SigmArt is delighted to present the Concert "Chinese New Year" in partnership with The Reno Pops Orchestra from the Nightingale Concert Hall in Reno, Nevada (USA) on the 22nd of February 2025 at 19.00 PST (GMT -8H) exclusive Live streaming on SigmArt.

Join the Reno Pops Orchestra and Conductor, Jane Brown, on a musical journey to China to celebrate the Lunar New Year with renowned international Chinese Folk Instrument soloist, Hong Wang. This unique musical celebration will include traditional folk songs for bawu, erhu, and other Chinese folk instruments, with beautiful orchestral accompaniments played by the Reno Pops Orchestra, including "Fisherman's Song", "Galloping Horses" and "Phoenix Bamboo in the Moonlight". Mr. Wang will also be featured on the erhu in a West Coast Premier of Oliver Caplan's original composition "Journey to the West".

The Reno Pops Orchestra will play western orchestral transcriptions of Chinese orchestra pieces such as "Dance of the Golden Snake", as well as some orchestral classics, including an orchestral suite from Puccini's "Turandot" and "Procession of the Sardar" from the Caucasian Sketches by Ippolitov-Ivanov. The climax of the evening will feature two works by living Chinese composers: Tan Dun's Passacaglia for Cell Phones and Orchestra (The Secrets of Wind and Birds) and "Chinese Fireworks" by Wenping Li.

Hong Wang is a renowned international soloist creating extraordinary music with traditional Chinese instruments. He's the founder and leader of Melody of China, an ensemble of top international performers on Chinese traditional instruments, and has made numerous recordings of Chinese folk music, often traveling to remote villages to document his country's rich heritage of ancient regional music. Hong played on the first SFCCO performance of Dragon Gate. He's a master of the Erhu, a special Chinese violin.

The Conductor and Artistic Director for this Concert will be international conductor and educator, Dr. Jane K. Brown. Born in the arts-loving mountain communities of Northeastern California, Dr. Brown has always had a passion for sharing inspiring music of all genres and styles with everyone around her. She holds a Bachelor of Music in music education from Brigham Young University, a Master of Music in woodwind performance and orchestral conducting from California State University, Chico, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After establishing a strong foothold as a professional orchestral musician and music educator, Brown began her career conducting symphonic music in 2001. Since that time, she has studied and guest conducted for many years in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the U.S.A.

Dr. Brown’s first orchestral appointment was to conduct the Reno Philharmonic Youth Symphony Orchestra. Under her leadership, this excellent group of students toured throughout the Western United States and performed professional orchestral literature for over 23,000 people, including its highly acclaimed Young People’s Concerts for children. In the Fall of 2004, Jane was selected to serve as the conductor and musical director of the Reno Pops Orchestra, where she has had a profound effect on building every aspect of that ensemble and its audiences into a regional phenomenon.

In April of 2013 Dr. Brown was named as the conductor of the Ruby Mountain Symphony in Elko, Nevada and conducted the Les Misérables run with the Tahoe Players in Reno, Nevada. In 2020, she founded a new professional ensemble known for its artistry and joyous music-making: the Northern Nevada String Serenade.

Ms. Brown has studied with many internationally renowned conductors, including maestros Gustav Meier, Mark Gibson, Markand Thakar, Diane Wittry, Joseph Gifford, Karolos Trikolidis, Guerassim Voronkov, Victor Yampolsky, Taras Krysa, Jonathan Brett, and Alexander Polyanichko. In February of 2014, Dr. Brown was named as a Conducting Fellow with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra with Diane Wittry. A dedicated professional music teacher and educator, she also received the "Innovations" and "Outstanding Music Educator" awards from the California Music Educators Association in 2021 and 2023.

As an international conductor, Jane has guest conducted the Serbian Symphony Orchestra, the State Symphony Concert Orchestra of Ukraine in Kyiv, the State Philharmonic of the Republic of Adygeya, the State Academic Orchestra of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Chelyabinsk Symphony Orchestra, the Bryansk Governor’s Symphony Orchestra, the Samara Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tolyatti Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Dagestan State Philharmonic, the Astrakhan Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and the Arkhangelsk State Chamber String Orchestra, as well as two of the state orchestras in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Ms. Brown is a passionate and energetic conductor known for her positive, dynamic leadership style, her enthusiastic work ethic, and her passion for audience-friendly symphonic programming. During her tenure as conductor of the Reno Pops Orchestra and in her work with many other ensembles, she has played a key role in developing innovative concert programming and educational outreach programs which have brought inspiration to thousands of audience members and musicians all around the world.