Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Dr. Lei Cai and Dr. Xiao Ling Shao in a duo piano recital Thursday, May 3, at 8 p.m. The recital will be held in Ouachita’s McBeth Recital Hall in the Mabee Fine Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

Dr. Cai serves as professor of music at Ouachita, and Dr. Shao serves as assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Art at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. The recital is part of Ouachita’s annual Arts Series that brings guest artists from across the country and around the world to Ouachita’s campus.

The recital will feature styles of music from all around the world. Some works recognized by many audiences, such as Richard Addinsell’s “Warsaw Concerto” and Johannes Brahms’ “Waltzes” will be performed. Newer compositions from Chinese artists also will be performed.

“I certainly enjoy playing piano duets,” Cai said. “With the possibilities of creating richer tone and texture, greater range of dynamic contrast, two pianists work together as a team assisting each other. It is a rewarding musical experience.”

Dr. Cai was born in Shanghai, China, and began playing piano at age 5. His music training began at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music when he was only age 6. Having received the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory Scholarship Award for five consecutive years, he came to the U.S. in 1992. He earned a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance at Florida State University and joined the piano faculty at Ouachita in the 2001. Dr. Cai has collaborated with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra on CDs under the Taiwanese label Wei Xian. He also has recorded solo works by the famous Chinese composer Hua Lin for Radio Shanghai.

Dr. Shao’s main teaching area at the University of Aveiro focuses on piano performance and chamber music. She earned her Doctor of Music degree from the University of Aveiro in 2011. As a performer, she has presented both solo and chamber music concerts with orchestras in large festivals in China, France, Italy and Portugal. She received a scholarship from the Orient Foundation to promote Chinese music culture in Portugal.

For more information, contact Dr. Lei Cai at [email protected] or (870) 245-5140.

 

By Katie Smith

April 18, 2018