Dallas Chamber Symphony Celebrates Its Inaugural Season Finale With Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff And Prize-Winning Pianist Congcong Chai, April 30, 2013

Online, April 23, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Dallas Chamber Symphony will celebrate its inaugural season with a finale concert at the newly opened City Performance Hall on Tuesday, April 30. The performance will feature Congcong Chai, the First Prize winner of the first annual DCS International Piano Competition.

After applying to the competition and participating in a highly selective preliminary audition round, Mr. Chai was invited to travel to Dallas to participate in the final rounds of competition, which were held at Southern Methodist University in March. Mr. Chai advanced through three live rounds of competition, adjudicated by a panel of renowned concert pianists, to win First Prize and a solo engagement to perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor with the Dallas Chamber Symphony. A native of Xian, China, Mr. Chai is also a prize-winner of the Sorantin International Competition.

"Mr. Chai exhibited such extraordinary musicianship throughout the live competition rounds that we feel privileged to have this opportunity to share the stage with him." says Richard McKay, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dallas Chamber Symphony. "Audience members will be dazzled by this young pianist's virtuosity, sensitivity and masterful command of the keyboard."

Audience members will also have the opportunity to hear the top-of-the-line Yamaha CFX concert grand piano that now resides at the City Performance Hall. Mr. Chai's will be the first orchestral concerto performance on the new instrument.

Rounding out the program will be Beethoven's fiery Coriolan Overture and Brahms' popular and romantic Symphony No. 4 in E Minor. Both pieces will be performed by the Dallas Chamber Symphony.

The event will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at City Performance Hall (2520 Flora Street, Dallas, Texas 75201). It will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Individual tickets are available for $21-$38 each, $12 for students. Patrons may enter the promo code "Beethoven25" when purchasing online for an extra 25% off. For event information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dallaschambersymphony.org or call (214) 880-0202. Tickets may also be purchased in the City Performance Hall lobby the evening of the concert starting at 6 p.m.

ABOUT DALLAS CHAMBER SYMPHONY
Launched in September 2012, the Dallas Chamber Symphony is the newest professional performance ensemble in North Texas. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Richard McKay, it is comprised of close to 40 musicians, all dedicated to building a chamber orchestra whose mission is to perform a balance of programs that include underrepresented and standard repertory, contemporary music, staged works, and pieces with extra-musical elements, such as film, actors, dancers, and narrators. The DCS performs at the state-of-the-art Dallas City Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District. The DCS also provides educational and community programming, including an International Piano Competition at SMU, a free App for Apple devices in the App Store, and free pre-concert conversations. For more information, visit www.DallasChamberSymphony.org.