Chicago, IL — The Chinese Fine Arts Society will present a free concert at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013 at 3:00 pm. The Chicago Cultural Center is located at 78 E. Washington in Chicago. For more information, visit www.ChicagoCulturalCenter.org or www.ChineseFineArts.org. The 29th Annual Music Festival in Honor of Confucius Winners Concert, also part of the Cultural Center’s Sunday Salon Series, features First Place winners — cellists, pianists, violinists and Chinese Instrumentalists, ranging in age from 8-25. This year’s concert is in honor of CFAS lifetime member, repeat MFHC winner, and Coordinator of this year’s competition, Mimi Liu, who tragically passed away earlier this fall. The Chinese Fine Arts Society has established a new scholarship in the Piano Youth Division in Mimi’s name.

Works by Prokofiev, Liszt, Chopin, and Haydn are presented side by side with traditional and contemporary Chinese compositions. Performing winners include Eriko Darcy, Piano; Ifetayo Ali, Cello; Ruijing Han, Guzhen; Yerin Yang, Piano; Sean Choi, Piano; Zachary Brandon, Violin; Richard Li, Cello; William Tan, Cello; Sean Lee, Violin; and Caleb Kim, Piano.

This festival introduces participants to the rich heritage of Chinese music through competitions and scholarships. From a storefront operation at its inception, attracting just a handful of participants, the Music Festival has become a very popular musical event for musicians of all ages in Chicago. Music teachers welcome it; young musicians look forward to participating in it; the packed audience at the Winners Concerts enjoy and appreciate it. Alumni of this popular program — including Rachel Barton Pine and Conrad Tao — have gone on to attend music conservatories, and many have developed successful professional music careers.

Every fall, hundreds of young musicians perform Chinese music selected from our required repertoire, as well as a western piece of their choosing, for a panel of judges. The top scoring performers in each age category play in the annual Winners Concert at prestigious Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center. The required repertoire reflects the beauty and breadth of the Chinese musical tradition and proves to be challenging and inspiring for the contestants. Since 1984, the Chinese Fine Arts Society, a small, fully-independent arts organization has brought together people from diverse backgrounds around a common goal: to celebrate the beauty and majesty of traditional and contemporary Chinese music and art. CFAS is dedicated to promoting the appreciation of Chinese culture, enhancing cultural exchange and pursuing excellence in Chinese music, dance and visual arts. For further information about the Chinese Fine Arts Society contact 312-369-3197 or [email protected] and visit www.ChineseFineArts.org.