Violinist Tom Chiu founded the FLUX Quartet in 1997, and since then the group has cultivated a repertoire that combines works by late-20th-century iconoclasts with ones by today’s visionaries. The Quartet has performed in venues worldwide, including the Tate Modern in London; the Park Avenue Armory and Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in New York City; The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; Mount Tremper Arts and EMPAC in New York State; and LACMA in Los Angels, as well as at international festivals in Australia, Europe, and Asia. It’s premiered more than 100 compositions, and its discography includes the full string quartet catalogue of Morton Feldman. In the upcoming season, the quartet will perform and record the full string quartet output of Toshi Ichiyanagi, an influential pioneer of the Japanese avant-garde.
website: www.fluxquartet.com
Tom Chiu, violin
Acclaimed for his broad contributions to new music and sound art, violinist/composer Tom Chiu has performed over 200 premieres by pioneers including Virko Baley, Michael Byron, David Chesky, Ornette Coleman, David First, Oliver Lake, Alvin Lucier, Michael Schumacher, Henry Threadgill, Matthew Welch, and the late Muhal Richard Abrams. Chiu has created multi-disciplinary works with choreographers Pam Tanowitz and Eun-Me Ahn, video artists Ken Jacobs and Phill Niblock, vocalist Jaap Blonk, balloonist Judy Dunaway, and Mabou Mines co-founder Lee Breuer. A recipient of the Chamber Music America Commission, Chiu has composed for Joan La Barbara, Bobby Few, Sylvere Lotringer, Downtown Ensemble, and OpenEnded Group, with performances at BBC, Park Avenue Armory, Mount Tremper Arts, EMPAC, Roulette, Bang-On-A-Can Marathon, Noguchi Museum, and MOMA PS1. His vast discography includes recordings on Asphodel, Innova, Koch, Mode, New World, Sombient, and Tzadik labels. Chiu holds degrees in chemistry and music from Yale and Juilliard, and appears frequently as a cultural consultant, most recently as panelist for the NEA.
Conrad Harris, violin
Violinist Conrad Harris has performed new works for violin at Ostrava Days, Darmstadt, Gulbenkian Encounters of New Music, Radio France, and Warsaw Autumn Festival. In addition to being a member of the FLUX Quartet and the violin duo String Noise, he is concertmaster/soloist with the S.E.M. Ensemble, Ostravská Banda, STX Ensemble, Wordless Music Orchestra, and Ensemble LPR.
He has performed and recorded with such artists as Elliott Sharp, Robert Ashley, Alvin Lucier, David Behrman, “Blue” Gene Tyranny, Jean-Claude Risset, Rohan de Saram, and Tiny Tim. He has recorded for New World Records, New Focus, Asphodel, Vandenburg, CRI, and Vinyl Retentive Records.
Max Mandel, viola
Violist Max Mandel enjoys a varied and acclaimed career as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and speaker. He is Principal Viola of The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment and a member of the trailblazing ensemble FLUX Quartet. He has appeared as guest Principal Viola with The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Academy of Ancient Music, and the Handel & Haydn Society amongst others. Other group affiliations include The Smithsonian Chamber Players, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and The Silk Road Ensemble. Recent recordings include FLUX Quartet’s “Images from a Closed Ward” on New Focus Recordings and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with violinist Aisslinn Nosky and the Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra on Coro Records. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada he divides his time between New York and London.
Felix Fan, violoncello
Felix Fan, is a rare talent in the world of contemporary music. Described by Gramophone as “particularly sublime”, he is one of the most acclaimed, renowned, and respected cellists performing today. As a soloist, collaborative artist and advocate for new music, Felix is admired for his technically refined interpretations and independent spirit, working with diverse and contemporary composers including Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Hans Werner Henze, Oliver Knussen, David Lang, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Kaija Saariaho, Tan Dun, Julia Wolfe and Charles Wuorinen. Felix continues to collaborate with the most cutting-edge composers and instrumentalists, “navigating the structural complexities and layers of shifting tempo with flair” (New York Times). A strong advocate for the creation and commissioning of new music, Felix has premiered over 100 works and dozens of recordings in his career. On the world stage, he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Musikverein and the Royal Festival Hall and as a soloist with orchestras including the Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony (Taiwan), and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. |
