Violin star Cho-Liang Lin starts a global tour in Philly

Cho-Liang Lin is a globetrotting violin star who’s played with most of the world’s major orchestras. His February schedule includes stops in Lincoln Center and the Singapore Symphony, but he’ll start in Philadelphia, where he’ll join Orchestra 2001 in a concert celebrating the contemporary Asian composers who’ve been making mammoth contributions to the Western classical tradition.

The main event of the February 5 concert at Orchestra 2001 will be the world premiere of a new violin concerto by another veteran with an international resume, Taiwanese composer May-Tchi Chen. The other composers featured on the program are Japanese composers Tōru Takemitsu and Shin-Ichiro Ikebe, and Chinese composers Tan Dun (who’s done two big multimedia pieces with the Philadelphia Orchestra) and Ye Xiaogang. Orchestra 2001 has scheduled some peripheral events. The February 5 concert will be followed by a Chinese banquet at Sang Kee Noodle House at 3549 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, and there will be screenings of films featuring scores by Ikebe, Takemitsu, and Tan Dun.

Orchestra 2001 will present “New Music from Asia” on February 5 at 8pm at Irvine Auditorium, 3401 Spruce Street, Philadelphia (pre-concert discussion at 7:30pm) and February 8 at 8pm at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College (pre-concert discussion at 7:30pm). Tickets for February 5 are $35 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $15 for students. The Sang Kee Chinese Banquet is $30, and tickets are available online, by calling 215-893-1999, and at the door. The Swarthmore performance is free and open to the public; donations welcome.