Meet Violist Pin-Hao Liao

November 5, 2025

This season, we welcome Pin-Hao Liao to the Charlotte Symphony as Assistant Principal Viola. Originally from Taiwan, Pin-Hao studied at The Juilliard School and has performed with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Get to know more about her musical journey and what she's most looking forward to in her new home.

What brought you to America from Taiwan?

I came to the United States to study music at Juilliard and explore new opportunities to grow as a violist and musician.

Why did you pick the viola?

I fell in love with its warm, human-like sound.

What are you looking forward to most about living and performing in Charlotte?

I'm excited to get to know the city, play with amazing colleagues, and share music with the Charlotte community.

Do you have a favorite composer?

I love Tchaikovsky! His music always touches me and brings me to tears.

What do you do for fun outside of work?

I like exploring new coffee shops, cooking, and spending time outdoors.

Is there anything else you'd like to share directly with our audiences?

I'm so happy to be part of the Charlotte Symphony, and I can't wait to perform for you all!

Posted in Community. Tagged as interview, Musicians.

Introducing Our New Sonic Logo

October 10, 2025

When Music Director Kwamé Ryan first saw the Charlotte Symphony's new visual identity, he felt it was "calling out for its own sound." That idea led to a collaboration with Grammy Award-winning composer Mason Bates, who created a Sonic Logo -- a short musical signature that captures the spirit of the Charlotte Symphony -- the first of its kind commissioned by an orchestra.

Sonic logos are familiar in media and technology -- like Netflix's "ta-dum" -- but this commission represents a first in orchestral music. The Charlotte Symphony will use the new audio identity across digital platforms, broadcasts, media communications, and in the concert hall.

The Sonic Logo premiered live on October 10, 2025 at the Classical Series opening concert, under the direction of Kwamé Ryan.

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra · Charlotte Symphony Sonic Logo

I wanted to convey a sense of magic and mystery...of individual instruments swirling together until they build to this kind of heroic fanfare. Even in just a few seconds, you experience a sense of excitement for what we're about to hear at the symphony.
-- Mason Bates

With Mason's Sonic Logo, we are signaling that the CSO is deeply rooted in tradition while being attuned to how people experience sound today.
-- Kwamé Ryan

Stay Tuned! You'll be hearing our new Sonic Logo across performances, broadcasts, and beyond. See what's coming up.

Logo animations created in collaboration with the Queens University of Charlotte Department of Art, Design, and Music: Dejah Entzminger '26 (Graphic Designer) and Melissa Gamez (Assistant Professor & Director of Graphic Design & Studio Art).

Tagged as Charlotte Symphony, Mason Bates, Sonic Logo.

Meet Violist Pedro Mendez

October 1, 2025

This season, we're pleased to introduce Pedro Mendez, the newest member of the Charlotte Symphony's viola section! Originally from Venezuela, where he participated in the renowned El Sistema program, Pedro now joins us for his first full-time symphony position. Get to know him as he shares his journey, what drew him to the viola, and what he's most looking forward to in his new home.

Your musical journey began in El Sistema. How did that experience shape you as a musician and as a person?

Growing up in El Sistema gave me not only a strong musical foundation but also a sense of community and purpose. From a very young age, I learned that music is not just about individual achievement, but about teamwork, discipline, and the power to transform lives. It also gave me the drive to always push myself to do better, even when things weren't easy. I have always carried with me El Sistema's motto, "to play and to fight," which has pushed me forward every day of my life. Today, I feel so grateful to be making a living through something I once fought so hard for as a child. I believe those values continue to inspire the way I play and share music every day.

You started on violin but later chose the viola. What inspired that transition, and how did it change your perspective as a performer?

The warmth and depth of the viola's sound always captivated me, even back when I would borrow a friend's instrument just for fun and play violin pieces on it because I didn't know any viola repertoire yet. I feel that the viola represents who I am: its warm sound, its calmness, its balance between high and low voices -- like having the depth of a cello and the brilliance of a violin in one instrument. The viola truly changed my life and the way I see the world.

What excites you most about joining the Charlotte Symphony and making Charlotte your home?

I'm truly excited to join such a vibrant orchestra and to make music with colleagues who are so committed to excellence. Charlotte feels like a welcoming city full of culture, warmth, and beautiful green spaces everywhere you go. This is also my very first full-time position in a symphony orchestra, which makes it even more meaningful. It's the result of many years of love, sacrifice, and dedication to my instrument. We all know how competitive and challenging it is to win a position like this, so I'm deeply grateful to God for bringing me here, to a wonderful city, an inspiring orchestra, and the chance to work with such great musicians and a visionary conductor.

When you're not making music, how do you like to spend your time?

I love spending time with my wife, who is also a violinist. We enjoy exploring new places together -- especially restaurants, and of course Venezuelan food whenever we can find it! I also love watching soccer and cheering for my beloved FC Barcelona, as well as playing some tennis in my free time.

Finally, is there anything you'd like to share directly with our audiences?

I feel deeply grateful to God for bringing me here, and I'm honored to join the Charlotte Symphony family. I can't wait to meet our audiences, share unforgettable musical experiences together, and grow as part of this beautiful community. Thank you for welcoming me -- I'm truly excited for this new chapter of my life and for everything that lies ahead.

Posted in Community. Tagged as interview, Musicians.

Why Gil Shaham Calls Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto “Iconic”

September 3, 2025

When Gil Shaham takes the stage with the Charlotte Symphony for our Annual Gala Concert on September 18, he'll perform one of the most beloved works in the violin repertoire: Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major.

Shaham has loved the piece since childhood, when he first discovered a recording by Isaac Stern. "I used to listen to that...over and over," he recalls. Today, he counts the concerto among the defining works of the violin literature:

"I think this piece qualifies as being iconic. I know that's a term that people overuse. But writing for the violin before Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, or after, there's a clear point of demarcation. Here is where things change." - Gil Shaham

When it was premiered in 1878, the concerto faced skepticism. The performance inspired one of the most scathing and infamous reviews in music history. For months after the concert, Tchaikovsky carried a copy of the review with him and could recite Eduard Hanslick's caustic words by heart:

"Friedrich Vischer once observed, speaking of obscene pictures, that they stink to the eye. Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto gives us, for the first time, the hideous notion that there can be music that sinks to the ear." - Eduard Hanslick

Yet within a few years, violinists like Leopold Auer and Mischa Elman championed the work's brilliance, and the concerto soon became a cornerstone of the repertoire.

What makes it so enduring? For Shaham, it's Tchaikovsky's unmatched ability to capture the full range of human emotion. "The expression and the emotion of the music was just on a different level of anything that was written before. He really felt that music can take you to all extremes of emotion. He was out there to push the limits."

Experience Gil Shaham's dazzling performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Music Director Kwamé Ryan and the Charlotte Symphony in an all-Tchaikovsky program.

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This post includes excerpts from "The Concerto That Changed Everything for Violinists," a WRTI Arts Desk feature by Susan Lewis.

Posted in Classics. Tagged as Classical, Violin.

Threads of the 2025–26 Season

August 5, 2025

Music that connects -- across time, place, and experience. Woven through our season are questions of who we are, where we come from, and what binds us together.

These threads explore the meaning of home, the shaping of American identity, and the stories we share.

America @ 250

Reflect on our nation's musical identity through works by American voices past and present, including Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and George Walker. --> Explore the Classical Series

Perspectives on Home

Explore how composers from around the world wrestle with what it means to belong -- from Dvořák's longing for home in the "New World" Symphony to Anna Clyne's response to pandemic isolation in The Years, receiving its U.S. Premiere. --> Explore the Classical Series

Spotlight: Gabriel Kahane

Take a closer look at composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Kahane in a season-long exploration of his poignant musical stories, culminating in the powerful season finale, emergency shelter intake form. --> Dive into the Spotlight Series

Iconic Fifths

Revel in three of the most iconic Fifth Symphonies: Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky -- timeless works that explore strength, struggle, and triumph. --> Explore the Classical Series

Posted in Classics.

Sound of Charlotte Blog

Meet Violist Pin-Hao Liao

What brought you to America from Taiwan?

Why did you pick the viola?

What are you looking forward to most about living and performing in Charlotte?

Do you have a favorite composer?

What do you do for fun outside of work?

Is there anything else you'd like to share directly with our audiences?

Introducing Our New Sonic Logo

Meet Violist Pedro Mendez

Your musical journey began in El Sistema. How did that experience shape you as a musician and as a person?

You started on violin but later chose the viola. What inspired that transition, and how did it change your perspective as a performer?

What excites you most about joining the Charlotte Symphony and making Charlotte your home?

When you're not making music, how do you like to spend your time?

Finally, is there anything you'd like to share directly with our audiences?

Why Gil Shaham Calls Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto “Iconic”

Threads of the 2025–26 Season

America @ 250

Perspectives on Home

Spotlight: Gabriel Kahane

Iconic Fifths

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