Internationally-celebrated OneMusic project to perform in Brooklyn Heights

Recently commissioned trio by Heights composer to be played by renowned group

February 10, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

William H. Weigel, a distinguished attorney and a member of the Wednesday Music Club. Photo: William H. Weigel

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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Part of the “secret sauce” that makes this historic neighborhood unique in New York is a collection of Victorian-era clubs. Unlike the powerful old-boy clubs based in Manhattan, with hugely valuable physical plants and powerful professional networking opportunities, these modest clubs in Brooklyn are dedicated to local camaraderie and love of a particular subject, like music.

Thus the Wednesday Music Club, founded in 1882 by Mrs. William S. Packer, Jr. still meets and supports the presentation of music in many different genres, in an intimate setting (although, Mrs. Packer founded the club out of her passion for the romantic works of Robert Schumann).

The Piano Trio in action.
Photo: Brian Loube

An upcoming concert on Feb. 15 at a private location in Brooklyn Heights will feature a newly commissioned piano trio composed by William H. Weigel, a distinguished attorney and member of the Wednesday Music Club.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Weigel practiced as one of New York City’s top tax law specialists at the firm of Davis Polk. Trained from an early age on the trumpet, and developing an early passion for composition, Mr. Weigel has found that a successful career in law enabled him to spend more time on music.

Pianist Chung-Hsi Hsieh Photo: Sean Katsuyam

“It has been my very good fortune to have my music performed by some wonderful musicians,” says Weigel on his composer’s website. “My works have been played in various venues in New York City, around the east coast and in the midwest. In 2014 I was composer in residence at the Three Bridges Chamber Music Festival in Duluth, Minnesota. On March 11, 2018 my song cycle based upon Wallace Stevens poems received a very successful premiere performance at Carnegie Hall.”

Recent works include a Divertimento for Trombones and song cycle based on poems of Rainer Maria Rilke.

Mr. Weigel’s music, along with that of Brahms and Ravel, will be played by a unique group of classical musicians who are part of the OneMusic Project. OneMusic was formed by a select group of celebrated artists from Europe and New York City committed to “bring fresh and unique interpretations through collaborative work, presented predominantly in carefully curated intimate settings.” In other words, chamber music played in a chamber.

Cellist Philippe Muller.
Photo: Ronald Ji

One of the founders, violinist Yibin Li, was born in China near the Gobi Desert and began studying the violin at age five with her father. She was admitted to the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory at age 12 and upon graduation she was named to the violin faculty. After teaching at the Shanghai Conservatory for six years as a tenured violin professor, she decided to continue her studies in New York. She was admitted to The Juilliard School and gained her graduate diploma, then earned a second Master of Music degree from Mannes School of Music.

Another founder, cellist Philippe Muller, was raised in both the French and German musical traditions that characterize that province. His early experiences opened his mind to varying cultures and led him to a multifaceted career. He performs and has recorded a wide range of repertoire, from the Bach Suites, through the music of living composers. In 1970, Mr. Muller founded a Piano Trio with pianist Jacques Rouvier and violinist Jean-Jacques Kantorow, which was widely known to be one of Europe’s most venerated chamber music ensembles.

Pianist Chung-Hsi Hsieh is from Taiwan. He won top prizes in the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition, Taipei International Chopin Competition, Taiwan Concerto Competition, Corpus Christi Young Artists Competition and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. As a chamber musician he often collaborates with the principals of Boston Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hsieh has performed recitals in Boston, Los Angeles, Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.