Biography

Awarded as the recent Winner and Audience Prize of the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, ArcoStrum consists of three-times international First Prize-winning violinist Strauss Shi, and the Grand Prize winner of Guitar Foundation of America - International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC), TY Zhang.

Highlights of their 2022-2023 Season include major debuts at the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts, Festival Cultural Zacatecas (Mexico), National Sawdust, Austin Chamber Music Festival, and Caramoor.

ArcoStrum captures the hearts of audiences through their charisma, virtuosity, and dazzling on-stage chemistry. The multi-instrumental duo champions unique concert programming through their original transcriptions of beloved classical repertoire, traditional Chinese instrumental music infused with modern instrumentations, as well as virtuosic non-classical instrumental progressive rock.

Initially encountered at The Juilliard School, the two soon discovered unspoken chemistry not only in life but in music making. ArcoStrum is pushing boundaries and redefining the 21st century violin-guitar art form, presenting a new chamber music that is mixed-genre, multi-culture, and cross-era.

Upcoming Events

Friends of Music - Stamford, NY

October 15, 2023

ArcoStrum’s 70-minute Musical World Tour chamber music program combines mixed-genre, multi-culture, and cross-era selections of self-arranged music from all corners of the world—including works by Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Fernandez, Bach, Barrios, Dyens, de Falla, Piazolla, Zhihui, and Hai-huai.

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Carnegie Hall Citywide presents ArcoStrum - Queens, NY

December 8, 2023

ArcoStrum is a virtuosic violin-and-guitar pairing with an expansive, 21st-century sensibility. Recently named winner and audience prize recipient at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, these former classmates from The Juilliard School have been dazzling audiences with innovative concerts that mix genres, cultures, and musical eras. Enjoy their original, all-new arrangements of beloved classical repertoire, technically impressive progressive rock, traditional Chinese music infused with modern instrumentation, and more.

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Rancho La Puerta - Baja California

December 16 - 23, 2023

Rancho La Puerta presents Musical Tour with ArcoStrum: Awarded as the recent Winner and Audience Prize of the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York, ArcoStrum consists of three-times international First Prize-winning violinist Strauss Shi, and the Grand Prize winner of Guitar Foundation of America – International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC), TY Zhang.

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Concerts

Carnegie Hall: Citywide Series

Carnegie Hall: Citywide Series

Queens, NY

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Rancho La Puerta

Rancho La Puerta

 —  —

Tecate, Baja California

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Concerts by the Pond

Concerts by the Pond

Cold Spring Harbor, NY

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Madison-Morgan Cultural Center

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center

Madison, GA

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View previous events

Scarlatti to Polyphia "Playing God" (arr. Zhang/Shi)
2023 Concert Artists Guild Finals
Violin and Electric Guitar

Ink Orchid Pavilion 水墨兰亭 (arr. Zhang/Shi) 
2023 Concert Artists Guild Finals
Dizi/Erhu and Electric Guitar

Horse Racing 赛马 (arr. Zhang/Shi)
2023 Concert Artists Guild Finals
Erhu and Classical Guitar

Piazzolla: Nightclub 1960 (arr. Zhang/Shi)
2023 Concert Artists Guild Finals
Violin and Classical Guitar

Press

Concert Artists Guild Announces Winners of the 2023 Victor Elmaleh Competition

The Violin Channel

Two soloists and three ensembles won this year's competition, gaining management in the Americas and Europe and international performance opportunities

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Winners of 2023 Victor Elmaleh Competition announced

The Strad

Two quartets, a violinist, double bassist and violin-guitar duo have taken the top prizes

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Tengyue (TY) Zhang and Strauss Shi of The Bestfriends Duo win 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition

University of Southern California

USC Thornton DMA candidate in Classical Guitar Tengyue (Ty) Zhang and Strings program alumnus Strauss Shi (MM ’19) were announced as winners in the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition.

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From their San Francisco Debut

“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 the 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

From their Austin Debut

“ArcoStrum = Joy. TY and Strauss are outrageously talented musicians who know how to have fun and take audiences along for an adventure.”

— Joe Williams, Artistic Director, Austin Classical Guitar

Our Mission

On stage, we are ArcoStrum. But offstage, we are two lifelong brothers that treasure the destiny of our unspoken chemistry, unbridled creativity, and the timeless art of profound music. Our duo is founded on our eagerness and mission to redefine the 21st century violin-guitar art form through our self-produced, original transcriptions of well-known works, never-before-heard arrangements, and our unique blend of our Chinese-Western instrumentations.

Media

Vivadi Four Seasons: Winter (L'Inverno)

Scarlatti Keyboard Sonata K. 141 (arr. TY & Strauss)

Horacio Fernández: Suite Latino-Americana (2020) II. João Gilberto

Manuel de Falla: Danza Ritual del Fuego (arr. David Galvez)

Manuel de Falla/Kreisler: La Vida Breve (arr. TY & Strauss)

Zequinha de Abreu: Tico-Tico

Massenet: Méditation from Thaïs

Piazzolla: History of Tango - Bordell 1900

Piazzolla: History of Tango - Café 1930

Piazzolla: History of Tango - Nightclub 1960

Piazzolla: History of Tango - Concert d'aujord'hui

Contact

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