Shanghai Quartet

History

The group was formed in 1983 at the Shanghai Conservatory in China. In 1984 the quartet was selected by the Ministry of Culture (China) to compete at the Portsmouth International Quartet Competition in England where they won 2nd prize. The group then left China in 1985 to study at Northern Illinois University with the Vermeer Quartet until 1987. The Shanghai Quartet made its New York debut in 1987 at Town Hall. In 1989 they became the quartet-in-residence at the University of Richmond. In 2003 the quartet became Distinguished Visiting Artists of the school’s Modlin Center for the Arts, giving concerts during the Great Performances season from September to May. They then were established as artists-in-residency at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey where they are currently located. The four members are also visiting guest professors at the Shanghai Conservatory and Central Conservatory of Music in China where they share in master-classes what they have learned in America.

Weigang Li

Weigang Li is a native of Shanghai and began studying the violin at age five under the instruction of his parents. He began formal music education at the Shanghai Conservatory when he was 14 years old. In 1981 he studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music through an exchange program with the Shanghai Conservatory. Upon finishing his studies in 1985, Weigang became an assistant violin professor at Shanghai. He then left china to study at Northern Illinois University. From 1987 to 1989 he studied at the Juilliard School and was a teaching assistant to the Juilliard Quartet. Weigang has been the first violinist for the Shanghai Quartet since its inception.

Weigang has been a soloist with the Asian Youth Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He appears in the film “From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China”. Weigang currently is on the faculty at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Yi-Wen Jiang

Yi-Wen Jiang was born in Beijing, China and began studying violin at age six with his father. He gave his concerto debut at the Central Opera House in Beijing when he was only 17 years old. In 1981 Yi-Wen won first prize at the First China Youth Violin Competition and was then accepted to study music at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. In 1985 he left China for the United States to study at the St. Louis Conservatory. He also spent summers in Dallas taking master classes with Pinchas Zuckerman. In 1990 he went to Rutgers to work with Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri Quartet. Yi-Wen became the second violinist for the Shanghai Quartet in 1994 when past violist Zheng Wang left the ensemble and current violist Honggang Li switched from second violin to viola.

Yi-Wen has been a soloist with the Victoria Symphony and Montreal Symphony. He has been appeared on NBC and PBS television specials. He has been on radio specials for National Public Radio, CPB-Beijing, WQXR-New York, and KFUO-FM-St. Louis. Yi-Wen has won prizes at the Mae M. Whitaker and Montreal competitions and has collaborated with Alexander Scheider, Michael Tree, Jaime Laredo, and Lynn Harrell on performances. He has recorded for the label Red Corporation of China.

Honggang Li

Honggang Li began his musical studies playing the violin like his brother Weigang, the group’s first violinist. He first attended the Beijing Conservatory and then the Shanghai Conservatory where he became a faculty member in 1984. Later in the United States, he became a teaching assistant at the Juilliard School in New York City. Honggang was the original second violinist for the Shanghai Quartet. When violist Zheng Wang left the group they had trouble finding a replacement violist, and upon accepting Yi-Wen Jiang, who the Li brothers had already known, as the second violinist, Honggang learned to play the viola in order to complete the quartet.

Honggang has been a soloist with the Shanghai Philharmonic and the Shanghai Conservatory Orchestra. In 1987 he was given a prize at the Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy by Elisa Pegreffi.

Nicholas Tzavaras

Nicholas Tzavaras is the only American member of the Shanghai Quartet, having grown up in Harlem in New York City. He studied cello at the New England Conservatory and at the State University of New York Stony Brook. As a graduate student, he began a cello program for the Opus 118 Music Center in East Harlem. He is now an advisory board member for the program. Nicholas was previously on the faculty at the University of Richmond and is currently the string department coordinator and cello professor at Montclair State University. He became the cellist for the Shanghai Quartet in 2000 when past cellist James Wilson left the ensemble.

Nicholas has toured with “Musicians from Marlboro” and Madonna. He has made appearances on MTV, VH1, David Letterman, and at the White House to perform for President Bill Clinton. He has recorded for labels including Delos, BIS Records, Camerata, and New Albion. He has appeared in the Academy Award nominated documentary “Small Wonders” and in the major motion picture “Music of the Heart” with Meryl Streep.

Former Members

Xing-Hua Ma, cellist 1983-1985. Zheng Wang, violist 1983-1994. Kathe Jarke, cellist 1986-1990. James Wilson, cellist 1990-2000.