Artistic Directors: Chad Burrow & Amy Cheng
Chad Burrow, assistant professor of music in clarinet at the University of Michigan, and his wife, noted concert pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng serve as the artistic directors for the Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma.
Chad has performed to critical acclaim from Europe to the United States and Asia. His performances have been described by critics as "beyond reproach," and “…[played] with a full, liquid tone." Rick Rogers of the Daily Oklahoman stated that a recent performance of the Clarinet Concerto by Mozart was "…always governed by an overriding musicality."
In addition to serving on the faculty at the University of Michigan, Chad tours with Amy under the name Duo Clarion and with violinist Sean Wang as Trio Solari. Chad has won competitions ranging from the Young Concert Artist and International Concert Artist auditions in New York, the Woolsey Hall Competition, and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He is the past principal clarinetist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the New Haven Symphony, as well as associate professor of clarinet at Oklahoma City University.
Pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng has been described by the New York Concert Review as a pianist whose “control of the keyboard is complete, technique easy and relaxed, with a wide range of touch.” Pianist Claude Frank describes her as “a brilliant, sensitive, imaginative and most beguiling pianist.” Amy has appeared in recitals at venues such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and National Concert Hall in Taipei. She has performed in music festivals both as soloist and chamber musician across the United States, in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Taiwan and Israel. Amy’s live performances have been heard on WGBH, KCSC, WHYY, La Radio Suisse Romande-Espace 2, and NPR in Houston. Amy made her Boston concerto debut at the age of 17 at Jordan Hall with Liszt Concerto No. 2 under the direction of Benjamin Zhander, and has appeared with the 'Musica Viva' Moscow Chamber Orchestra among others.
An avid chamber musician, she is the current co-Artistic Director of the Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble in Oklahoma City. Amy recently taught and performed at the 2009 Interharmony International Music Festival and 2010 Quartz Mountain Festival. Amy performs with husband/clarinetist Chad Burrow as Duo Clarion. In 2009, the duo received rave reviews in The Yale Daily News and The New York Times for their performance of Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata in a festival celebrating the 100th birthday of Benny Goodman. The duo made its debut CD recording appearance on "Chamber Music of Edward Knight" on Albany Record in 2005. The duo also forms Trio Solari with violinist Sean Yung-Hsiang Wang.
A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music (BM), Yale University School of Music (MM and Artist Diploma), and the New England Conservatory (DMA), her principal teachers are Claude Frank, Wha-Kyung Byun and Rolf-Peter Wille. Ms. Cheng was Assistant Professor of Piano at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma from 02-06, and served as the Head of the Piano Area at Oklahoma City University Wanda L. Bass School of Music from 06-09. Amy is currently on faculty at the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts and serves as a collaborative pianist for the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
