CHINA STAGE

Thursday, August 9
Church of the Holy Spirit, 9 p.m.
CHINA STAGE

Ai Wu, mezzosoprano
Jean-Marc Goujon, flute
Philippa Neuteboom, piano

PROGRAM

Gabriel Faure (1845–1924)
Fantasie, for flute and piano, Op. 79
Andantino
Allegro
Le papillon et la fleur, solo pjesma iz zbirke Dvije pjesme, op. 1
La lune blanche luit dans les bois
Morceau de Concours
Barcarolle, No. 6
Au bord de l’eau, art song from 3 Songs, Op. 8

Camille-Saint Saens (1835–1921)
Volière from the suite Le Carnaval des animaux
Violons dans le soir, for vocal, violin (flute ) and piano
Une flute invisible, for voice, flute, and piano

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Clair de lune
Syrinx
Il pleure dans mom Coeur
Mandolina

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
La flute enchantée, from the Shéhérazade song cycle

Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
Allegro malinconico from Sonate four flaute and piano
Les chemins de l’amour, for voice and piano
Cantilena from Sonate from flute and piano
Voyage à Paris, for voice and piano

INTERMISSION

Ren Guang (1900–1941)
Les nuages font la cour à la lune
Zhongrong Luo
Trois chansons d’automne
Tian Ge
La nuit dans la steppe
Huang Peiqin
Flowing water in a small river
Zhou Xianglin
Un verre de vin

Partners of the program:

Ai Wu, mezzosoprano, graduated from the Department of Vocal Arts at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under Professor Zhou Xiaoyan. She earned her Concert Performer Diploma at the Alfred Cortot Music Conservatory in Paris, under Professor Isabel Gracisanz. With a rich and diverse repertoire, Ai Wu has performed in renowned opera houses in Marseille, Avignon, Toulon, Nice, and Lyon. She has participated in the MIDEM Music Festival in Cannes and the International Festival of Young Opera Singers in Rheinsberg, Germany. Collaborating with Ensemble Matheus, Ai Wu has performed Baroque music and at the invitation of conductor Muhai Tang she has appeared in China, including at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall and the Tianjin Opera House. She is a co-organizer of The Lys Chamber ensemble with Jean-Marc Goujon. At the invitation of former French President D’Estaing, Ai Wu performed at the Europavox Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, France. As a pedagogue, she is engaged in France at the Brest Music Conservatory and in China at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and the Guangxi Arts University. Ai Wu is a founder of the Centre d’Art Bizet, which plays a vital role in Sino-French cultural and artistic exchange.

Jean-Marc Goujon, flute, has a particular fondness for Baroque and Romantic music. He is highly valued for his unique and precise interpretation of both classical and contemporary musical styles. For many years, Jean-Marc Goujon has collaborated with the world-renowned Ensemble Matheus. He has performed in venues across the USA and Europe, including the Salle Gaveau, Opéra Garnier, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, and the Tonhalle in Zürich. He has shared the stage with many renowned musicians, including countertenor Philippe Jaroussky. As a soloist, since 2011, Jean-Marc Goujon has collaborated with soprano Cecilia Bartoli, performing with orchestras such as La Scintilla Orchestra of the Zürich Opera House – where his re-composed Haydn oratorio Il ritorno di Tobia was met with wide acclaime, the RSI – I Barocchisti Orchestra, and Les Musiciens du Prince Opera in Monaco. His repertoire encompasses a wide range of styles from Baroque, to jazz and rock, to Romantic music, to 20th-century compositions. Jean-Marc Goujon participated in the filming of the movie Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola. His arrangements and orchestrations have been performed at the Olympia in Paris, the Salzburg Festival, festivals in Monaco and Lucerne, the Central Park Festival in New York, the San Carlo Theater in Naples, and the Shanghai Festival.

Philippa Neuteboom, piano, studied with various professors around the world before continuing her education at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the École Normale de Musique in Paris. Dedicated to contemporary music, she has participated in numerous French and world premieres. At the request of composers such as Noël Lee, Michel Merlet, and Jacques Boisgallais, she is regularly invited to contemporary music programs, including the Cantus Formus series in Paris.
Attracted to the world of art song and opera since her studies in the Netherlands, Philippa Neuteboom has particularly focused on French art songs since 2007. She is a frequent guest accompanist at the French Song Exchange at Wigmore Hall (London–Paris). She has worked as an accompanist at the École Normale in Paris. Since 2010, Philippa Neuteboom has been a professor and, since 2016, the head of the department at the Octave et Arpège School of Music and Theater in Paris. Dedicated to chamber music throughout her musical career, Philippa Neuteboom has performed in various ensembles with vocal soloists, flute, violin, viola, and cello. Among her recordings are the complete works for violin and piano by César Cui, with violinist Sophie Lemonnier-Walez