6-wire duo biography

6-wire is inspired by the historical connection between the erhu, the Chinese 2-stringed violin, and the 4-stringed violin – both essential leading instruments in the East and West. A Chamber Music America grantee with unique instrumentation, the Delaware-based 6-wire is a site-specific, pioneering American duo that mixes traditional romanticism and virtuosity with new orchestral music. The two virtuosi celebrate diversity in performance, weave stories and context into their concerts with orchestras, and transform how live instrumental music is experienced.

Ensemble in residence at the University of Delaware since 2010, 6-wire performs internationally for classical concert series, university series, music festivals, community lecture recitals, and large outdoor and TV events, fulfilling its mission to promote cultural exchange while attracting new and younger audiences and supporters with new repertoire and sounds from around the world.

Founded by Chinese-American violinist Xiang Gao, an award-winning concert soloist and producer, and Chinese-American erhu virtuoso Cathy Yang, 6-wire’s electrifying performances redefine traditional orchestral music as a “wildcard” solo duo delightfully surprising cross-generational audiences with forward-looking compositions and cutting-edge audio and video technology.

The following season will take 6-wire around the globe with performances of a commissioned triple concerto promoting world peace entitled “Beyond these borders”, by American composer Mark Hagerty. Composed for violin, erhu, percussion and orchestra, the five-movement multipurpose concerto is designed for many types of orchestral engagements. It can be performed as a 10 to 20-minute educational event or the full 30-minute concert version. The concerto’s world premiere will take place during 6-wire’s tour of six major cities in China in 2018 with the University of Delaware Symphony under conductor James Allen Anderson, featuring Israeli percussionist Chen Zimbalista as a collaborating soloist. The concerto tour is followed by a performance with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Israel. Their 30-minute New Butterfly Lovers Multimedia Concerto with original visual elements created by Xiang Gao enjoyed a successful debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to the concerto by Hagerty, 6-wire’s orchestral program offerings for the following season also include arrangements and compositions for orchestra and 6-wire by Sarasate, Saint-Saens, Brahms, Piazzolla, Gershwin, William Bolcom, Gang Chen, Jennifer Margaret Barker, Xiang Gao, and new 6-wire commissions by leading contemporary composers of our time. 6-wire also collaborates with many Grammy-winning musicians, theatre actors and visual artists in orchestral concerts.

Grammy-winning sound engineer Andreas Meyer produced 6-wire’s debut orchestral album, Conflict Connections.