Lee University will kick off its seventeenth Presidential Concert season on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dixon Center with a piano concert performance featuring internationally-acclaimed pianists, Ning An and Gloria Chien.

The concert will feature Leonard Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story," selections from William Bolcom's "Garden of Eden: Four Rags for Two Pianos," and Rachmaninoff's "Suite No. 2, Opus 17."

The series will continue throughout the academic year with performances from the Blair String Quartet on Sept. 29; Hungarian Virtuosi on Nov. 17; Harlem Gospel Choir on Jan. 20; Chattanooga Symphony & Opera on Feb. 7; Five by Design "Stay Tuned" on March 17; and Radcliffe Choral of Harvard University on March 23.

Review for An And Chien:
An and Chien, who first appeared locally at Lee's Presidential Concert Series, have quickly become audience favorites in Cleveland and the greater Chattanooga area. Both have toured and competed extensively around the world, winning prizes at major international competitions and festivals. The couple joined Lee University in 2004; Chien as assistant professor of music and An as artist in residence. An is the first prize winner of the 2003 William Kapell Piano Competition and of the 2006 Tivoli International Piano Competition held in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has since appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Belgian National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra among others. Dr. Chien has presented solo recitals at the Gardner Museum, Harvard Musical Association, the Monadnock Music Festival in New Hampshire, the Caramoor Festival in New York State, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The Blair String Quartet hails from Vanderbilt University. Called "a marvelous ensemble" by the Washington Post, the group is widely acclaimed in performances across the country, the quartet has enhanced its national reputation through appearances at the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, New York's 92nd Street Y and Merkin Concert Hall. The quartet has appeared on concert series in Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Memphis, Phoenix, and numerous other cities. Well-known as interpreters of the standard repertoire, the quartet has also championed music by contemporary American composers, including works written for them by Morton Subotnick, George Tsontakis and Ellsworth Milburn among others.

The Hungarian Virtuosi, under the critically acclaimed leadership of its artistic director and violin soloist Miklos Szenthelyi, have built a vast repertoire with emphasis on romantic compositions. Since its foundation in 1988, the orchestra has done more than 50 tours and has given more than 5000 performances. A main attraction for the group is world famous Italian cellist Judit Faludi.

The world famous Harlem Gospel Choir is the most famous gospel choir in America and a pre-eminent gospel choir world-wide. It travels the globe, sharing its joy of faith through its music, and raising funds for children's charities. The Choir was founded in 1986 by Allen Bailey, who got the idea for the Choir while attending a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Cotton Club in Harlem. The Choir presents the finest singers & musicians from Harlem's Black Churches & the New York/Tri-State area.

The Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Conductor and Music Director Robert Bernhardt, produces a variety of exemplary live musical performances of symphony, opera and pops for a variety of audiences: orchestral music lovers as well as non-traditional and emerging audiences, including school students. In so doing, the CSO contributes to the education of our children, supports the regional economy, reinforces the cultural fabric of the community and enhances our overall quality of life.

Returning this year to the series, Five by Design has been preserving the traditions of vocal harmony and the American popular song with its musical theatre retrospectives. Whether backed by a big band or the lush sounds of a symphony orchestra, Five By Design has received rave reviews wherever they travel. The Washington Post heralded their Kennedy Center debut with the National Symphony Orchestra as "one of the best NSO pops performances of the season." Their show, Stay Tuned, will set your taste buds tingling. The cameras are rolling and the stage is set for an evening of music, humor, novelty acts and quick-change artists. In a word: vaudeville.

The Radcliffe Choral Society, founded in 1899, is one of the most preeminent collegiate women's choirs in the nation. Performing distinctive literature from the Renaissance to the present, this 65-voice choir tours each year across the country. Internationally recognized, in the summer of 2004, the Choral Society embarked on a 3-week concert tour of South Africa, and in 2006, the Society traveled to London for our spring concert tour.

Tickets for the opening concert will be available at the Lee University Box Office or by phone (614-8343) beginning Thursday, between 3- 6 p.m.