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Internationally acclaimed cellist Bryan Cheng and pianist Silvie Cheng will perform at Warrenpoint Town Hall on Thursday 12 November in a concert presented by Newry Chamber Music. The siblings, known as Cheng² Duo, will open an eight-date Music Network tour that brings the organisation’s 2026 touring programme to a close. The tour, entitled A Hero’s Welcome, includes the world premiere of Sundrop, a new work by Irish/Welsh composer Anselm McDonnell.
Tickets for the Warrenpoint concert are £20/£10 and are available to book now through Newry Chamber Music at www.newrychambermusic.org.
The programme takes in some of the great works for cello and piano. It moves from the fairytale world of Leoš Janáček’s Pohádka and the wit and colour of Francis Poulenc’s Cello Sonata to the passion and lyricism of Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano in F Major.
Sundrop was specially commissioned by Music Network for Cheng² Duo. The commission suits Bryan and Silvie, who are passionate champions of contemporary music and have commissioned and arranged 15 new works since 2013.
Bryan and Silvie have been making music together their entire lives and are known for their chemistry and instinctive connection on stage. They officially formed Cheng² Duo with their debut at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in 2011 and have since built an international reputation, performing extensively in North America, Europe, Asia and South Africa.
Both have also forged careers in their own right. Bryan won the 2023 Virginia Parker Prize and the 2022 Prix Yves Paternot, while Silvie was 2022-23 Cecilia Concerts Musician-in-Residence and a National Arts Club Artist Fellow.
Together, the pair have performed at venues including Frauenkirche Dresden, Flagey in Brussels, Munich Künstlerhaus, California Center for the Arts, Harvard University and the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. They have also appeared at festivals including Ottawa Chamberfest and Toronto Summer Music Festival.
Their adventurous approach to programming has helped distinguish them internationally. Equally committed to traditional masterworks, rediscovering neglected repertoire and championing the music of their time, they have created cross-disciplinary concert experiences combining classical and contemporary music with jazz, poetry and visual and media arts. Their collaborators have included photographer and cinematographer Edward Burtynsky, Mercury Films and multimedia studio Normal.
The duo has released four critically acclaimed albums. These are Portrait (2023), which was nominated for a 2024 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year, Small Ensemble, Russian Legends (2019), Violonchelo del fuego (2018) and Violoncelle français (2016).
