
Georgia Tech School of Music Presents:
Pivot and Change
Georgia Tech School of Music Presents:
Pivot and Change
Monday, February 20th 2023
7:30pm
Ferst Center for the Arts
Chaowen Ting, Conductor
The GT Symphony Orchestra opens its first concert of the year with Anna Clyne’s Pivot, a piece that, as its name suggests, pivots seamlessly between several lively Scottish and American fiddle tunes. Also included are Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, featuring soloist Matthew Zhou (winner of the 2022 GTSO Concerto Competition), and Stella Sung’s Game of Players. The orchestra concludes with Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, the last of the composer’s symphonies and regarded by many critics as the pinnacle of his instrumental work.
Program
Anna Clyne (1980-) Pivot (2021) |
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Matthew Zhou, piano, winner of the 2022 GTSO Concerto Competition Dr. Andrea Perez Mukdsi, conductor Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 (1868) I. Allegro molto moderato II. Adagio III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato |
Stella Sung (1959-) Game of Players (2018) |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, “Jupiter” (1788) I. Allegro vivace II. Andante cantabile III. Menuetto: Allegro IV. Molto allegro |
Program Notes – Pivot
Pivot is inspired by my experiences at the Edinburgh Festival where I enjoyed an array of fantastic performances across the arts. It is this variety that I have tried to capture in Pivot which, as the title suggests, pivots from one experience to another. The Pivot is also the former name of the 200-year-old folk music venue and pub in Edinburgh, The Royal Oak.
Pivot quotes fragments of The Flowers of Edinburgh, a traditional fiddle tune of eighteenth-century Scottish lineage that is also prominent in American fiddle music and thus bridges between Edinburgh and St. Louis, where this music was premiered. Thank you to Aidan O’Rourke for his guidance on folk fiddle bowings and ornaments, which are incorporated into Pivot.
Program Notes – Game of Players
Game of Players was commissioned by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in celebration of its 25th anniversary (2018). The composition develops around the word “game”; people play games as children, and when they “grow up,” they play games as adults whereby the games evolve into more complex forms involving relationships, competitive sports, politics, etc. In Game of Players, I have isolated certain instruments (and their players) and have given them musical motives or identities. The musical lines are tossed back and forth, sometimes interrupted and then resumed but perhaps in a slightly altered way. I incorporate several familiar nurseries and children’s tunes that become at times whimsical, humorous, or dark and foreboding. But in the end, the mood is more reflective in nature as we hear “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream” with the music ending on an unresolved, final cadence chord.
Soloist Bio – Matthew Zhou:
Matthew Zhou is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science with threads in Intelligence and Systems & Architecture and a minor in Mathematics. He has been taking piano lessons with Mr. David Kuperstein since the age of five and throughout high school. He is the winner of various international piano competitions, including the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition, the International Young Artist Piano Competition, the Young Musicians Inspiring Change International Competition, and the BMTG Intercontinental Music Competition. As a result, he has been invited to perform in the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, and the Washington International Piano Festival. As the winner of the Howard County High School Gifted and Talented Orchestra Concerto Competition, Matthew performed Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Most recently, he is the winner of the 2022 GTSO Concerto Competition.
Outside of piano, Matthew is also a cellist in the GTSO. Matthew also enjoys playing badminton and is an active member of the Badminton Club at GT. On the academic side, he works as a Teaching Assistant under Professor Thad Starner and has an interest in deep learning.

Composer Bio – Anna Clyne
Described as a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods” in a New York Times profile and as “fearless” by NPR, GRAMMY-nominated Anna Clyne is one of the most in-demand composers today, working with orchestras, choreographers, filmmakers, and visual artists around the world.
Clyne has been commissioned and presented by the world’s most dynamic and revered arts institutions, including the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Philharmonic, MoMA, Philharmonie de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet, and the Sydney Opera House; and her music has opened such events as the Edinburgh International Festival, The Last Night of the Proms, and the New York Philharmonic’s 2021–2022 season.
Clyne often collaborates on creative projects across the music industry, including Between the Rooms, a film with choreographer Kim Brandstrup and LA Opera, and the Nico Project at the Manchester International Festival, a stage work about pop icon Nico’s life that featured Clyne’s reimagining of The Marble Index for orchestra and voices. Other recent collaborators include such notable musicians as Jess Gillam, Martin Fröst, Pekka Kuusisto, and Yo-Yo Ma.
In 2022–2023, Clyne serves as Composer-in-Residence with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra starting in the 2023–2024 season. Past residencies include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Composer Bio – Stella Sung
Award-winning composer Stella Sung is published by Theodore Presser Music Publishers, Editions Henry Lemoine, Southern Music Company, and Sonic Star Music Productions, and is currently available on Koch International Recordings, BIS, Naxos, Sinfonica (Italy), MSR, and Albany Records. She was the first Composer-in-Residence for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2011) and was one of five composers awarded the first "Music Alive" awards (with Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, 2013-16) sponsored by New Music USA, the League of American Orchestras, the Aaron Copland fund, and the Andrew Mellon Foundation. She is the recipient of a prestigious “Commissioning Grant for Female Composers” from Opera America (2020) for her opera The Secret River, with Pulitzer prize winning librettist Mark Campbell. Dr. Sung continues as Composer-in-Residence for Dance Alive National Ballet (Gainesville, FL). Sung is a two-time winner of the “Individual Artists” award from the State of FL and was the recipient of the National Artist award by the Phi Kappa Phi Scholastic Honor Society. Premieres, performances, and commissions of Sung’s work have included pieces for cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the German Ministry of Culture (Rhineland-Pfalz), the National Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Pops, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, and other professional and youth orchestras and ensembles. Sung holds a B.M. (piano performance) from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), an M.F.A (composition) from the University of Florida, and a D.M.A (piano performance) from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Sung is a “Pegasus Professor,” an Endowed Trustees Chair Professor, and is the director of the Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology, and Entertainment (CREATE) at the University of Central Florida, College of Arts and Humanities.
Ensemble Members
Violin I
Lawrence Ro, Concertmaster |
Electrical Engineering, 2nd year |
Felix Pei, Assistant Concertmaster |
Electrical Engineering, 4th year |
Harold Graney Green |
Computer Science, 3rd year |
Nathan Lin |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Raymond Jia |
Computer Engineering, 1st year masters |
Irene Oh |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Jonathan Shi |
Music Technology, 1st year |
Christia Saputera |
Business Administration, 1st year |
Banglue Wei |
Aerospace Engineering, 2nd year |
Julia Fleischman |
Environmental Engineering, 1st year |
Sarang Pujari |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Chengrui Li |
Computational Science and Engineering, 2nd year PhD |
Nikhil Damani |
Computer Engineering, 4th year |
Archishma Goli |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Violin II
Adrian Cheung, Principal |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Gregory Zhang |
Industrial Engineering, 3rd year |
Madison Park |
Mechanical Engineering, 2nd year |
Eileen Liu |
Computer Engineering, 3rd year |
Daeyong Kwon |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Sohum Gala |
Computer Science, 4th year |
Alexander Hom |
Mechanical Engineering, 2nd year |
Alex Wang |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Emily Primmer |
Biology, 3rd year |
Joshua Sampson |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Bharat Kanwar |
Robotics, 4th year PhD |
Rick Nguyen |
Computational Media, 2nd year |
Viola
Olivia Johnson-Liu, Principal |
Business Administration, 3rd year |
Emma Axelson |
Civil Engineering, 1st year masters |
Ivy Xue |
Neuroscience, 3rd year |
Michelle Wang |
Computer Science, 3rd year |
Ayush Narain |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Emily Liu |
Aerospace Engineering, 4th year |
Sujay Rao |
Aerospace Engineering, 2nd year |
Esha Sringeri |
Neuroscience, 1st year |
Cello
Nat Wertz, Principal |
Computer Science, 3rd year |
Harrison Zhu |
Computer Science, 4th year |
Peter Gardner |
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 3rd year |
Madeline Belew |
Computer Engineering, 3rd year |
Benjamin Borthwick |
Computer Science, 2nd year |
Matthew Zhou |
Computer Science, 2nd year |
Sean Yoshihara |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Bass
Eric Shute, Principal |
Mechanical Engineering, 4th year |
Hyun Choi |
Physics, 4th year |
Atharva Gujrathi |
Aerospace Engineering, 1st year |
Flute
Alex Yang *+ |
Economics, 1st year |
Haley McLain ~^ |
Biochemistry, 2nd year |
Ama Maiki ~ |
Environmental Engineering, 4th year |
Oboe
Oliver Long *+ |
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2nd year |
Anthony Otlowski ^~ |
Aerospace Engineering, 2nd year |
Clarinet
Nathan Duggal ^ |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Kevin Li + |
Mechanical Engineering, 1st year |
Bassoon
Lucille Dentice *+ |
Materials Science and Engineering, 4th year |
Vishaal Kareti ~^ |
Computer Science, 2nd year |
Horn
Alex Bendeck *+ |
Computer Science, 2nd year PhD |
Carlos Sanchez ~^ |
Biomedical Engineering, 1st year |
Trumpet
Camryn Aguilar ~^ |
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 1st year |
Daniel Hudadoff *+ |
Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2nd year masters |
Matthew Liu ~ |
Civil Engineering, 4th year |
Trombone
Tony Qin ^ |
Mathematics, 1st year |
Justin Zandstra ~ |
Mathematics, 4th year |
Eli Corley |
Computer Engineering, 2nd year |
Tuba
Alexander Coles | Industrial Engineering, 2nd year |
Timpani/Percussion
Kwanwoo Lee |
Computer Science, 1st year |
Ulyana Buslovska |
Mathematics, 1st year |
Denotes principal player: *Mozart, ^Grieg, ~Clyne, +Sung
On mobile devices, scroll to the left to view full table contents.
Georgia Tech School of Music
Through interdisciplinary degree programs, outstanding performance ensembles, and innovative research endeavors, the Georgia Tech School of Music cultivates a rich legacy of musical traditions and develops cutting-edge technologies to help define music's future. The School serves students in bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs in music technology and offers innovative performance opportunities, courses, and cultural and artistic experiences for students throughout the Institute.