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Evergreen Symphony Orchestra presents "The Firebird" and a Taiwan Premiere this May"

  • 2026-03-07

Taipei, March 9, 2026.     Following its previously announced concerts, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (ESO) returns this May with a compelling new program titled 'Jerry Hou, Sophie Shao & ESO'. Conducted by the ESO’s Associate Conductor Jerry Hou, who has previously collaborated with the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra will perform with the celebrated cellist Sophie Shao, a laureate of the International Tchaikovsky Competition. Performing at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall, this special collaboration will feature Russian and Czech masterpieces alongside a significant contemporary premiere.

Figure 1 Jerry Hou, Sophie Shao & ESO featuring a performance of timeless masterpieces on May 23 at Zhongshan Hall, Taipei.
Figure 1 Jerry Hou, Sophie Shao & ESO featuring a performance of timeless masterpieces on May 23 at Zhongshan Hall, Taipei.

The concert opens with the overture to Janáček’s opera, From the House of the Dead. Based on Dostoevsky’s novel, this final work uses isolated violin lines and the striking sound of chains to portray the struggle within a Siberian labor camp, casting a metaphorical shadow over the start of the evening. This is followed by a Taiwan premiere: Our Son Is Not Coming Home to Dinner, a cello concerto by Golden Melody-nominated composer Shih-hui Chen. Inspired by the moving poetry of literary master Chun-ming Huang, the work translates the sorrow of loss into a 'multimedia letter'. This performance marks a special reunion of the original U.S. premiere cast—conductor Jerry Hou, cellist Sophie Shao, and composer Shih-hui Chen—marking the Taiwan debut of this acclaimed collaboration.

Figure 2 The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra joins forces with acclaimed cellist Sophie Shao, recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in the United States, to create a performance of rebirth and resilience.
Figure 2 The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra joins forces with acclaimed cellist Sophie Shao, recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in the United States, to create a performance of rebirth and resilience.

The second half features Stravinsky’s breakthrough masterpiece, The Firebird. Known as the 'Picasso of music,' Stravinsky utilized brilliant orchestration and intense rhythms to tell the myth of rebirth from the flames. From the confinement of Janáček’s House of the Dead to the triumphant rebirth of The Firebird, the concert invites the audience to experience a spiritual ascent from darkness into the dawn.

 

The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra will perform with Jerry Hou & Sophie Shao on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 19:30 at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall (Zhongzheng Auditorium). For ticket information, please contact the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra or visit the OPENTIX platform.

Figure 3 In collaboration with conductor Jerry Hou—former Resident Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Figure 3 In collaboration with conductor Jerry Hou—former Resident Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.
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