Piano Duo Recital: Chia-Ying Chan and Wan-Chin Chang
Thursday, March 5, 2026 | 7:30PM
Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America
PROGRAM
MOZART
Sonata for Two Pianos in D-Major, k448
I .Allegro con spirito
II. Andante
III. Allegro molto
BENNETT
Four Piece Suite, Divertimento for two pianos
I. Samba triste
II. Country blues
III. Ragtime waltz
IV. Finale
INTERMISSION
BRAHMS
Hungarian Dance No. 5
RACHMANINOFF
Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, Op. 17
I. Introduction (Alia marcia)
II. Waltz (Presto)
III. Romance (Andantino)
IV. Tarantella (Presto)
WAN-CHIN CHANG
Wan-Chin Chang appears regularly as a soloist with orchestras such as the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, Dana Point Symphony, Southern California Philharmonics, MiraCosta College Symphony, La Mirada Symphony, Southland Symphony, Temecula Valley Symphony, Orchestra Collectives of Orange County, Orange County Symphony, and Orange County Wind Symphony. Besides concerto and solo performances, she also frequently collaborates with other musicians in chamber recitals. She had been invited to perform at across the county, appearing in Valdosta University, Saginaw Valley State University, Grand Valley University, Fullerton College, Fallbrook Music Society, White Lake Chamber Music Festival, Blodgett Faculty Recital Series at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, The Gladys Frisch Harris Piano Festival, and Orange Women’s Club.
Dr. Chang attended the University of Southern California and Aspen Music Festival with full scholarships, and she was the winner of the Leni Fe Foundation Scholarship, Pi Kappa Lambda Award, Chamber Music Award, and Outstanding Graduate Award. She also served as an assistant lecturer while completing her DMA in piano performance with a minor in violin performance from USC under the guidance of Antoinette Perry on the piano, and Eudice Shapiro on the violin. She is currently the assistant concertmaster of Sea Coast Symphony and principal second
violin at Orchestra Collective of Orange County.
As an educator, Dr. Chang’s students consistently receive top ratings and prizes in MTNA and MTAC evaluations and competitions. Several of her students have been accepted into music schools such as University of Southern California, California State Universities (Fullerton, Long Beach, and San Marcos), and Chapman University. She has been on the judging panel of The Musical Merit Foundation of San Diego, MTAC San Diego Concerto Competition, Chopin Festival in San Diego, Southern California Philharmonic Young Artists Competition, Pelican International Music Competition, Concours International Competition, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp staff competition and camper competition. She is currently on faculty at MiraCosta College in Oceanside and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. During the summer, she is the piano department director at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan.
CHIA-YING CHAN
Originally from Taiwan, pianist Chia-Ying Chan is known for her passion, vibrancy, and sensitivity in interpreting classical music. An active soloist and chamber musician, she has performed throughout Taiwan, the United States, and Europe. Her performances have been featured on The Grand FM 101 (Canada), WILL FM 90.9 (U.S.), Blue Lake Public Radio 88.9 FM (U.S.), and
Radio Taiwan International AM 1557 (Taiwan).
Chan has won top prizes in national and international competitions. Recent highlights include performances with Sinfonia da Camera under Ian Hobson, the 21st Century Piano Commission Recital at Krannert Center, and a solo recital at the Piano Technicians Guild conference (2024). Her debut solo album on Centaur Records received critical acclaim, with Classical Music Sentinel describing her as “a highly sensitive artist… a musician to watch and follow.”
As an active chamber pianist, Chan has performed at major venues and festivals. She co-founded the Amosa Duo with clarinetist Gary June, appearing at universities across the U.S., the PianoForte Foundation (Chicago), and the National Recital Hall (Taipei). In 2023, she toured the Midwest with pianist Dr. David Brickle as part of Brickle & Chan Piano presenting recitals at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Indiana University Bloomington, and Oakland University (2024). The duo also premiered a commissioned work at Michigan Music Teacher Association Conference in 2025.
Chan serves on the faculty at Saginaw Valley State University and has given masterclasses in the U.S. and Taiwan, along with a webinar series in China. She is vice president of the WPTA USA-Illinois and co-chair of the Chambana International Music Competition. An active adjudicator, she has served on juries for the
Sinfonia da Camera Concerto Competition (Youth Category the Piano Teacher’s Forum of Grand Rapids Sonata-Sonatina Festival, the Vivace International Piano Competition, and others. In the summer, she teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Her students have won national and international competitions, including the Clara Rolland and Steinway International Junior Piano Competitions, and have been admitted to prestigious institutions like UIUC, Beijing Normal University, and Interlochen Arts Academy.
Chan holds an Artist Diploma and DMA in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, where she studied under Timothy Ehlen and served as a piano teaching assistant. She earned her MM from the Cleveland Institute of Music (studying with Paul Schenly and Kathryn Brown) and BM from the National University of Tainan under Ching-Jen Wu. She has worked with world-renowned artists, including Robert McDonald, John Perry, Julian Martin, Vladimir Feltsman, and John O’Connor.
Angela Hewitt
SUNDAY, MAR. 22, 2026 | 3PM
PROGRAM
BACH Partita No. 5 in G major
SCHUMANN Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
COUPERIN From the Sixième Ordre
RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin
“I know of no musician whose Bach playing is of greater subtlety, beauty of tone, persuasiveness of judgment or instrumental command” - BBC Music Magazine
TICKETS &
Marc-André Hamelin
SUNDAY, APR. 12, 2026 | 3PM
PROGRAM
HAYDN Sonata in D major, Hob. XVI:37
BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata in C major, Op. 2, No. 3
MEDTNER Danza festiva, Op. 38, No. 3
RACHMANINOFF Étude-Tableau in E-flat minor, Op. 39, No. 5 and more!
“Hamelin’s legend will grow - right now there is no one like him.” - Alex Ross, The New Yorker
Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Elevate the Human Spirit
Soka Performing Arts Center is dedicated to elevating the human spirit through transcendent live experiences. Discover the unmatched beauty of our acoustics. Expand your understanding and appreciation of music through our programs that illuminate new perspectives. Build community and forge deep connections through the shared experience of live performance. We invite you to become a part of our Soka Performing Arts Center family and to Listen. Feel. Transform.
Soka Performing Arts Center is located on the beautiful hilltop campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. Our facility includes the 1,042seat Concert Hall featuring world-class acoustics designed by master acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, designer of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, among many others. We also have an intimate 350-seat Black Box Theatre that allows for multiple seating configurations including club seating with bistro tables.
More than 800 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2025-26 season marks our fifteenth season presenting first-class programming in our world-class concert hall. We are continuing to expand our programming and outreach with the addition of a Children’s Concert Series and the only Great Pianists Series on the West Coast. From classical and jazz to world and contemporary music, the Soka Performing Arts Center has become a prized space for artists and audiences alike.
We are proud to be the home of the Pacific Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Our Sundays @ Soka Series with Pacific Symphony continues to be one of our most popular series year after year. Our presentations with other Orange County arts organizations have enabled us to reach further into our community to offer arts education and programming. Our partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County includes our Philharmonic Society Series, which brings superlative artists to our stage. We also partner with Philharmonic Society for our Outreach Program, bringing over 7,000 school children to Soka Performing Arts Center to experience live performances with outstanding musicians.
With its world-class acoustics and first-class performances, Soka Performing Arts Center is quickly becoming one of the cultural jewels of Orange County.
OUR SUPPORTERS
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($75,000+)
Dr. Kenneth & Sandra Tokita
Sam* & Lyndie Ersan
CONCERTMASTER ($10,000+)
Ms. Emi Maeda
STAGE CHAMPION ($5000+)
Yoshitomo & Takemi Daido
STAGE BENEFACTOR ($1000+)
Anonymous
OC Chinese Cultural Club
John and Sue Prange
Terumi Saito
Jochen Schumacher
Alex & Sandy Scott
Scott A Shuping
Anson and Marilyn Wong
PLATINUM CLEF ($500+)
Anonymous
Jeffrey Hendrix
Edward D. Jones
Jane A. Lynch
GOLD CLEF ($200+)
Judy Kaufman
Lorraine Leiser
Naomi Uchiyama
SILVER CLEF ($100+)
Renée Bodie
Sam Chang
Masako Inage
Debrah Jiang
Chiharu Nagai
Paul Porto
Thomas Prigorac
Jonia Suri
Joseph Whittaker
BRONZE CLEF ($25+)
Raquel Bruno
Kenneth Hanawa
Ryosuke Iga
Jeannette Pease
Joyce M Wrice
Taro Yamanashi
* Deceased
List current as of 09/26/2024
The Soka Performing Arts Center deeply appreciates the support of its sponsors and donors, and makes every effort to ensure accurate and appropriate recognition. Contact Renée Bodie, General Manager at (949) 480-4821 to make us aware of any error or omission in the foregoing list.
DONATE TO SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Your support helps ensure Soka Performing Arts Center fulfills its purpose: to engage, educate, and elevate the human spirit. Your gift supports the programming of world-class performances, provides transformative educational outreach experiences, and opens the opportunity to build engagement with our community by sharing the joy of live music.
Our subscription and renewal program provides you with even more flexibility in our season packages*. With our enhanced program, you now have the power to curate your very own unique experience.
• 15% Discount for a 3 performance package
• 18% Discount for a 4 performance package
• 20% Discount for a 5+ performance package
*full details online at soka.edu/pac
OUR PARTNERS
• Blueport Jazz
• Philharmonic Society of Orange County
• Pacific Symphony
• Parnassus Society
SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM
Renée Bodie
General Manager & Artistic Director
John Morgan
Box Office Manager
Antoinette Rossman
House Manager/Assistant to the General Manager
Steve Baker
Production Manager
Jarmil Maupin
Internal Events Manager
Ian Smith
Technical Services Manager
Katie Ohrn
Lighting Supervisor
Piano Tuners
Kathy Smith Lead Tuner
Ron Elliott
David Stoneman
David Vanderlip
Website soka.edu/pac
Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America. We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.
SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR
Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR
Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | New York, New York
Andrea Bartoli, PhD
President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York
Matilda Buck
Benefactor | Los Angeles, California
Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS
Dean, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Firoved
CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California
Jason Goulah, PhD
Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois
Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD
Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California
Karen Lewis, PhD
Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Luis Nieves
Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California
Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD
Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana
Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS
Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California
Adin Strauss
General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California
Yoshiki Tanigawa
Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan
Gregg S. Wolpert
Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President
Chief Academic Officer
Professor of Economics
Archibald E. Asawa
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Investment Officer
Katherine M. King, PHR
Executive Vice President of University
Community
Chief Human Resources Officer
Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator for Faculty, Staff and Others
Michael Weiner, PhD
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of East Asian History & International Studies
Bryan E. Penprase, PhD
Vice President for Sponsored Research and External Academic Relations Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Tomoko Takahashi, PhD, EdD, LHD
Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment
Dean of the Graduate School Professor of Linguistics and Education
David Welch, JD Vice President University Counsel
M. Robert Hamersley, PhD Dean of Faculty Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry
Hyon J. Moon, EdD Dean of Students
Title IX and Section 504 Deputy Coordinator for Students
Michelle Hobby-Mears, MBA
Associate Dean of Students Director of Student Activities
Andrew Woolsey, EdD Dean of Enrollment Services
Martin Beck, MA
Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications