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ArcoStrum
Strauss Shi - violin, erhu, dizi
TY Zhang - classical guitar, electric guitar
Praised as “a first-rate ensemble among the new generation of performing artists,” ArcoStrum is a trailblazing violin-guitar duo leaving their mark through creative concert design, on-stage charisma, and innovative programming. From classics like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to Chinese traditional music to progressive rock, they have captivated audiences around the world with exciting, inspiring, and dynamic performances.
Winners and Audience Prize recipients of the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, they were the first violin-guitar duo ever to receive this honor in CAG’s more than 70-year history. ArcoStrum features violinist Strauss Shi, a three-time international competition prize winner, and guitarist TY Zhang, the first and only Chinese classical guitarist to win the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC).
The duo has brought their remarkable artistry and engaging stage presence to sold-out audiences across Asia, Latin America, and North America. They have performed in renowned venues and festivals, including recent and upcoming appearances at New York City’s Carnegie Hall Citywide and Merkin Hall, Krannert Center, University of Nevada–Las Vegas, Howland Chamber Music Circle, Austin Chamber Music Festival (with Empire Wild), Kravis Center, Caramoor, Guitar Foundation of America, Billings Symphony, University of Texas at Dallas, Wharton Center, and more.
TY and Strauss believe in the power of music to spark imagination and are deeply committed to educational and community engagement, aiming to inspire and empower younger generations. While on tour, they frequently connect with students from kindergarten through college through interactive workshops, school concerts, and outreach programs. In the summer of 2025, they led an eight-week residency at the Fried Music School in Alhambra, CA, titled “RockoStrum”, an immersive program that gave students the opportunity to collaborate, form small bands, explore non-classical
genres, work on arranging, and step outside their musical comfort zones.
On stage, they are ArcoStrum. Offstage, TY and Strauss are best friends who share a love for an inclusive and creative music making process. Their friendship began at The Juilliard School, where they were classmates and roommates. Since then, they have continued to grow together both personally and artistically, strengthening a partnership built on trust, curiosity, and a shared joy in making music. Every note they play reflects
hours of collaboration, a deep respect for tradition, and a mutual drive to reinvent and leave their mark.
The name ArcoStrum is a fusion of arco (the Italian word for the violin “bow”) and strum (the gesture of sweeping across guitar strings), symbolizing their unique musical identity.
The duo has been featured on The Violin Channel, The Strad, and Chamber Music America Magazine.
About ArcoStrum
April 18, 2025, 7 p.m.
Bethel United Methodist Church Hall,
Lewes, DE
Strauss Shi
Chinese-American violinist Strauss Shi is emerging as one of today’s most dynamic multi-instrumental artists, redefining the dialogue between Eastern and Western musical traditions. Born into a family of professional Chinese instrumentalists, he has amassed an international performance career dedicated to reimagining the intersection of Chinese and Western musical languages. He is the violinist of ArcoStrum, the genre-defying powerhouse duo formed with guitarist TY Zhang, whose electrifying performances and bold cross-cultural programming have brought them to major stages worldwide. In 2023, ArcoStrum received both the Winner and Audience Prize at the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, becoming the first violin-guitar duo in the competition’s 70+ year history to earn this distinction.
Strauss’s 2025/2026 Season highlights as part of ArcoStrum include appearances in major festivals including Austin Chamber Music Festival, Kravis Center, USC Thornton School of Music, UT Dallas, New York’s Met Museum, Billings Symphony, Wharton Center, and more. ArcoStrum’s recent seasons include their sold-out 2025 China debuts in Chongqing and Kunming, as well as performances at their New York debut at Merkin Hall’s “The ArcoStrum Experience,” Krannert Center, Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), Chamber Music America, UNLV, Carnegie Citywide Series, Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts, National Sawdust, and Caramoor.
Strauss has appeared as a soloist with the Utah Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Downey Symphony Orchestra (across three seasons), USC Thornton Symphony, and Chamber Music Society of Colombo alongside Midori; and working with conductors including Vladimir Kulenovic, Carl St.Clair, Sharon Lavery, and Andrés Cárdenes. His solo recital include sold-out debuts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
“Violinist Strauss Shi strode out for the Bizet Carmen Fantasie, stood squarely facing the audience and produced a technique that fire-bombed everyone out of their seats. Using Franz Waxman’s masterful orchestration, Shi did things with the violin that I didn’t even have words for, but it didn’t matter. In his hands the violin became the gypsy Carmen, sharp and demanding in her Habañera theme song. His instrument evoked the tender Don Jose and Michaela love duet, then the crazed crowd cheering the Toreador.”
— The Downey Patriot
As an active chamber musician, Strauss has collaborated with world-renowned artists including Shmuel Ashkenasi, Midori, Lü Siqing, Kala Ramnath, Li Lin, Brian Lewis, Jon Kimura Parker, Vera Tsu Wei-ling, Qian Zhou, and members of the Silkroad Ensemble. Every season, Strauss regularly appears in leading music festivals and concert series throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall Citywide, Caramoor, Krannert Center, Austin Chamber Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, Heifetz International Music Institute, Silkroad Global Musician Workshop, Juilliard Starling-DeLay Symposium, and more. In late 2021, Strauss founded the Monterey Piano Trio, alongside cellist Ben Fried and pianist Connie Kim-Sheng. The trio serves as the resident ensemble at Fried Music in Alhambra, CA, and was an Ensemble-in-Residence at the Heifetz International Music Institute in 2022.
Strauss is an internationally active music educator specializing in both Western and Chinese instruments, committed to cultivating expressive and versatile musicians through teaching and masterclasses across the United States, Mexico, and China. He currently serves on the violin faculty at Fried Music in Alhambra, CA, where he leads a thriving violin studio, coaches chamber music, and directs the Prep Orchestra and Violin Ensemble within its rigorous Pre-College Program. His arts leadership includes leading Melody of China’s community engagement initiatives in partnership with The LA Music Center, Artistic Director of the North America Chinese Youth Orchestra, and board member of the Asian-American Music Artists Alliance.
Before delving into the world of violin, Strauss’s early years were marked by a dedicated exploration of Chinese instruments. His musical journey began with the erhu and gaohu, showcasing his talent within his renowned family ensemble, the Melody of China. Strauss continues to captivate audiences with the Melody of China at prominent venues and festivals, including the Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year, Montana Folk Festival, S.F. International Arts Festival, The Juilliard School, Davies Symphony Hall, and San Francisco Herbst Theatre where he made his erhu debut at age 8. With deep roots in traditional Chinese music and as a classically-trained violinist, Strauss is establishing himself as a young cultural ambassador and multi-instrumental artist who bridges both musical traditions on international stages.
Born in Nanjing, China and raised in San Francisco, Strauss studied with Zuohan Pan, Elizabeth Liang, and Chen Zhao. He earned his Bachelor’s degree on full scholarship at The Juilliard School studying with Catherine Cho, and completed his Master’s degree as a Starling Fellow at the USC Thornton School of Music under Midori Goto and Pamela Frank. Strauss performs on a Georges Chanot violin (c. 1845) and a modern bow by John Greenwood.
“After working with Strauss on several occasions, I find him to be a deeply probing musician who plays with passionate commitment and virtuosity. His honesty and personal charisma garnered him immediate respect from musicians and audiences. Making music with Strauss is pure joy.”
— Carl St.Clair, Conductor and Music Director, Pacific Symphony
“TY Zhang and Strauss Shi individually represent the highest level of technical excellence and musicianship among the new generation of performing artists. Together they have created a first rate ensemble with ArcoStrum. Their concert here in San Francisco was at times moving, at times brilliant, and at times thrilling, but always compelling!”
— Richard Patterson, Founder and Director, Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts
"With Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto Number 1, Shi will repeat his dazzling appearance of two years ago when he was acclaimed with a standing ovation."
— The Downey Patriot
“Strauss Shi is a brilliant and versatile violinist plus being a most charming man whose path to enjoy a magnificent career as a soloist is unquestioned.”
— Mary Bianco, President at MOCA Foundation
“It has been my pleasure to hear Strauss Shi perform several concerts with Pacific Symphony. I was impressed by his technique, his musicality, and the way he connected with the audience.”
— Alan Chapman, Host at Classical KUSC, Los Angeles
“...a rising star.”
— The Late Maestro Michael Morgan (1957-2021)
TY Zhang
“‘One to watch,’ as we said last issue after this Chinese guitarist released his debut recital of Bach, Scarlatti, and others on Naxos. TY, as he’s known, was five when he was first learnt the guitar…”
-BBC Music Magazine
“His [Zhang] playing is always tasteful and deeply expressive without any exaggeration. He takes his place as one of the finest of this emerging generation of magnificent artists.”
—American Record Guide
The highlight of TY Zhang’s international career was the Grand Prize of the 2017 Guitar Foundation of American International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC), known as the most prestigious guitar contest in the world. TY become the first Chinese to be honored with this prize. His win was followed by a tour with over 50 concerts in the U.S., including his Carnegie Hall debut. In 2018, TY released his solo album with Naxos company as the Laureate Series · Guitar Recital. It was praised as: “one of the most talented young players... I’m struck by the extraordinary levels of mastery, comfort and relative ease.”
—Classical Guitar Magazine.
Most recently, TY and violinist Strauss Shi, as ArcoStrum, have been awarded the Winner and Audience Prize at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, becoming the first-ever violin-guitar duo to win in its competition's 72-year history.
In addition to his GFA win, TY has received First Prizes awards around the world’s top competitions in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., including the Alexander Frauchi International Competition of Russia, the Changsha International Guitar Competition of China, the Schadt String Competition in the US, Austria’s Forum Gitarre Wien International Youth Competition, as well as the GFA Youth International Competition.
As a performing artist, TY has given concert tours and masterclasses throughout the world, including Sydney, Australia; Belgrade, Serbia; Vienna, Austria; St. Petersburg, Moscow, Obninsk, Bryansk, Nizhniy-Novgorod, and Kaluga of Russia; Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kyoto of Japan; Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Macao, Changsha, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Kunming and Chongqing of China; and over 50 cities of the United States. He was featured on multiple international radios and Television shows, including Russia’s NIKA-TV and GUBERNIYA-TV and New York’s WQXR’s Greene Space & New York Guitar Festival’s Tribute to Julian Bream performance series.
As the appointed US International Director of the China Guitar Teacher Association (CGTA), TY was a member of the McCabe teaching fellowship in The Juilliard School, introducing the classical guitar to young audiences as artists and educators. TY has produced teaching lessons on platforms such as Tonebase Guitar, GFATV, and Guitar Era China. TY Zhang is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts teaching assistant at the University of Southern California, offering individual lessons and group classes, and ensemble coaching.
TY Zhang showed his talent since young. He was called the “Little John Williams” at the age of eight by the two influential German guitar masters—The Amadeus Duo, at a masterclass in Beijing. Born in Hebei, a place south of Beijing in China, TY was introduced to a variety of things under the influence of his father, including swim, Chinese Kongfu, Erhu, violin, keyboard, and the classical guitar at the age of five and he liked to play the guitar the most. When he turned seven, TY was introduced to Professor Chen Zhi, whom he studied with at the Music School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. It was a masterclass that bridged him with Professor Sharon Isbin, with whom he pursued Bachelor and Master of Music degree with at The Juilliard School in New York. TY received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree as a DMA Teaching Assistant under Professor William Kanengiser at the University of Southern California. TY enjoys photography, videography, road cycling, surfing, and traveling.
As of September 2024, TY was recently named the Classical Guitar Faculty at the University of California Irvine (UCI).
“…He gave an astonishing performance and distinguished himself immediately as a guitarist to reckon with for the outstanding quality of his performance and his level of musicianship. Tengyue is without a question one of the finest guitarists in the world today. He is a consummate artist. He plays with a wonderful mixture of sounds, projects extremely well and has a fine sense of style.”
- René Izquierdo, 2021
“Jang Dong Ye (Russian Spelling for Zhang, Tengyue) is a new generation musician… we have before us a great guitarist with impeccable technique. I think he will glorify his homeland.”
-Guitar World Festival (Russia), 2018
“Every GFA convent is a wonderful banquet of state-of-the-art guitar playing, but there are always things that stand out. It did not take long to find the first gem. Tengyue Zhang, last year’s Rose Augustine Grand Prize winner, opened the week and immediately demonstrated the rightness of that decision with a wonderful performance…was illuminated by his expressivity and gorgeous use of tone color.”
-Al Kunze, Soundboard Magazine, 2018
“Zhang’s virtuosic bursts of strumming and rapid scale passages seemed to flash across the work’s canvas like beams of sunshine in the vibrant opening allegro. But it was in the extraordinary beauty of the central adagio where his artistry really shone. His gentle vibrato and carefully turned trills brought out all the exquisite anguish of the music.”
-Steve Siegel, The Morning Call, March 2018
Program for ArcoStrum
Program is subject to change.
Program Notes
Experience a truly groundbreaking musical journey with ArcoStrum, a multi-instrumental, genre-defying showcase that seamlessly intertwines the contemporary tango mastery of Piazzolla and the timeless classics of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. This innovative performance fuses the rich tapestry of Chinese traditional folk music, featuring the mesmerizing sounds of the dizi and erhu, with classical and electric guitar. Enter the realm of American instrumental rock by Polyphia, creating a harmonious blend of diverse musical landscapes. ArcoStrum transcends boundaries and celebrates the evolution of music across genres and eras.
Astor Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer, performer, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style, termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music.
Primavera Porteña (Buenos Aires Spring) and Invierno Porteño (Buenos Aires Winter) (1969) are from Piazzolla’s set of four Estaciones Porteñas (Seasons of Buenos Aires). These tangos were originally conceived and treated as different works rather than one suite, although Piazzolla performed them together from time to time. The pieces were scored for his quintet of violin (or viola), piano, electric guitar, double bass and bandoneón (a concertina-like instrument, played by Piazzolla).
Nightclub 1960 from Histoire du Tango (The History of Tango) (1985) is one of Piazzolla’s most famous compositions. Originally scored for flute and guitar, it is often played with different combinations of instruments. Histoire du Tango attempts to convey the history and evolution of the tango in four movements: Bordel (house of ill repute) 1900; Café 1930; Nightclub 1960; and Concert d'aujourd'hui (today). Piazzolla provided program notes that expand on the individual movements. He wrote: “Nightclub, 1960: This is a time of rapidly expanding international exchange, and the tango evolves again as Brazil and Argentina come together in Buenos Aires. The bossa nova and the new tango are moving to the same beat. Audiences rush to the night clubs to listen earnestly to the new tango. This marks a revolution and a profound alteration in some of the original tango forms.”
Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music, and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers.
The Four Seasons (1723) is the best known of Vivaldi's works. It was a revolution in musical conception: Vivaldi represented flowing creeks, singing birds (of different species, each specifically characterized), a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, hunting parties from both the hunters' and the prey's point of view, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires. The Four Seasons can be classified as “program music,” instrumental music intended to evoke something extra-musical, and an art form which Vivaldi was determined to prove sophisticated enough to be taken seriously.
Zhihui Li is one of the most famous Chinese New Age musicians.
Ink Orchid Pavilion (2011) is among Zhihui Li’s most performed works. The Ink Orchid floating without roots symbolizes imagination, loyalty, integrity, and Buddhist concepts of impermanence and spiritual enlightenment. Ink Painting of Lanting refers to artworks depicting the famous Lanting Gathering, a literary and artistic event held at the Orchid Pavilion in China during the 4th century CE. Many artists have been inspired by this event and its associated calligraphy, creating numerous ink paintings over the centuries.
Haihuai Huang was a Chinese erhu (two-string fiddle) performer and composer.
Horse Racing (1959): The music says it all. The excitement is palpable.
Polyphia is a primarily instrumental progressive rock band based in Plano, Texas, formed in 2010. The group consists of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman. Polyphia has grown to be one of the most influential and unique bands in the progressive and math rock genres, captivating audiences with their technical guitar work, genre-fluid music, and excellent production.
Playing God (2022). There is a moment when music expands the mind … when it alters your thinking. Apparently, Polyphia lives in that moment. They call it progressive math rock.
Radamés Gnattali was a Brazilian composer of classical and popular music, as well as a conductor, orchestrator, and arranger. His parents were both musicians who emigrated from Italy at the end of the 19th century.
Suite Retratos (Suite of Portraits) (1958) is a collection of four musical portraits dedicated to prominent figures in Brazilian popular music. The suite showcases the composer's ability to blend classical and popular styles while paying homage to influential people in Brazilian musical history.
Chiquinha Gonzaga was a composer, pianist, and conductor, considered the first female composer in Brazil – a difficult enterprise for a woman in Rio de Janiero of the second half of the nineteenth century. Through her tenacity and talent, Gonzaga succeeded in entering, and gaining the respect of, the musical circles of the city. In 1885 she debuted as an orchestral conductor, and in the following years her popularity steadily increased as both a conductor and composer. Gonzaga, whose catalogue consists of almost 300 titles, personally led the battle for the recognition of copyright for Brazilian artists. Corta-jaca, a sort of peasant dance, was originally composed by Gonzaga in 1895. The reworking by Gnattali, who cites the original exactly in one section, restores to us a lively and authentically popular dance, characterized by continual repetitions of long sections with a syncopated rhythm.
Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style. Like his renowned father Alessandro Scarlatti, he composed in a variety of musical forms; today he is known mainly for his 555 keyboard sonatas. He spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families.
Keyboard Sonata, K. 141 (1739) was written for solo harpsichord. The work is characterized by fast repeated notes throughout. Because of its virtuosity, the piece has also been described as a toccata. The piece contains many idioms characteristic of Scarlatti, and shows a Spanish influence, especially of dance music with guitar and syncopated rhythms.
John Williams is an American composer and conductor. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular and critically acclaimed cinema scores in history. After his studies at Juilliard and the Eastman School of Music, Williams went to Los Angeles where he began working as an orchestrator at film studios. He had been originally set on becoming a concert pianist, but after hearing contemporary pianists like John Browning and Van Cliburn perform, he switched his focus to composition. “It became clear,” he recalled, “that I could write better than I could play.” He has received numerous accolades, including 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Williams's work as a film composer includes Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. (1982) and Schindler's List (1993). Other memorable collaborations include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), Jurassic Park (1993), and the first three Harry Potter films (2001–2004). Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. He served as the Boston Pops’s principal conductor from 1980 to 1993. He was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Theme from Schindler’s List (1993): When Steven Spielberg asked John Williams to write the score for Schindler’s List he showed him an early cut of the movie. Williams stood up and walked out of the screening room. He came back a few minutes later crying, and said: “You need someone better than me to write music for this.” Spielberg replied: “I know, but everyone better than you is dead.”
The Katona Twins are a Hungarian guitar duo of identical twins Péter and Zoltán Katona. From the age of ten they studied, both individually and as a guitar duo, at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest, as well as in Germany at the Academy of Music in Kassel, and the School of Music, Theater and Dance in Frankfurt-am-Main. They also studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They have performed at prestigious venues and major music festivals around the world, including the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, and the United States, where they made their Carnegie Hall debut in 1998.
The Katonas' repertoire includes classical music, tango and Spanish guitar. They have also adapted and arranged classical compositions for guitar duo. Their album releases have included works by Handel, Scarlatti, Albéniz and Piazzolla; they also perform works by de Falla and Castelnuovo-Tedesco, as well more modern composers such as Paco de Lucía.
Michael Jackson meets Scarlatti (2024). From ArcoStrum: “The original song is played by the guitar duo Katona Twins with orchestra. The music shuffles between classical music and pop – including Domenico Scarlatti excerpts; Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd; Bad and Black and White by Michael Jackson; and Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. It was very challenging for us to condense the whole orchestration and their guitar duo into our arrangements on violin and guitar only. We managed to make it work in a way that preserved its exhilarating essence and infused it with ArcoStrum’s distinct character.”