FREE Admission 

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Flushing Town Hall no longer requires visitors or performers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19; wearing a mask is optional but recommended. For more details, please visit www.flushingtownhall.org/covid-safety. 

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Flushing Town Hall, in partnership with Carnegie Hall Citywide, is proud to present AcroStrum, featuring Strauss Shi (Violin, Erhu, and Dizi) and TY Zhang (Guitar and Electric Guitar). 

ArcoStrum is a virtuosic violin-and-guitar pairing with an expansive, 21st-century sensibility. Recently named winner and audience prize recipient at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, these former classmates from The Juilliard School have been dazzling audiences with innovative concerts that mix genres, cultures, and musical eras. Enjoy their original, all-new arrangements of beloved classical repertoire, technically impressive progressive rock, traditional Chinese music infused with modern instrumentation, and more.

For more information on ArcoStrum, please visit www.arcostrum.com. 

About the Artists: 



Chinese-American violinist Strauss Shi is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting multi-instrumental artists today representing music of the east and west. At the age of seventeen, Strauss made his major debut with the Utah Symphony under the baton of Vladimir Kulenovic, and since then has concertized in the United States, Europe and Asia. Most recently, Strauss and guitarist TY Zhang have been awarded the Winner and Audience Prize at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, as the ArcoStrum, becoming the first ever violin-guitar duo in its competition history to win.

Additional major solo prizes include First Prize at the USC Thornton Concerto Competition (2018), Grand Prize at the Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition (2017), First Prize at the United States International Music Competition (2016), and Second Prize at the inaugural Siqing Lu Futian International Violin Competition (2016), among others.

For more information on Strauss Shi, please visit www.straussshi.com.



The highlight of TY Zhang’s international career was the Grand Prize of the 2017 Guitar Foundation of American International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC), known as the most prestigious guitar contest in the world. TY become the first Chinese to be honored with this prize. His win was followed by a tour with over 50 concerts in the U.S., including his Carnegie Hall debut. In 2018, TY released his solo album with Naxos company as the Laureate Series · Guitar Recital. It was praised as: “one of the most talented young players... I’m struck by the extraordinary levels of mastery, comfort and relative ease.” —Classical Guitar Magazine. Most recently, TY and violinist Strauss Shi have been awarded the Winner and Audience Prize at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, as the ArcoStrum, becoming the first ever violin-guitar duo in its competition history to win.

TY Zhang showed his talent since young. He was called the “Little John Williams” at the age of eight by the two influential German guitar masters—The Amadeus Duo, at a masterclass in Beijing. Born in Hebei, a place south of Beijing in China, TY was introduced to a variety of things under the influence of his father, including swim, Chinese Kongfu, Erhu, violin, keyboard, and the classical guitar at the age of five and he liked to play the guitar the most. When he turned seven, TY was introduced to Professor Chen Zhi, whom he studied with at the Music School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. It was a masterclass that bridged him with Professor Sharon Isbin, with whom he pursued Bachelor and Master of Music degree with at The Juilliard School in New York. TY is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree as a DMA Teaching Assistant under Professor William Kanengiser at the University of Southern California.

For more information on TY Zhang, please visit www.tengyuezhang.com. 
 
Lead support for Carnegie Hall Citywide is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Hearst Foundations.