The UNLV Performing Arts Center welcomes the distinguished Beijing Guitar Duo to the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1. This concert is sponsored by Dr. Mitchell and Pearl Forman.
Meng Su and Yameng Wang, two exceptional artists who both hail from Qingdao, China, form Beijing Guitar Duo. They met when they both studied beneath Chen Zhi at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China. In 2006, they met legendary guitarist Manuel Barrueco while he was on tour in Hong Kong. At his personal invitation, they applied and were accepted to the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, where they continued their studies with him. Prompted by Barrueco, they formed their duo in 2009.
Individually, each artist has an incredible list of credentials. Meng Su’s honors include victories at the Vienna Youth Guitar Competition and the Parkening International Guitar Competition, while Yameng Wang was the youngest guitarist to win the Tokyo International Guitar Competition (at age 12) and was invited by Radio France to perform at the prestigious Paris International Guitar Art Week (at age 14).
Since their debut in 2010 in New York at Carnegie Hall, the Beijing Guitar Duo’s performances and recordings are equally as impressive. Their debut CD, “Maracaípe,” received a Latin GRAMMY nomination for the titled piece (dedicated to them by renowned guitarist/composer Sergio Assad)., Their second CD, “Bach to Tan Dun,” includes the world premiere recording of Tan Dun’s “Eight Memories in Watercolor,” specially arranged for the duo by Barrueco. The critically acclaimed “China West” (with Barrueco) was released in May 2014, and their fourth CD, “Clair de Lune,” was released in October 23.
The duo shares a love for teaching; they teach masterclasses and judge competitions around the world. The UNLV PAC will host a conversation with the artists for Clark County School District Fine Arts students from 5:30 to 6 p.m. in advance of the concert. UNLV PAC executive director Lori Cobo will moderate the session for students to engage with the artists. (All ticket holders for the concert are welcome to attend.)
Single tickets are $35 (discounts available) and are on sale now. Season ticket packages for the four guitar artists on the UNLV PAC’s 48th season are also available. Tickets may be purchased by telephone at 702-895-ARTS (2787), online at pac.unlv.edu or at the UNLV PAC box office from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. When purchasing a ticket, consider donating to UNLV PAC to provide local students the opportunity to work with all the outstanding artists.
About UNLV Performing Arts Center
The UNLV Performing Arts Center is the original home for the arts in Southern Nevada; it opened in 1976 and celebrates its 48th season in 2024/25. A self-sustaining unit of UNLV, the PAC operates like many other arts organizations: costs for shows we produce, some facilities improvements, and other projects we undertake come from ticket sales, rentals, and donations. It hosts a variety of performances and events and is home to self-produced events plus productions of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, UNLV School of Music, UNLV Dance, the Las Vegas Men’s Chorus, among many other community arts presenters, and various Clark County School District fine arts festivals and concerts. For further information, visit pac.unlv.edu.