Eugene Symphony presents World Premiere of Hibiki (響) – Colors of Resonance by Pius Cheung 

The second world premiere of the 2023/24 Season, the marimba concerto will be performed by Eriko Daimo on February 22. 

Attendees at Eugene Symphony’s February 22, 2024, concert will luxuriate in endless shades of sound in a program that centers around the world premiere of internationally renowned and Eugene-based composer Pius Cheung’s Hibiki (響) – Colors of Resonance, performed by marimba virtuoso Eriko Daimo. The textures and timbres of the orchestra are on full display as they perform Hildur Guðnadóttir’s meditative People Get Faces and Claude Debussy’s fantastical and poetic Prélude, before each section of the orchestra is celebrated in Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra. 

“I am thrilled to collaborate with two of the most inspiring artists who I have gotten to know during my time in Eugene: composer Pius Cheung and percussionist Eriko Daimo. I cannot wait to present the dazzling world premiere of their latest project together with a collection of new and familiar works showcasing the full expanse of orchestral sounds.” 

– Francesco Lecce-Chong, Music Director & Conductor

The musicians of Eugene Symphony will be on full display throughout the entire concert, which opens with the layered orchestration of Debussy’s fantastical and poetic Prélude à “l’après-midi d’un faune” (Prelude to The Afternoon of a Fawn). 

After Hibiki, Eugene Symphony will perform Academy Award- and GRAMMY-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s meditative and precise Fólk fær andlit (People Get Faces), which was written in response to Iceland’s maltreatment and deportation of Albanian refugees. 

To finish the concert, each section of the orchestra will be spotlighted in Lutosławski’s 1954 Concerto for Orchestra, which is a study in contrasts – folk and classical, traditional and modern, populist and avant garde – and pulls themes from Polish folk melodies. The folk melodies are modernized with post-Romantic instrumentation, dissonant harmonies, and polytonal counterpoint, marking a turning point in the composer’s compositional style. 

The February 22 concert will also host the local arts community for the inaugural Arts Industry Night Out, which invites those who work in the arts in the region to a special pre-concert celebration. In the recently released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study, it was reported that there are more than 2,700 jobs in Eugene that are supported by the arts and culture industry. 

The weeks leading up to the world premiere concert feature several exciting events, including a special lunchtime Marimba Pop-Up performance in the Hult Center Lobby on Valentine’s Day, February 14, featuring both composer Pius Cheung and marimba master Eriko Daimo, as well as a Marimba Master Class on Tuesday, February 20, and the Guild Legacy Pre-Concert Talk on Thursday, February 22. 

Join Eugene Symphony for this exciting evening celebrating local musicians and the Eugene arts community. 

COLORS OF RESONANCE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024 7:30 pm Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts Prices: prices range from $10-$65 

Francesco Lecce-Chong, Music Director & Conductor
Eriko Daimo, marimba
Pius Cheung, composer-in-residence 

Program: 

• Debussy | Prélude à “l’après-midi d’un faune” (Prelude to The Afternoon of a Fawn) 
• Pius Cheung | Hibiki (響)—Colors of Resonance 
• Hildur Guðnadóttir | Fólk fær andlit (People Get Faces) 
• Lutosławski | Concerto for Orchestra 

Tickets: Partial-season subscriptions, as well as single tickets, are available now. All ticket options available at eugenesymphony.org or the Hult Center Ticket Office 541-682-5000. 

About Pius Cheung
Hailed by the New York Times as “deeply expressive” for his groundbreaking recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on solo marimba, Pius Cheung is widely known as one of the most important percussionists of his generation. Furthermore, he is one of the most sought-after composers for percussion today. A native of Hong Kong, Mr. Cheung moved to Vancouver at the age of 12. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, his Artist Diploma from The Boston Conservatory, and his Doctorate from the University of Michigan. He endorses Yamaha, Zildjian, Remo, and Innovative Percussion, which produces his signature mallet series. Mr. Cheung is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Percussion Area at the University of Oregon. 

About Eriko Daimo
Praised for her ‘mesmerizing combination of sound and sight’ (Irish Times), the award-winning marimbist, Eriko Daimo, is one of the leading artists of her field. Born in Kagoshima, Japan, Ms. Daimo began her musical studies at age five on the piano. She started studying the marimba when she entered high school in 1997, and went on to study at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music and the Boston Conservatory. Ms. Daimo is an endorser of Marimba One, Innovative Percussion Inc., and Zildjian company. She is on the faculty and Director of Marimba Studies at the New York University Steinhardt and faculty at The Juilliard School pre-college division. 

About Francesco Lecce-Chong
Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is the Music Director of the Eugene Symphony in Oregon, and the Santa Rosa Symphony, performing at the Green Music Center in Northern California. The press has described him as a “fast rising talent in the music world” with “the real gift” and recognized his dynamic performances, fresh programming, deep commitment to commissioning and performing new music as well as to community outreach. Lecce-Chong has appeared with orchestras around the world including the San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic and collaborated with top soloists including Renée Fleming and Itzhak Perlman. 

About Eugene Symphony
Now in its 58th season, the Eugene Symphony is a nonprofit and 83-member part-time orchestra based in Eugene, Oregon, led by Music Director & Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong with a mission of enriching lives through the power of music. Eugene Symphony returned to the concert hall in September 2021, after a year away during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is excited to continue to connect with patrons, local organizations, and community members through concerts, outreach, and educational programming in the 2023/24 Season.