Otto Tausk, conductor

Adam Sun, piano (Saint–Saëns)

Jonathan Weng, piano (Saint–Saëns)

Ralph Escamillan/ FakeKnot, choreographer & dancer

Click here for the full VSO roster

Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
I. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion
II. Hens and Roosters
III. Wild Donkeys Swift Animals
IV. Tortoises
V. The Elephant
VI. Kangaroos
VII. Aquarium
VIII. Characters with Long Ears
IX. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
X. Aviary
XI. Pianists
XII. Fossils

Martinů: La Revue de Cuisine
I. Prologue
II. Tango
III. Charleston
IV. Final

Otto Tausk, conductor
Dutch conductor Otto Tausk is the Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, now in his third season. He is also the newly announced Chief Conductor of recently formed Phion Orkest van Gelderland & Overijssel. He appears as a guest with such orchestras as Concertgebouworkest, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Full bio

Adam Sun, piano
Adam Sun, 16, is a student at the VSO School of Music. He started learning piano with Irina Faletski when he was 7 years old, and, throughout the years, has performed at various concerts, festivals, and competitions in British Columbia, such as the Canadian Music Competition. In 2020, Adam was the Runner-Up in the VSO School of Music Future of Excellence Competition, Senior Division. He enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate and work with his teacher, Sergei Saratovsky, performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto.

Jonathan Weng, piano
Jonathan Weng, 12 years old, Taiwanese-Canadian pianist and composer, has been playing piano since the age of 4. Jonathan made his piano debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall at the age of 7 and his orchestral debut with the orchestra of Musicfest Perugia, Italy at the age of 10. He has won numerous awards in international and local competitions. Jonathan appears with the VSO as the Runner-Up of the 2020 VSO School of Music Future of Excellence Competition, Junior Division. He is also a composer whose works have been performed by Standing Wave ensemble and Vancouver Pro musica at the Sonic Boom festival. Jonathan’s composition was awarded “Second Degree Diploma“ in International Category at the Golden Key Music Festival in Vienna.

FakeKnot, Choreography
FakeKnot creates inclusive performance works that strive to understand the complexities of identity and culture through costume, sound, technology and the body. Artistic director Ralph Escamillan gathers his breath of experience as a dancer in street, commercial and contemporary dance to create a truly unique choreographic perspective, while also questioning his identity as a queer person of colour. More information about FakeKnot and Ralph Escamillan: https://www.ralphescamillan.com/fakeknot