LELAND KO
Cello – American/Canadian – 25
Programme:
TSINTSADZE Five Pieces on Folk Themes for Cello and Piano
WALTON Cello Concerto: Moderato and Allegro appassionato
BACH Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: Prélude, Allemande, Courante and Gigue
SHENG Seven Tunes Heard in China: Seasons, Diu Diu Dong, Pastoral Ballade and Tibetan Dance
(Cello Suite No. 1 movements played alternately with Sheng Seven Tunes Heard in China)
Semi-final performance: Tuesday 12th March, 6pm
Leland Ko, a cellist of Chinese-Canadian descent, is the kind of person who's always had an overflow of energy. His restlessness has led him to various callings, from competitive tennis and distance running to calligraphy and origami, but so far he’s found that making music with and for others – and the process that goes into that – are the things that best focus his mind. Though he has chosen to dedicate himself to classical music, he does his best to remember and live by a former mentor’s advice that music is about life, not the other way around.