A Night of Dvorak

Violins: Mei Mei Wei, Lily Wei Ye, Viola: Matthew Maffett, Cello: Gita Ladd

1). Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96, “American”

1. Allegro ma non troppo

2. Lento

3. Molto vivace

4. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo

2). Piano Quintet “Pastoral”

by Duke Tang

Intermission

3). Dvorak: Piano Quintet No.2, Op.81

1. Allegro ma non tanto

2. Dumka. Andante con moto

3. Scherzo. Furiant

4. Finale. Allegro

Mei Mei Wei was a winner of the Artists International Violin Competition in New York, where she was invited to play solo recital in Carnegie Hall. Her performance was highly praised by “New York Concert Review.”

As an active recitalist and chamber musician, Mei Mei Wei has appeared throughout United States, Europe and Asia, playing with many orchestras such as Phoenix Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Bay Chamber Music Festival with Vermeer Quartet, New York Chamber Players Orchestra, Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra of Washington DC and Shanghai Baroque Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed recent solo and chamber concert tours in Germany, South Korea and Japan etc,.

Mei Mei Wei held the positions of Associate Concertmaster of Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and First Violin Section of Phoenix Symphony.

Mei Mei Wei earned her bachelor’s degree in Shanghai Conservatory of Music, master degree at University of Southern California and doctor of musical arts degree at Louisiana State University. She was on the faculty of Louisiana State University, The Colburn School of Music, the Idyllwild Summer Music Festival in California, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and the Music School of East China Normal University.

Every summer she also teaches at the Manhattan International Music Festival where she is the Artistic Director and a violin faculty. Dr. Mei Mei Wei is also Music Director/Concertmaster/ Soloist of the Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra of Washington DC and Shanghai Baroque Chamber Orchestra.

Lily Wei Ye

Lily Wei Ye was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the daughter of Mei

Mei Wei. She was introduced to the violin when she was six years old.In

2008, Lily moved to Shanghai and attended Concordia International School Shanghai, graduating in 2013. She participated in Concordia' APAC string festivals and became one of the soloists in her senior year.

Lily attended the Meadowmount School of Music in Westport. New York during thesummers of 2012 to 2015. She won first prize in the Hong Kong International YouthMusic Competition in 2015.In the same year, she placed second at the 19th International Violin Competition in Bari, Italy.

In 2016, Lily attended the New York International Music Competition and Festival in Taiwan and received Gold.

Lily also attended the Aspen Music Festival in summer of 2017 and studied with Cornelia Heard and Naoko Tanaka, She graduated with her Bachelor Degree at the New School’s Mannes College of Music, Lily recently received her Dual Masters Degree both in Classical Violin Performance and in

Music Education at the Manhattan School Music and Columbia University Teacher College respectively. She has played in the Lincoln Center and made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall in 2019. She has performed solo at The Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and recitals at the UN Headquarters

in NYC, Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre since then. As a soloist, she also toured in Boston, New Orleans, North Carolina and other cities in U.S as well as South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japanand

other countries in Asia, Early 2020. She was invited to play as a soloist with New York Chamber Players Orchestra at the Cary Hall of DiMenna Center in Manhattan.

Currently she is music teacher and teaches at public school in Washington DC. Lily is also Co-Concertmaster of Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra in Washington DC and Assistant Artist-Di

rector of the Manhattan International Music Festival where she teaches and plays both solo and chamber music with world-class musicians. Meantime Lily is pursuing her doctorate in music at the Teacher College of Columbia University while still working as a full time teacher.

Matthew Maffett is an active soloist, orchestral and chamber musician throughout the Washington DC area. Since 2011 he has been a section violist in the United States Air Force Band’s String Ensemble, regularly performing at the White House and other high-profile government events. After receiving degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the prestigious Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA, Matthew appeared at numerous festivals around the globe, including the Schleswig-Holstein, Manchester, and Norfolk festivals, among others. Since residing in Washington DC, Matthew has regularly performed with the IBIS Chamber Music Society, Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, National Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra. His principal teachers include Csaba Erdélyi, Atar Arad, and Paul Coletti.

Gita Ladd
Noted by the Baltimore Sun as a "superb cellist", and heralded by the Washington Post as one "whose cello sings as

poignantly as any voice, a defining glory", Gita Ladd is one of the most sought after cellists of the Baltimore-

Washington, D.C. area. For most of that time she performed as a titled member of the Baltimore

Symphony Orchestra, including several appearances as Principal Cello for the annual "Messiah" performances and at the

SummerMusicFest Series. She has also performed as Principal Cello with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the

Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Baltimore Opera Company, Concert Artists of Baltimore, Post Classical Ensemble of

Washington D.C., Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and as Assistant Principal Cello of the Knoxville Symphony. Ms. Ladd

has also been a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Pops, and has played frequently at the Kennedy Center with various

ensembles including the Washington Opera, Washington Ballet, Washington Chorale and American Ballet Theatre. Ms.

Ladd has toured with Tony Bennett, Henry Mancini, Clay Aiken and Mannheim Steamroller, and has performed with

Renee Fleming, El Divo, Christina Aquilera, Vince Gil and the Three Irish Tenors.

Ms. Ladd has a long standing commitment to the education of young musicians. She was on the Peabody Conservatory

faculty in the spring of 2002, and joined the UMBC faculty in 2006. Beside her cello studio, faculty recitals, and

performances with the contemporary music ensemble, "Ruckus", and frequently appeared in many Baltimore area schools as a clinician and soloist, and coach.

Besides her musical talents, Ms. Ladd has devoted much time and energy to human service work at local agencies,

through Anne Arundel Mental Health Agency, and volunteerism at the Ordnance Road Correctional Facility.

Ms. Ladd received a diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and has attended the Cleveland Institute of

Music and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music

Album release October 2022, Ms. Ladd is featured as one of three cello soloists on Scott Ordway’s The Outer Edge of Youth available on all major platforms

Host or Publisher Mei Mei Wei