ASO Concerts: Duo Refracta

Piano and Percussion Duo 

Michael Jones, Percussion
Michael Jones is a percussionist and conductor based in Southern California. His work focuses on championing new pieces of the 21st century as well as works from the 20th century avant-garde. He is particularly interested in time, memory, perception, and the lyricism of embodied performance. Composers he has worked closely with include David Macbride, Kevin Good, Pluto Bell, and Matt Sargent among others. He has performed at the LA Philharmonic’s Noon-to-Midnight Festival, The Ojai Music Festival, The Other Minds Festival, Monday Evening Concerts, The Dog Star Orchestra Festival, and the Hartford New Music Festival.

Shaoai Ashley Zhang, Piano
A pianist with “impressive technical skill and innate musicality” (Unsuk Chin), Shaoai Ashley Zhang is an active solo and chamber musician. A champion of contemporary music, Ms. Zhang has premiered dozens of new works and collaborated closely with composers including Helmut Lachenmann, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Unsuk Chin. Ms. Zhang presents recitals featuring both new and old piano repertoire, which puts contemporary music in dialogue with the past. Recent engagements include appearances as a soloist in Unsuk Chin’s Double Concerto with the Palimpsest Ensemble, as well as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22, K. 482 with the UC San Diego Chamber Orchestra.