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© 2023 Vancouver Piano Sessions All rights reserved Designed by Myong-Joo Lee & Gioele Abbati
WELCOME TO 2023!VPS
A heartfelt welcome to the First Edition of Vancouver Piano Sessions!
We are truly excited to have you here.
Your magical presence will help us celebrate the
beauty of music and the diversity of your musical talent.
Together we will create an unforgettable festival!
FOUNDERS & DIRECTORS
Myong-Joo Lee
Sasha Starcevich
Wayne Weng
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Gioele Abbati
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Natasha Wei
STAFF
MICHELLE ANN LIN
Rising Stars program Coordinator
KATRINA BOESE
Volunteer
RACHEL CHIEN
Volunteer
CHLOE DENG
Volunteer
SOPHIA HSU
Volunteer
INGRID KUO
Volunteer
ANNABELLE LAW
Volunteer
LISA LI
Volunteer
JANET SOMMERFELD
Volunteer
TOBIA TAM
Volunteer
ALICE WANG
Volunteer
FAITH WEI
Volunteer
We thank our staff for their unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions. This Sessions wouldn't have been a success without you all!
ARTIST FACULTY
NING AN
Young Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Pianist Ning An is a rare pianist who has been hailed as a musician who “combines a flawless technique and mastery of the instrument with an expressive power that is fueled by profound and insightful understanding. ” (New York Concert Review)
His top prizes from the Queen Elizabeth, Cleveland, and William Kapell Piano Competitions led to performances at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Sala Verdi (Milan), and to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China He has been invited to perform at numerous festivals, including the International Chopin Festival in Duszinski, Poland, the Gina Bachauer Piano Festival in Salt Lake City, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Music Festival, the Bourglinster Festival in Luxembourg, and the Interlaken Music Festival in Switzerland A passionate chamber musician as well as soloist, Mr An has performed with distinguished groups such as the Ysaye, Daedalus, and Takacs Quartets as well as instrumentalists James Ehnes, Paul Neubauer, and Andres Diaz
MICHELLE CANN
Curtis Institute of Music
Lauded as “technically fearless with…an enormous, rich sound” (La Scena
Musicale), pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at age fourteen and has since performed as a soloist with prominent orchestras.
Ms Cann’s 2022-23 season includes an appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, return engagements with the Cincinnati and New Jersey symphonies, and debut performances with the Baltimore, National, New World, Seattle, and Utah symphonies She makes her debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony and performs recitals in New Orleans, Little Rock, Sarasota, Toronto, and Washington, D C A champion of the music of Florence Price, Ms Cann performed the New York City premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick
Nézet-Séguin in February 2021, which the Philadelphia Inquirer called “exquisite ”
MICHAEL ESCH
University of Toronto
Michael Esch holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree in Piano
Performance from Rice University where his teachers included Robert
Roux and Jon Kimura Parker
Dr Esch has been featured in numerous recitals throughout Canada including at the Glenn Gould Studio for the CBC, and for the Canadian University Music Society He has also appeared in concerts throughout Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the United States and Germany, as well as various centers in the far east He has performed with numerous orchestras in Canada, and has collaborated with a number of acclaimed artists including the Belgian violinist Michael Guttman, the eminent violist, Rivka Golani, as well as the Canadian Sinfonietta Chamber Players The Canadian Composer Robert Rival has composed and dedicated the work ‘6 pieces for Piano’ (found in the ARCT and LRCM repertoire lists) for Michael Dr Esch was a featured pianist on the RCME 2015 Piano Syllabus CD set
ALEXANDER KORSANTIA
New England Conservatory of Music
Dubbed a “quiet maverick” (Daily Telegraph), pianist Alexander Korsantia has been praised for the “clarity of his technique, richly varied tone and dynamic phrasing” (Baltimore Sun), and a “piano technique where difficulties simply do not exist” (Calgary Sun)
Ever since winning the First Prize/Gold Medal at the Artur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition and the First Prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition, Korsantia’s career has taken him to many of the world’s major concert halls, collaborating with renowned conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Gianandrea Noseda, Jansug Kakhidze, Valery Gergiev, and Paavo Järvi, with such orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, Kirov Orchestra, RAI Orchestra in Turin, The City of Birmingham Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and Israel Philharmonic In recent seasons Mr Korsantia performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3 in C Major with the Boston Philharmonic, Akron Symphony and Xiamen Philharmonic, Rachmaninoff’s Third with Israel Symphony, Prokofiev’s Second with Stuttgart Philharmoniker and Telavi Festival in Georgia, Beethoven’s Fourth with Israel Philharmonic
MYONG-JOO LEE
Founder & Director
California State University, Fullerton
Pianist Myong-Joo Lee began her solo career at the age of fourteen with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and since then made her successful
New York debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall and performed throughout U S , Asia and Europe
Ms Lee also has been a prize winner of several national and international competitions including Pro Piano
Artist Series Competition in New York, Cleveland International Competition, Guild International Piano
Competition, among many others Ms Lee has been an active teacher for both pre-college and college
students have consistently won top prizes at prestigious competitions including Cooper International
Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young
Artist Award, Mondavi Young Artist National Competition and MTNA National Piano Competition to name a few Ms Lee received BM, MM from Indiana University and DMA from USC Thornton School of Music where later joined as a member of the piano faculty. In addition, she has served previously on the piano faculty of Colburn Music Academy at The Colburn School and University of Puget Sound Ms Lee is currently a piano faculty member at California State University, Fullerton
JOHN PERRY
Glenn Gould School of Music and Rutgers University
John Perry, distinguished artist and teacher, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Eastman School of Music and was a student of
Cecile Genhart During those summers, he worked with the eminent Frank Mannheimer
Mr Perry has won numerous awards including the highest prizes in both the Busoni and Viotti international piano competitions in Italy and special honors at the Marguerite Long International Competition in Paris Since then he has performed extensively throughout Europe and North America to great critical acclaim Also a respected chamber musician, Mr. Perry has collaborated with some of the finest instrumentalists in the world He also enjoys an international reputation as a teacher, presenting master classes throughout the world He often is a jury member at some of the most prestigious international piano competitions
Mr Perry is professor at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, professor of piano at Mason Gross Schoo of the Arts, Rutgers University...
ARTIST FACULTY
BORIS SLUTSKY
Yale School of Music
Since his orchestral debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Symphony in 1980, Boris Slutsky has appeared on nearly every continent as soloist and recitalist He has performed with the London Philarmonic, Stuttgart State Orchestra, among other major orchestras
His North American engagements have included concerts with Baltimore, Florida, Utah, and Toronto Symphonies Mr Slutsky has been heard on recital series throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, Latin America, and the Far East, making appearances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Kauffman Concert Hall, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Performing Arts Center in Seoul, and the Teatro Colon in Bogota, among many others. Mr. Slutsky has served as a jury member of many international piano competitions and presented master classes throughout North and
South America, Europe, and Asia His students have won prizes at numerous important international events
In 2019, Mr. Slutsky was appointed Professor in the Practice of Piano at the Yale School of Music...
STEVEN SPOONER
Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University
Steven Spooner is Professor of Piano at the Peabody Institute His compelling performances have been hailed worldwide. “Such breadth and variety of difficult pieces made me wonder at first if this (recording) was a hoax, ” noted one critic
He has released more than 40 recordings, including a project of 16 CDs honoring his pianistic heroes called Dedications. At times he daringly reinvents the solo recital, allowing audiences to vote on the spot for one of five programs he has prepared A major prize winner at 7 international competitions, he has studied at the Paris Conservatoire, Moscow and Tbilisi Conservatories, and Indiana University Spooner has served on the faculty of some of the most prestigious summer festivals, and is increasingly in demand for his masterclasses across the globe. He is Artistic Director of the Chicago International Competition and Festival A dedicated and caring teacher of students from around the world, he has formed winners of multiple prizes at important competitions Steven Spooner is a Steinway Artist
SASHA STARCEVICH
Founder & Director
Pianist Sasha Starcevich is currently enjoying a rewarding career as an international performer and teacher with his engaging performances and passionate teaching, both at home and around the globe.
As a recitalist, he has appeared in many renowned venues such as New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, and in London’s Wigmore Hall His debut recital there was met with critical acclaim, and a review in the Musical Opinion stated: “The repertoire was brilliantly conceived; a thoroughly enjoyable recital at every level” . He has continued to thrill audiences with Concerto appearances, chamber, and solo recitals throughout North America, Europe and Asia The past two decades have seen Starcevich tour Russia with the Samara Philharmonic Orchestra, appear at the Holders Season, Barbados and the Henley Festival in England, and release several solo and Concerto recordings in the United States and England. His Doctoral and post-graduate degrees are from Yale University
WAYNE WENG
Founder & Director
Pianist Wayne Weng’s playing has been described as “vibrant and immensely musical, ” and as having “delicacy amounting to almost reverence […] through gossamer touch” (Wiltshire Gazette & Herald).
He was a laureate at the Washington International Competition for Piano, where his performance in the final round “raised the excitement level of the afternoon several notches ” (The Washington Post) As a
soloist as well as a collaborator, Wayne Weng has performed in Canada, the United States, England, Italy,
France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Serbia, Egypt, Hong Kong and Taiwan He has performed concerti with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra,
Cascade Symphony Orchestra, Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra, West Coast Symphony, Philharmonic
Orchestra of University of Alicante, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Seattle, and the Avanti
Orchestra His performances have been featured on radio stations such as WFMT Chicago, WQXR New
York, CBC Radio and Seattle King FM
TRISTAN TEO
Visiting Artist in Piano Smith College
Named one of Canada’s “hot classical musicians under 30” by CBC Music, Tristan Teo began playing the piano when he was three years old He has been awarded numerous accolades at many international piano competitions, including the 2016 Hilton Head and 2017 Van Cliburn
Since his orchestral debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at age eleven, he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Gulf Coast Symphony, among many others Inspired by his mentor Sasha Starcevich who instilled in him a passion for teaching, Teo has strongly advocated for bringing music education from the studio to the concert hall, impressing audiences with the honesty and sincerity of his playing as well as his ease with speaking from the stage Teo has given solo concerts in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Lithuania, in venues such as Salle Cortot in Paris and Alice Tully Hall in New York He has also been a featured artist on radio stations such as
CBC Radio Canada and WQXR New York, where he performed to a sold-out audience at The Greene Space
CAROL WONG
Private Studio
Carol Wong enjoys a flourishing career following performances at
Carnegie’s Zankel and Weill Halls, the Wednesday at One Series at Alice
Tully Hall (New York), the Kennedy Center, the Kreeger Museum
(Washington, DC) and many more
Ms Wong was one of only 50 people invited to the Arctic Expedition for Climate Action, sponsored by
National Geographic, and made into a documentary Guests included President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn; Ted Turner; Madeline Albright; Chevy Chase; Google founder Larry Page Her tour also included concerts in Leipzig, Germany, Oslo, Norway, Istanbul, Turkey and in Lima, Peru
Ms Wong grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and made her concerto debut at age 11 with the Vancouver Philharmonic She earned her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from Indiana University under the tutelage of Menahem Pressler Ms Wong was granted her Doctor of Music Arts degree in Piano Performance at Rutgers University, and she completed the prestigious Artist Diploma program at The Juilliard School
"THE MINDFUL MUSICIAN"
integrating the skills of mindfulness into the artistic process
Enter mindfulness Generally defined as turning our attention inward and maintaining awareness and attention to our thoughts, bodily sensations, and environment, the benefits of a
consistent mindfulness practice are vast and far reaching For centuries, it has been widely accepted that the implementation of simple mindfulness skills into our daily
MEDITATION-
For Parents and Faculty
August6
3:00-3:50pm 8:15-8:45am
Afterthecloseof theday,all gatheredatthe eveningconcert takeacollective5 minutestobreathe andsetthe intentionforthe nextday
3:00-3:50pm 8:15-8:45am
Afterthecloseof theday,all gatheredatthe eveningconcert takeacollective5 minutestobreathe andsetthe intentionforthe nextday
August7
8:15-8:45am
Afterthecloseof theday,all gatheredatthe eveningconcert takeacollective5 minutestobreathe andsetthe intentionforthe nextday
August11
8:15-8:45am
Afterthecloseof theday,all gatheredatthe eveningconcert takeacollective5 minutestobreathe andsetthe intentionforthe nextday
August8
3:00-3:50pm 8:15-8:45am
August9
8:15-8:45am
Afterthecloseof theday,all gatheredatthe eveningconcert takeacollective5 minutestobreathe andsetthe intentionforthe nextday
August12
8:15-8:45am
MINDFULNESS SESSIONS FACILITATORS
TERRI HAGAR SCHERER, RSPS
Terri is a certified holistic life and recovery coach, mindfulness meditation facilitator, teacher,
writer, and speaker She has been an active part of the theatre community in the DFW area of
Texas for over fifty years. Terri is co-creator of Arts with a Heart, a mindfulness-based
performance arts lab, offering a series of creative workshops dedicated to developing and
advancing the integration of mindfulness skills into the artistic process, thus enhancing the artist’s performance and overall well-being
RAYMOND T. SHELTON, PRS, RSPS, ICPR
Raymond is a certified Peer Recovery Specialist and mindfulness and meditation facilitator
From the time he was ten years old, he trained and performed as an actor He received his
Bachelor of Fine Arts from the prestigious School of Drama at the University of North
Carolina School of the Arts He spent the next fifteen years working in the New York theatre, first as an actor, then as a writer and producer of large-scale events on Broadway for
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS After leaving a successful twenty-five-year career
working at the top levels of the entertainment and live event industries, Raymond founded
Recovery On Course, providing services to persons new in recovery from substance use and other metal health disorders, as well as groups and workshops focused on developing the skills of mindfulness and meditation practice.
FRANCES BAI
Toronto, Ontario AGE: 17
MICHELLE CAO
YOUNG ARTISTS
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 16
JERRY CHANG
Iadue, Missouri AGE: 16
VIVIAN CHANG
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 14
DORA-ZIYAN CHEN
Redmond, Washington AGE: 18
COLLEGE: Peabody Institute
SERENA CHEN
Richmond, British Columbia AGE: 22
BETHANY CHEUNG
Irvine, California AGE: 15
MATTHEW CHEUNG
Burnaby, British Columbia AGE: 15
ANNIE CHUNG
Aurora, Ontario AGE: 15
DALEN CUBILLOS
Toronto, Ontario AGE: 20
COLLEGE: University of Toronto
YILIN DU
Cincinnati, Ohio AGE: 22
COLLEGE: CCM Cincinnati
LAUREN ESCH
Toronto, Ontario AGE: 21
COLLEGE: University of Toronto
ZACHARY GAO
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 12
RYAN HONG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 14
RUOHAN HUANG
Sammamish, Washington AGE: 14
JASMINE JI
Irvine, California AGE: 11
DANIEL JUNG
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 17
VERITY LEUNG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13
Burnaby, British Columbia AGE: 15
DORIS LI
BRIAN LI Markham, Ontario AGE: 17
BO LIAO
Calgary, Alberta AGE: 18
COLLEGE: University of Calgary
Richmond, British Columbia AGE: 17
ZARIN MEHTA
ELSIE LU Chicago, Illinois AGE: 15
MELISSA MOSLEY
Staten Islan, New York AGE: 15
JEFFREY QUAN
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 10
XINRAN SHI
San Jose, California AGE: 13
SOPHIE SUKENDRO
Laguna Niguel, California AGE: 15
ELLA SUMANASENI
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 16
ELLIANA SUN
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13
CHLOE SUN
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13
MILES SUTTON
Chicago, Illinois AGE: 30
COURTNEY TAM
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 15
ANDREW TRUONG
Los Altos, California AGE: 21
COLLEGE: Peabody Institute
ZEYU DANIEL WANG
Newport Coast, California AGE: 15
HAOSEN WANG
Fullerton, California AGE: 20
COLLEGE: Cal State University, Fullerton
LUNA WANG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
OWEN YISU WANG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 15
PAUL WANG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 16
RACHEL WEI
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 15
LUCAS YAO
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia AGE: 8
KYLE YEUNG
Irvine, California AGE: 15
ANDREW YIN
San Jose, California AGE: 11
LUCAS YU
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13
MATTHEW YU
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 15
XIMURONG ZHAI
Toronto, Ontario AGE: 15
EVAN ZHANG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
KARINA ZHANG
Irvine, California AGE: 9
NATHANIEL ZHANG
Folsom, California AGE: 16
RAY ZHANG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 16
LYLE ZHAO
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
ALICE ZHOU
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 16
LEONARDO ZHOU
Sammamish, Washington AGE: 13
SAMUEL ZHU
Scarborough, Ontario AGE: 16
RISING STARS
ANGELA CHANG
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 11
SHAWN CHEN
Coquitlam, British Columbia AGE: 10
EMMA CLENDENEN
Santa Ana, California AGE: 10
LOGAN CLENDENEN
Santa Ana, California AGE: 10
VALENCIA CUI
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
JULIA GAO
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
JOSHUA HONG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13
SOYUL KANG
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
EASON KUANG
Irvine, California AGE: 10
AIMEE LEE
Yorba Linda, California AGE: 12
SOPHIE LEE
Yorba Linda, California AGE: 9
EVAN SUMANASENI
Bellevue, Washington AGE: 12
GABRIEL SUN
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 11
ELLA TAGHVA
Santa Ana, California AGE: 9
JOCYLIN YING
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10
FELIX ZHANG
Kirkland, Washington AGE: 8
EMILIE ZHAO
Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 9
STEFAN ZHOU
Sammamish, Washington AGE: 8
AUGUST 6
MASTERCLASSES
NING AN
Tom Lee Music Hall
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Variations brilliantes in B-flat Major, Op. 12
Elliana Sun
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Kreisleriana, Op 16
I Äußerst bewegt, II Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch, III Sehr aufgereg
Andrew Truong
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841 - 1894)
Bourrée fantasque
Zachary Gao
BORIS SLUTSKY
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Charles Griffes (1884 - 1920)
Roman Sketches, Op. 7
III. The Fountain of the Acqua Paola
Ximurong Zhai
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
Owen Yisu Wang
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Variations sérieuses, Op 54
Haosen Wang
MASTERCLASS SPOTLIGHTS
BORIS SLUTSKY & NING AN
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Fantasie in F minor, Op 49
Daniel Jung
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
La Valse
Zarin Mehta
RECITAL
YOUNG ARTISTS & RISING STARS
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
8:00pm
J S Bach (1685 - 1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier II
Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 885
Owen Yisu Wang
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
Verity Leung
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Sonata in F Major, Hob.XVI: 23
I. Allegro
Karina Zhang
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Etude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12
Samuel Zhu
J S Bach (1685 - 1750)
Two-Part Inventions No 8 in F Major
Sophie Lee
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Scherzo No 3 in C-sharp minor, Op 39
Leonardo Zhou
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Prelude, Op 28, No 15 in D-flat Major
Aimee Lee
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Impromptu, Op. 90, No. 2 in E-flat Major
Shawn Chen
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1810 - 1849)
Dumka, Op. 59
Dora-Ziyan Chen
AUGUST 7
MASTERCLASSES
JOHN PERRY
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Scherzo No 3 in C-sharp minor, Op 39
Leonardo Zhou
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 31 in A-flat Major, Op 110
II Allegro Molto, III Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro ma non troppo
Lauren Esch
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Scherzo No 4 in E Major, Op 54
Kyle Yeung
MASTERCLASS SPOTLIGHTS
JOHN PERRY & SASHA STARCEVICH
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21
II Larghetto, III Allegro vivace
Elsie Lu
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Hungarian Rapsody No 12 in C-sharp minor
Paul Wang
We sincerely thank Mission Hill for their support
RECITAL
YOUNG ARTISTS & RISING STARS
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
8:00pm
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841 - 1894)
Bourrée fantasque
Zachary Gao
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 26 in E-flat Major, Op 81a
I Das Lebewohl (The Farewell)
Matthew Cheung
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Waltz in A minor, Op. Posth.
Ella Taghva
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
Jeux d'eau
Courtney Tam
W A Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333
I. Allegro
Doris Li
Ernst Toch (1887 - 1964)
The Juggler, Op. 31, No. 3
Joshua Hong
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Impromptu No 1 in A-flat Major, Op 29
Lucas Yao
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Waltz No 14 in E minor, Op Posth
Gabriel Sun
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 No. 3
I Allegro con brio
Bo Liao
AUGUST 8
MASTERCLASSES
TRISTAN TEO
Tom Lee Music Hall
3:00pm - 5:00pm
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2
III. Presto agitato
Samuel Zhu
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13
III Rondo: Allegro
Daniel Wang
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 27 in E minor, Op 90
Ryan Hong
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K. 453
III Allegro - Presto
Lyle Zhao
STEVEN SPOONER
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Nocturne in F-sharp Major, Op 15, No 2
Miles Sutton
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in D Major, K 576 I Allegro
Sophie Sukendro
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Concerto No 12 in A Major, K 414 I Allegro
Evan Zhang
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Années de Pèlerinage I (Suisse)
Vallée d'Obermann
Ray Zhang
GUEST ARTIST RECITAL AUGUST 8
Christ Church Cathedral 7:30pm
DerMüllerundderBachS 565No 2
AufenthaltS 560No 3
AufdemWasserzusingenS 558No 2
DieStadtS 558No 11
GretchenamSpinnradeS 558No 8
StändchenvonShakespeareS 558No 9
ErlkönigS 558No 4
ROBERTSCHUMANN transcr. FRANZLISZT(1811-1886)
Liebeslied (Widmung) S 566
FRANZLISZT(1811-1886)
HymnedelanuitS 173a/1
RomanceinEMinorS 169 “Opourquoidonc”
EDVARDGRIEG(1843-1907)
“EinTraum” fromSechsLiederOp 48 (transcr S Babayan)
SERGEIRACHMANINOFF(1873-1943)
"Lilacs" Op 21, No 5 (transcr S Rachmaninoff)
"Melody" from 12Songs, Op 21 (transcr A Volodos)
FRITZKREISLER (1875-1962)
Liebesleid (transcr S Rachmaninoff)
FRANZSCHUBERT transcr. FRANZLISZT(1811-1886) — INTERMISSION —
FEDERICOMOMPOU(1893-1987)
CanciónNo 6
CanciónNo 8
CanciónNo 7
From "CançonsiDanses"
KOMITAS(1869-1935)
Berceuse (transcr G Saradjian)
REYNALDOHAHN(1874-1947)
L’heureexquise (transcr S Babayan)
HAROLDARLEN / EDGARYISPELHARBURG
OverTheRainbow (transcr K Jerry)
JESUSGURIDI(1886-1961)
LaCarrasquilla
PAULHINDEMITH(1895-1963)
"EinleitungundLied" from
"Klaviermusik, Op 37, Pt 2 "ReihekleinerStücke"
GEORGESBIZET(1838-1875)
ChantsduRhin: I L'Aurore
STEPHENREYNOLDS(1947-)
“Chansond’automne” from
TwoPoemsinHomagetoFauré
FRANCISPOULENC(1899-1963)
ImprovisationNo 15inCMinor, "HommageàEdithPiaf"
GABRIELFAURÉ(1845-1924)
Auborddel’eau, Op 8No
1 (transcr S Babayan)
FRANCISPOULENC(1899-1963)
Lescheminsdel'amour, valsechantée
CHARLESTRENET(1913-2001)
EnavrilàParis (transcr A Weissenberg)
GEORGEGERSHWIN(1898-1937)
Ohlady, begood! (transcr M Whitney)
GUEST ARTIST Sergei Babayan
The meditative focus and rare stillness of Armenian-American pianist Sergei Babayan’s keyboard artistry prompted the Hamburger Abendblatt to liken him to “one of those Japanese calligraphers who contemplate the white page before them in silence until, at the exact right moment, their brush makes its instinctive, perfect sweep across the paper” . Babayan himself has observed that making music should be open to surprises and spontaneous insights, allowing unexpected emotions to emerge and subtle shadings to evolve naturally His thoughtful musicianship has grown over decades of painstaking musical explorations, and during the course of his career he has built a broad and deep repertoire encompassing well over sixty concertos and other works by composers from Bach, Beethoven, Ligeti and Lutosławski to Prokofiev, Pärt, Rameau and Ryabov
Babayan’s first album for Deutsche Grammophon was released in March 2018. Prokofiev for Two, for which he formed a duo partnership with the legendary Martha Argerich, comprises Babayan’s scintillating transcriptions for piano four hands of movements from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and other works It was hailed as “the CD one has waited for” by Montreal’s
Le Devoir, while critic Norman Lebrecht said it took “the piano duo to a new level, ” adding, “if all music was like this, there would be no sorrow in the world”
In July 2018 Sergei Babayan signed an exclusive contract with the Yellow Label “I was first introduced to Deutsche Grammophon when I was fourteen, through Martha Argerich’s recording of Chopin’s E minor Concerto, ” he recalled at the time “That formed me as a musician and to this day continues to be one of my guiding lights This label represents the world and works of the artists I’ve admired most deeply throughout my life Other recordings deeply etched in my mind from those early years are by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Vladimir Horowitz “To be a Deutsche Grammophon artist myself today is, for me, the highest possible privilege I am deeply grateful to my destiny for giving me such a great honour ”
Now he has recorded his debut solo album for DG – a very personal selection of music by Rachmaninov, whose work has been central to Babayan’s life since he discovered the Second Piano Concerto at the age of thirteen Set for international release in August 2020, the album features a carefully crafted sequence of miniatures This includes pieces from the
Préludes op 23 and op 32, Études-Tableaux op 33 and op 39 and Moments musicaux op 16, as well as transcriptions of the third movement of the Cello Sonata op 19 and “Lilacs” and “Melody” from the set of 12 Songs op 21, all of which are woven together to form a rich and vivid musical narrative
Born into a musical family in Armenia, Sergei Babayan received his first piano lessons at the age of six from Luiza Markaryan, then was taught by pianist Georgy Saradjev, a leading representative of the St Petersburg school and former student of the legendary Vladimir Sofronitsky Babayan subsequently studied with Lev Naumov, Vera Gornostayeva and Mikhail Pletnev at the Moscow Conservatory As the Soviet Union collapsed in the late 1980s, he became the first artist from the USSR to attend international competitions without state sponsorship Babayan made his breakthrough in 1989 with a consecutive series of competition victories, generating news headlines and attracting interest from fellow artists by winning the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition (since renamed the Cleveland International Piano Competition), the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan and the Scottish International Piano Competition. Following his move to the United States, he joined the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1992 as artist-in-residence In high demand ever since, he has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Théâtre des Champs-Elyseés, Konzerthaus Berlin and Munich’s Prinzregententheater, appeared at the Salzburg, Verbier and La Roque d’Anthéron festivals and worked with many of the world’s leading conductors, among them Valery Gergiev, Neeme Järvi, Rafael Payare, David Robertson, Tugan Sokhiev, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Yuri Temirkanov, Joshua Weilerstein and Nikolaj Znaider
In November 2019 Sergei Babayan was Curating Artist at Konzerthaus Dortmund, where he presented a festival of performances with his closest musical partners and friends, including Martha Argerich, Daniil Trifonov, Mischa Maisky, Sergey Khachatryan, and Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra Other highlights of Babayan’s 2019–20 season include debut performances with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester and the Toronto Symphony orchestra, piano duo concerts with Daniil Trifonov in the US, and recitals of works by J S Bach and Chopin
AUGUST
9
MASTERCLASSES
ALEXANDER KORSANTIA
Tom Lee Music Hall
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Spanish Rhapsody
Alice Zhou
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op 55, No 2
Brian Li
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op 53
Matthew Yu
MYONG-JOO LEE
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 4:30pm
W A Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in C Major, K. 330
I. Allegro Moderato, II. Andante Cantabile
Chloe Sun
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Sonata in E Major, Hob.XVI: 31
Rachel Wei
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 27 in E minor, Op 90
Ruohan Huang
MASTERCLASS SPOTLIGHTS
WAYNE WENG & ALEXANDER KORSANTIA
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op 18
III Allegro scherzando
Bo Liao
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22
Nathaniel Zhang
RECITAL
YOUNG ARTISTS & RISING STARS
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
8:00pm
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck Ryan Hong
Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904 - 1987)
Seven Good-Humoured Variations on a Ukrainian Folksong, Op. 51, No. 4
Lyle Zhao
W A Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in D Major, K. 576
I. Allegro
Sophie Sukendro
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) Abegg Variations, Op. 1 Ruohan Huang
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110
I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo Yilin Du
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2
Jocylin Ying
Glinka-Balakirev (1837 - 1910)
The Lark
Valencia Cui
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in C minor, K. 457
I. Molto Allegro
Miles Sutton
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
Morceaux de fantasie, Op. 3
IV. Polichinelle
Ximurong Zhai
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Variations sérieuses, Op. 54
Haosen Wang
AUGUST
10
MASTERCLASSES
WAYNE WENG
Tom Lee Music Hall
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Intermezzo , Op. 118
I. Intermezzo in A minor, II. Intermezzo in A Major
Courtney Tam
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Etude in E minor, Op. 25, No. 5
Ella Sumanaseni
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110
I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
Yilin Du
SASHA STARCEVICH
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Polonaise in A Major, Op. 40, No. 1
Jeffrey Quan
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob.XVI: 52
Frances Bai
MASTERCLASS SPOTLIGHTS
MYONG-JOO LEE & STEVEN SPOONER
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Barcarolle, Op. 60
Michelle Cao
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Polonaise in C-sharp minor, Op 26, No 1
Bethany Cheung
RECITAL
YOUNG ARTISTS & RISING STARS
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
8:00pm
Ernö Dohnányi (1877 - 1960)
Rhapsody in C Major, Op. 11, No. 3
Matthew Yu
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53
I. Allegro con brio
Alice Zhou
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Sonatina in D Major, Op. 36, No. 6
I. Allegro con spirito
Emilie Zhao
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op 9, No 1
Evan Sumanaseni
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 5 in C minor, Op 10, No 1
I Allegro molto e con brio
Vivian Chang
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
Prelude, Op 32, No 13 in D-flat Major
Dalen Cubillos
Alexina Louie (1949 - )
Fast Forward
Annie Chung
George Gershwin (1898 - 1937)
Three Preludes
Lucas Yu
AUGUST
11
MASTERCLASSES
MYONG-JOO LEE
Tom Lee Music Hall
3:00pm - 4:30pm
W A Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595
III. Allegro
Lucas Yao
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
Estampes
Jardins sous la pluie
Doris Li
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Impromptu, Op 142, No 3 in B-flat Major
Andrew Yin
MICHELLE CANN
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Sonata in F Major, Hob.XVI: 23 I. Allegro
Karina Zhang
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a
I Das Lebewohl (The Farewell)
Serena Chen
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Preludes, Op. 28
XIII. Lento, XIV. Allegro, XVI. Presto con fuoco, XVII. Allegretto, XVIII. Molto Allegro
Jerry Chang
MASTERCLASS SPOTLIGHTS
MICHELLE CANN
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
Morceaux de fantasie, Op 3 I Elegie
Jasmine Ji
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 26 in E-flat Major, Op 81a
I Das Lebewohl (The Farewell)
Xinran Shi
RECITAL
YOUNG ARTISTS & RISING STARS
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
8:00pm
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 11 in B-flat Major, Op 22
I Allegro con brio
Melissa Mosley
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Etude, Op 25, No 5
Ella Sumanaseni
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Fantasia in D minor, K. 397
Luna Wang
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob XVI: 52
I Allegro (Moderato)
Frances Bai
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in C Major, K 545
I Allegro
Stefan Zhou
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 20 in G Major, Op 49 No 2
I Allegro ma non troppo
Angela Chang
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Scherzo No 3 in C-sharp minor, Op 39
Chloe Sun
AUGUST
MASTERCLASSES
SASHA STARCEVICH
Tom Lee Music Hall
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Sonata in A minor, D. 784
I. Allegro giusto, II. Andante
Dalen Cubillos
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in C minor, K. 457
I Molto Allegro
Dora-Ziyan Chen
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op 22
Matthew Cheung
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
Verity Leung
WAYNE WENG
Pyatt Hall (VSO)
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Années de Pèlerinage II (Italie)
V Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
Lucas Yu
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Annie Chung
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Rigoletto Paraphrase
Melissa Mosley
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Etude, Op 10, No 3 in E Major
Vivian Chang
AUGUST 12
GALACONCERT
…wherepianistsintertwinewithmusicalmastery
YOUNG ARTISTS & RISING STARS
Christ Church Cathedral 6:30pm
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Années de Pèlerinage I (Suisse)
Vallée d'Obermann
Ray Zhang
J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier II
Prelude and Fugue in B Major, BWV 892
Michelle Cao
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Etudes, Op. 25
I. Aeolian Harp
Jeffrey Quan
Emma Lou Diemer (1927 - )
Toccata
Elliana Sun
L v Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No 26 in E-flat Major, Op 81a
I Das Lebewohl (The Farewell)
Serena Chen
Scott Joplin (1868 - 1917)
Maple Leaf Rag
Evan Zhang
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
Sonata No 6 in A major, Op 82
IV Vivace
Brian Li
W A Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Rondo in D Major, K 485
Julia Gao
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
Morceaux de fantasie, Op 3
I Elegie
Jasmine Ji
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Preludes, Op 28
XIX - XXIV
Jerry Chang
Arno Babajanian (1921 - 1983)
Poem (1965)
Paul Wang
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op Posth
Eason Kuang
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Transcendental Etudes
XII Chasse-Neige
Andrew Truong
W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Sonata in D major, K 381
I Allegro
Lucas Yao & Karina Zhang
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Nocturne, Op 62, No 2
Elsie Lu
Sergei Lyapunov (1859 - 1924)
Transcendental Etude in B Minor, Op 11
X Lezghinka
Zarin Mehta
L. v. Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13
III Rondo: Allegro
Zeyu Daniel Wang
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
Miroirs
III. Une Barque sur L’océan
Lauren Esch
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Sonata in C Major, Hob.XVI:50
I. Allegro
Andrew Yin
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Polonaise in C-sharp minor, Op. 26, No. 1
Bethany Cheung
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Hungarian Dances I
V. Allegro - Vivace
Emma & Logan Clendenen
Alberto Ginastera (1916 - 1983)
Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op. 15
Rachel Wei
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Etude, Op. 25, No. 2 in F minor
Soyul Kang
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
Xinran Shi
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
Arabesque No 1
Felix Zhang
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
Grandes études de Paganini
III. La Campanella
Kyle Yeung
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
Étude-Tableau, Op 39, No 3 in F-sharp minor
Daniel Jung
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35
I. Grave - Doppio movimento
Nathaniel Zhang
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