The UNLV Performing Arts Center warmly welcomes Arcostrum, an enigmatic violin-guitar duo that captures the hearts of audiences through charisma, virtuosity, and dazzling onstage chemistry. Arcostrum performs at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the intimate setting of the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall lobby, configured to create a cabaret-style experience with an expanded concessions menu and table seating.
Arcostrum was founded after Strauss Shi and TY Zhang met at The Juilliard School and discovered their incredible onstage chemistry. Together, the two musicians have committed to pushing boundaries and redefining the 21-st century violin-guitar art form, presenting mixed-genre, multi-cultural, cross-era music during their concerts.
Formed in 2023, the duo won the 2023 Concert Artists Guild (CAG) Victor Elmaleh Competition, the first ever violin-guitar duo to win the competition in its 70-year history.
Strauss Shi, a Chinese-American violinist, is an accomplished soloist and chamber musician. His debut performances in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York sold out. Strauss's major solo prizes include First Prize at the USC Thornton Concerto Competition (2018), Grand Prize at the Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition (2017), First Prize at the United States International Music Competition (2016), and Second Prize at the inaugural Siqing Lu Futian International Violin Competition (2016).
The other half of Arcostrum, TY Zhang, is accomplished in his own right. Zhang is the Grand Prize winner of the 2017 Guitar Foundation of American International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC), the most prestigious guitar contest in the world. In addition to his GFA win, TY has received First Prize awards around the world, including the Alexander Frauchi International Competition of Russia, the Changsha International Guitar Competition of China, the Schadt String Competition in the United States, Austria’s Forum Gitarre Wien International Youth Competition, as well as the GFA Youth International Competition.
Single tickets are priced at $35 (discounts available), are on sale now, and may be purchased by telephone at 702-895-ARTS (2787), online at pac.unlv.edu or at the UNLV PAC box office from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
When purchasing a ticket, consider making a donation to provide local students the opportunity to work with all the outstanding artists.
About UNLV Performing Arts Center
The UNLV Performing Arts Center is the original home for the arts in Southern Nevada; it opened in 1976 and is celebrating its 48th season in 2024/25. A self-sustaining unit of UNLV, the PAC operates like many other arts organizations: costs for shows we produce, some facilities improvements, and other projects we undertake come from ticket sales, rentals, and donations. It hosts a variety of performances and events and is home to self-produced events plus productions of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, UNLV School of Music, UNLV Dance, the Las Vegas Men’s Chorus, among many other community arts presenters, and various Clark County School District fine arts festivals and concerts. For further information, visit pac.unlv.edu.
