November 9, 2025

Over the course of my career, I’ve have often thought about the many different ways people demonstrate truly extraordinary musicianship. To be clear, by “truly extraordinary," I mean those artists whose connection with the audience is uncommonly potent, a very small group among the many wonderful musicians in the world.
 
It is challenging to articulate the seemingly ineffable elements that put a performer into this tiny subset. I know that it begins with a connection made with the music internally that is unusually strong. Then there is the ability to actually transform that connection into sound.
 
Another trait of the truly exceptional is a personality and love of music-making that overflows into the audience. It happens in a completely genuine way such that each listener feels a gravitational pull to their presence. You can’t fake this or force it. It’s just there. 
 
Then there is the white-hot inner burn…that flame of intensity that informs every note. In some great artists, this flame remains highly internalized, in others it appears more overtly. It is in this aspect where we sometimes find the force-of-nature factor. I would not say every great artist has this, nor is it a requirement for greatness. 
 
But a force of nature was visited upon the Lansing Symphony this weekend in the form of violinist Ray Chen playing Bruch’s dramatic and inviting First Concerto. Ray is one of those extraordinary artists about whom I’ve been writing here, and that is apparent from the moment he walks on stage before playing a note. Once his bow is on the string, he’s got you in the palm of his hands. He left an indelible impression on all of us.
 
Our concert opened with Zhou Tian’s heart-felt “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.” Since I've become acquainted with his music, he has become among my favorite composers of our time. While writing very much in today’s musical vocabulary, his music is a continuation of 19th-Century Romanticism. It creates a deep emotional connection with the listener. His music fills the hall with kaleidoscopic color, drama, and a broad emotional scope. 
 
Like Zhou, Bela Bartok also channeled 19th-Century Romanticism into a more modern context while retaining the human, emotional element. His masterpiece Concerto for Orchestra closed our program. It was a great pleasure to do a deep dive into this work with my Lansing Symphony colleagues.
 
NEXT UP
 
November 14, 2025
 
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Music of Green Day
7:35 p.m
Kleinhans Music Hall
Buffalo, New York
 
#lansingsymphony #raychen #zhoutian