Gloria Cheng and Ralph van Raat
Gloria Cheng and Ralph van Raat
Resonant Encounters: Boulez, Feldman, Cage and Beyond
Presented in partnership with Piano Spheres
1262 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Runtime: 90 minutes
Includes an intermission
CAP UCLA Member presale: Jun 22 at 10 am
Newsletter subscriber presale: Jun 23 at 10 am
General public on sale: Jun 24 at 10 am
UCLA faculty and staff: Jun 24 at 10 am
UCLA students: Sep 21 at 10 am
A Pierre Boulez centennial celebration, a duo piano concert by Gloria Cheng and Ralph van Raat.
“It’s not just that Ms. Cheng plays these daunting pieces with such commanding technique, color and imagination. She has brought together works that fascinatingly complement one another.” — New York Times
“I enjoy Van Raat on recording, but given the chance to hear him again live, I would run, not walk.” — Christian B. Carey, Musical America
Pianists Gloria Cheng and Ralph van Raat pay homage to the legacy of Pierre Boulez, the unparalleled French composer, conductor and cultural visionary whose centennial celebrations have been celebrated around the world. A defining force in postwar contemporary music, Boulez left an indelible mark on the sound of the 20th century.
In this duo piano concert, Cheng and van Raat explore Boulez’s legacy through his solo and duo compositions, presented alongside works by John Cage, Morton Feldman, Frank Zappa and Magnus Lindberg. The evening traces Boulez’s broad musical connections, from his well-documented mutual respect with Zappa to his complex relationships with Cage and Feldman, offering a profound reflection on his impact and the cross-pollination of musical ideas across generations.
Acclaimed for her “commanding technique, color, and imagination” (The New York Times), Gloria Cheng has been a lifelong trailblazer for new music. She has inspired composers across the stylistic spectrum, premiering works by John Adams, Thomas Adès, Pierre Boulez, Anthony Davis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Steven Stucky, John Williams, and many others. Winner of the Best Instrumental Soloist Grammy for her 2008 recording, Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutosławski, she received a second nomination for her 2013 disc, The Edge of Light: Messiaen | Saariaho.
Gloria has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Boulez and Zubin Mehta, and on the orchestra’s Green Umbrella series under Salonen, Oliver Knussen, and Elim Chan.
Projects often involve collaborations with eminent composers working outside of their usual comfort zones. For MONTAGE: Great Film Composers and the Piano, she enlisted six film composers whom she commissioned, recorded, and featured in a documentary that earned a 2018 Emmy for Independent Programming. Similarly, Gloria commissioned six distinguished jazz improvisers to compose fully-notated solo works for her 2025 album, Root Progressions.
She has been noted for distinctive programming from Adès to Zappa, reflected as well in duo-recitals with Adès, Terry Riley, and Ralph van Raat. She is currently a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at UCLA.
Ralph van Raat is a pianist and musicologist mainly devoted to twentieth and twenty-first-century music, performing worldwide and championing its beauty through recitals, concertos, recordings and special projects. Winner of major international awards, he has inspired new works from composers such as Andriessen, Bryars, Rzewski and Tan Dun, and performed over 60 concertos with leading orchestras. He has recorded more than 40 CDs and teaches in Amsterdam and Turin. Ralph has been a Steinway Artist since 2003.
UCLA Nimoy Theater is located at 1262 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024. For GPS, use 10866 Wilshire Blvd to reach the parking structure. The entrance is on Glendon Avenue — look for either entrance marked VISITOR. Parking is $4, beginning at 5 pm for evening performances and 12 pm for matinees. Arriving before these times will incur the $30 day parking fee.
The box office is open Monday–Friday, 10 am–4 pm, and opens 60 minutes before showtime on show nights. The box office is cashless and accepts all major credit cards. For day-of questions, call 310-206-8655. For general inquiries, contact info@cap.ucla.edu or call 310-825-4401.
All late seating is based on availability and at the discretion of house manager.
Accessible seating and assistive listening are available. Ask any house staff member for assistance. For additional accommodations, contact info@cap.ucla.edu.
Beer, wine, mixed beverages, water, soda, and coffee are available in the lobby. Valid ID required for alcohol. Credit cards and cash accepted. For nearby restaurant options, visit the UCLA Nimoy Theater page.
A digital house program for this performance is available to view or download before the show. Find it on the CAP UCLA Program Notes page.
If the performance is sold out, join the standby line at the box office on the night of the show. A waitlist may also be available — if tickets are released, you will be notified by email with a window to purchase.
