Wei-Shuan
Yu
Submitted:
October 11, 2018
Rejected
: $
0
Contact Information:
Wei-Shuan
Yu
3031 Eden Ave.
Apt 340
Cincinnati
Ohio
45219
USA
5132380461
Reference 1:
Annalisa Pappano
Reference 2:
Lee Fiser
Summary of Submitted Materials:
A description of instrument from maker's webpage
Submitted Documents:
Submitted Recordings:
Committee Notes:
I've added a pdf containing information from Wei-Shuan sbout the cost of the viol and her planned financing.
Lisa
Project Description:
I am a Catacoustic Young Artist musician and have been actively participating in early music concerts in Cincinnati several years. I attended the 2017 Mountain Collegium and the 2017 and 2018 Conclaves of the Viola da Gamba Society of America, and both workshops inspired me greatly in early music and viol playing. I am eager to play more baroque music, to keep developing my gamba performance skill, and to gain more knowledge and experience of consort music and gamba repertoire. Eventually, I hope to be a professional viola da gamba player.
Upon finishing my doctoral degree in cello performance, my goal is to teach at a university. I would like to be able to teach viol as an added skill to cello, thus I really need my own viol. I have been looking for a suitable instrument for a while, and after I tried a viol by Thomas Mace, I decided to order one from him. The instrument will be completed by Spring 2019, so I am applying for the VdGSA’s Grant to help me to purchase it.
Having my own viol will help me in my personal playing, as well as on research of my doctoral document, as the topic is cello and viola da gamba’s style and technique comparison. I will also bring it with me when I visit my family and friends in Taiwan. Since it is not a common instrument in Asia, I would like to share my knowledge and the music with people and to play with my friends in concerts to expand more new audiences.
Request Amount:
$
1500
Total Project Cost:
$
Budget and Additional Funding:
Qualifications:
Wei-Shuan Yu has established candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She was awarded the Graduate Incentive Award under the guidance of Professor Lee Fiser. Wei-Shuan has performed actively as an orchestral and chamber musician. She was invited on the concert tour of China with the Starling Chamber Orchestra (2016) and the Baroque Camerata (2014). She received First Prize in the CCM Chamber Music Competition in 2014 and her piano trio was selected as a finalist in the 2014 Music Teachers National Association National Chamber Music Competition.
Pursuing a strong interest in viola da gamba and early music, she chose the viola da gamba as her doctoral cognate under the instruction of Annalisa Pappano. She is a Catacoustic Consort Young Artist and has participated in the Cincinnati Early Music Festival. In 2017, she received the Nicolas Fortin Scholarship from Bourbon Baroque to attend the Conclave of the Viola da Gamba Society of America. She also attended the 2017 Mountain Collegium and the 2018 Conclave of VdGSA.
Letter of Reference 1:
October 8, 2018
To whom it may concern,
Please accept this recommendation for Wei-Shuan Yu for the Viola da Gamba Society Grants-in-Aid Scholarship Program.
I direct the Catacoustic Consort, a period chamber music ensemble based in Cincinnati Ohio and teach viola da gamba at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. I taught Wei-Shuan in my group class for several years and as a private student for two years. She is the first of two students who have pioneered the path of private viola da gamba lessons at CCM to earn a viola da gamba cognate, and she has paved the way for future students to study early music at CCM. As a Catacoustic Young Artist, Wei-Shuan has participated in outreach concerts for hundreds of high school students and numerous senior citizens in our Creative Aging performances. She has also played with numerous people here in Cincinnati – both in the amateur, pre-professional, and professional community. It has been a delight to have an enthusiastic, highly skilled, yet passionate to learn, viol player in town, and it has enriched our musical scene.
Wei-Shuan has attended two Conclaves of the Viola da Gamba Society and one Mountain Collegium workshop. While she is an advanced cellist, she was delighted with and inspired by the environment that these workshops provided for students at every level, and she has humbly embraced these experiences by learning more than technique and notes – about the participants and their love of a new musical experience.
Wei-Shuan has been looking for an instrument for a while, and she has commissioned an instrument by Thomas Mace. It would be extremely meaningful for her to have her own instrument. She is working hard to learn a new style and technique and understand the culture of the viola da gamba. In doing so, she has made an impact on our community. She would be an excellent candidate for a VdGSA grant-in-aid for this purchase.
Please contact me at your convenience with any questions or comments!
Best regards,
Annalisa Pappano
Artistic Director, Catacoustic Consort
2345 Upland Place, Cincinnati, OH 45206, apappano@catacoustic.com, 513.772.3242
www.catacoustic.com
Letter of Reference 2:
Dear Ms. Terry,
I strongly support and endorse Ms. Yu's application for a grant towards acquiring her own viola da gamba. Ms. Yu did her Masters and Doctoral cello studies in my studio when I was a cello faculty member at CCM-U of Cincinnati. During the past several years she has also been enthusiastically involved in gamba studies. I have heard her play several gamba recitals during that time which were at the highest artistic level. She is very deserving of as much financial assistance the Viola da Gamba Society of America has available for such a purchase. She is a most dedicated and artistic musician on cello and gamba. I would strongly recommend the maximum grant you have available for her.
Lee Fiser
Professor Emeritus
College Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnat