-winning recordings on the Analekta, Onyx, Bridge, and Naxos labels with ensembles including the Seattle Chamber Music Society, New York’s Metropolis Ensemble, Charles Richard-Hamelin, and the New Orford String Quartet. With the OSM and Kent Nagano, his albums of the Saint-Saëns violin concertos and of works for violin and orchestra by Bernstein, Moussa, and Ginastera earned international acclaim, the latter winning the 2021 Juno Award for Best Classical Album (Large Ensemble). His duo partnership with Richard-Hamelin has produced the complete Beethoven sonatas for piano and violin, including a 2022 Juno Award–winning album, followed by the Schumann sonatas in 2022. Their next project, a complete cycle of the Brahms sonatas, will be released in 2026. Wan studied at The Juilliard School, earning Bachelor, Master, and Artist Diploma degrees. He is Associate Professor of Violin at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where his students have gone on to win prizes at national and international competitions and to secure positions, including principal chairs, in major North American orchestras. He was Artistic Partner of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2017–18 and received the Schulich School of Music’s Part-Time Teaching Award in 2019. Wan performs on a 1744 Michel’Angelo Bergonzi violin, on loan from the David Sela Collection, and an 1860 Dominique Peccatte bow generously provided by Canimex. Discover the resilient brilliance of three composers who transform darkness into radiant, enduring beauty, each in their own unique way: from Brahms’ triumphant breakthrough First Symphony to the beautiful melodies and technical brilliance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto (featuring violinist Andrew Wan), and a specially-commissioned world premiere by Canadian composer Matthew-John Knights. *Maria Anna Mozart Award winner & world premiere Winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee has emerged as one of the most compelling and versatile artists of his generation. He has led many of North America’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As Music Director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Lee has revitalized the ensemble’s artistic vision with programming that bridges tradition and innovation. His leadership blends a deep respect for the symphonic canon with a curiosity for new and diverse forms of expression, bringing a fresh sense of energy and purpose to the orchestra’s seasons. Under his direction, the Ann Arbor Symphony has presented bold repertoire alongside genre-crossing collaborations with artists such as Jacob Collier and Chris Thile, broadening the ensemble’s reach and musical scope. Beyond Ann Arbor, Lee has worked closely with composers Unsuk Chin, Tod Machover, Donghoon Shin, Katherine Balch, and Carlos Simon, leading numerous world premieres and championing works that expand the expressive possibilities of today’s orchestra.