THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
Faculty Recital of Liliya Ugay, Piano and Composition
with Jeffrey Keesecker, Bassoon; Benjamin Sung, Violin
Pamela Ryan, Viola; Gregory Sauer, Cello
featuring works by Clifton Callender, Eren Gümrükçüoğlu, and Liliya Ugay
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 7:00 p.m. | Longmire Recital Hall
PROGRAM
Coeurs et Fleurs
Liliya Ugay (b. 1990)
Souvenirs moment cord
Convergent Paths
Mother Tales croon perpetual delight
Greg Sauer, cello
Jeffrey Keesecker, bassoon
Liliya Ugay, piano
Pamela Ryan, viola
Liliya Ugay, piano
Benjamin Sung, violin
Liliya Ugay, piano
INTERMISSION
Meditations on a Warming Planet
Clifton Callender Parched Earth (b. 1969) Atmospheric River Habitat In Memoriam
Liliya Ugay, piano
Plasticity
Hammers Over the Moon
Liliya Ugay, piano
Eren Gümrükçüoğlu, electronics
Liliya Ugay, piano
Eren Gümrükçüoğlu, electronics
Eren Gümrükçüoğlu (b. 1982)
Liliya Ugay
Coeurs et Fleurs was written for Jamie Clark’s project “Here Her Voice.” This piece, the title of which translates from French as “hearts and flowers,” carries particular resemblance to the music of the late Baroque period, as I loved Jamie’s interpretation of music of that era. Coeurs et Fleurs is a modern interpretation of chaconne, and with the exception of two cadenzas, it is based on the same chord progression. At the same time, it is a canon of five parts; each part is added in the successive variation. Ten variations are split into two parts: in the first half, five variations are layered on the original chord progression, whereas in the second part, in variations six to ten the original chord progression itself is substituted with its variation and the layering process restarts. According to the thesaurus, “hearts and flowers” can be understood as an expression of nostalgia and sentimental homesickness - and my choice of the title intentionally refers to these moods.
I’d like to express my special gratitude to Evan Jones, who helped me to refine the difficult harmonic sections of this piece making them playable on cello.
Souvenirs were written for the bassoonist and legendary pedagogue Frank Morelli earlier this year, whom I worked with while accompanying some bassoon students at the Yale School of Music. Prior to his visit to FSU (invited by Jeff with whom they shared the same bassoon teacher), Frank wrote me asking if I’d play a recital with him and was wondering if I had written anything for bassoon, and since I didn’t and had a couple of week of spare time, I decided to take on that challenge. What struck me in the conversation with Frank was his ease of talking and joking about his respected age and him still actively playing bassoon marvelously (although he emphasized that because of that he favors music of lyrical/vocal quality). It made me think about what I would feel when in that stage of life, and what kind of music I would want to write and perform. Both “moment” and “cord” are the reflections of the most precious memories we hold close to our hearts and like to look back at.
I was deeply touched by the story of a wonderful pianist and breast cancer survivor, Minji Nam, as documented in Florrie Marshall’s project “Notes of Hope.” Convergent Paths expresses the tender and compassionate relationship between the close friends (Florrie and Minji), within the journey both positive and harsh situations that our lives take us through. I hope this piece resonates to each listener with the same feeling of empathy that I sensed from their friendship and the incredibly touching life story.
Mother Tales were inspired by the early motherhood/parenthood routine, much of which consists of putting the child to sleep and playing. The first movement - “croon” - is a lullaby that starts from humming and turns into expression of mother’s thoughts, both excitement and fear of the future unknown mixed with tenderness and vulnerability the little world embodies. The second movement - “perpetual delight” - plays with tiny, tinkly, twinkly, rattly, and shaker-y toys that become a world of discoveries for a new curious mind.
Mother Tales were composed for the wonderful duo of artists-mothers, Sunmi Chang and Clara Yang, who released the professional recording of it on Navona in 2023.
– Liliya Ugay
“The way out of climate change is inside each of us.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
Meditations on a Warming Planet began as a part of Ann Duhamel’s “Prayers for a Feverish Planet” project, which features a collection of works for solo piano that respond in some manner to climate change. Inspired by the ambitiousness of the project and Ann’s moving performances, I decided to add three more movements to form the current set of four, each focusing on a different aspect of the crisis. From a human perspective, the warming of the planet is very gradual, yet relentless, a steady progression (accumulation) toward a more chaotic and less hospitable world. “Parched Earth” depicts the process of desertification, where fertile regions are gradually replaced by arid, unfertile areas. While the process can be natural, the spread of arid regions is increasingly caused (and exacerbated) by human activities. “Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics” (noaa.gov). While these are naturally occuring phenomena, their size and the resulting release of moisture as precipitation and potential for flooding are increasing due to climate change. “Atmospheric River” attempts to capture the general phenomena of more frequent and more destructive flooding that is a direct result of a warmer planet. “Habitat” depicts the progressive loss of species and wildlife, again exacerbated by climate change, in a rather direct manner with a gradual reduction of musical activity leading to a single, isolated, and extremely thin note. Over the course of the movement, a harmonic progression, presented in lush arpeggios at first, is progressively reduced until only its memory persists. Over the decade beginning in 2012 over 1,700 environmental activists and land defenders have been murdered doing their work. “In Memoriam” is dedicated to the memory of these courageous individuals, focusing on their beautiful, impactful, and inspiring lives. An optional slide show featuring specific individuals is available for performance.
– Clifton Callender
Plasticity is an effort to convey spontaneity and interplay with a non-human element in the ensemble. In a group improvisation, members of the group would share the task of leading the ensemble through passing time. I wanted to let the electronics make decisions for the pianist at times by taking over the lead. My goal was to create a sense of an organic flow, within which two entities exchange musical ideas in response to the timbral, temporal and registral fluctuations of the musical space.
– Eren Gümrükçüoğlu
Hammers Over the Moon is my expression of love, joy, and admiration to my “native” instrument - piano - that I have been playing for my entire conscious life. The textures of this piece derives from “idomatic” or anatomically convenient for small pianist’s hands. The piece was commissioned by Clara Yang - a fantastic musician-pianist and friend - for her adventurous project “Ex Machina” that is centered on piano as a machine of sound and expression, reflecting on the evolving relationship between humanity and technology and inviting audiences “to rethink the boundaries between human and machine, using music to explore the machine as both an artistic medium and a philosophical idea.”
– Liliya Ugay
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.