VPS 2023 Program

VPS

VANCOUVER PIANO SESSIONS

August 5th - 13th, 2023

Zeyu Daniel Wang, 2023

vancouverpianosessions.com

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© 2023 Vancouver Piano Sessions. All rights reserved.

Designed by Myong-Joo Lee & Gioele Abbati

WELCOME TO VPS 2023!

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 lives helps to lower stress, reduce anxiety, increase our creativity and capacity to savor positive experiences, promote more focused concentration, and so much more. Establishing a regular mindfulness practice engenders alignment with the body, heart, and mind connection, that when intertwined with the euphonious richness of music, cultivates a more meaningful and rewarding experience as an artist.

August 6

August 7

August 8

August 9

MORNING MEDITATION -

8:15 - 8:45am

8:15 - 8:45am

8:15 - 8:45am

8:15 - 8:45am

For Parents and Faculty

3:00-3:50pm

OPEN TO ALL

3:00-3:50pm

After the close of the day, all gathered at the evening concert take a collective 5 minutes to breathe and set the intention for the next day

After the close of the day, all gathered at the evening concert take a collective 5 minutes to breathe and set the intention for the next day

August 10

August 11

August 12

MORNING MEDITATION -

8:15 - 8:45am

8:15 - 8:45am

8:15 - 8:45am

For Parents and Faculty

3:00-3:50pm

FERMATA -

OPEN TO ALL

OPEN TO ALL

FERMATA -

OPEN TO ALL

After the close of the day, all gathered at the evening concert take a collective 5 minutes to breathe and set the intention for the next day

After the close of the day, all gathered at the evening concert take a collective 5 minutes to breathe and set the intention for the next day

After the close of the day, all gathered at the evening concert take a collective 5 minutes to breathe and set the intention for the next day

MORNING MEDITATION - Parents & Faculty Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver > Second Floor > Room Margaux FERMATA VSO School of Music > First Floor > Pyatt Hall

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.

YOUNG ARTISTS FRANCES BAI

RUOHAN HUANG

MICHELLE CAO

JASMINE JI

JERRY CHANG

DANIEL JUNG

VIVIAN CHANG

VERITY LEUNG

DORA-ZIYAN CHEN

BRIAN LI

Toronto, Ontario AGE: 17 Bellevue, Washington AGE: 16 Iadue, Missouri AGE: 16 Bellevue, Washington AGE: 14 Redmond, Washington AGE: 18 COLLEGE: Peabody Institute

SERENA CHEN

Richmond, British Columbia AGE: 22

Sammamish, Washington AGE: 14 Irvine, California AGE: 11 Bellevue, Washington AGE: 17 Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13 Burnaby, British Columbia AGE: 15

DORIS LI

Markham, Ontario AGE: 17

BO LIAO

Irvine, California AGE: 15

Calgary, Alberta AGE: 18 COLLEGE: University of Calgary

MATTHEW CHEUNG

ELSIE LU

ANNIE CHUNG

ZARIN MEHTA

DALEN CUBILLOS

MELISSA MOSLEY

BETHANY CHEUNG

Burnaby, British Columbia AGE: 15 Aurora, Ontario AGE: 15 Toronto, Ontario AGE: 20 COLLEGE: University of Toronto

YILIN DU

Cincinnati, Ohio AGE: 22 COLLEGE: CCM Cincinnati

LAUREN ESCH

Richmond, British Columbia AGE: 17 Chicago, Illinois AGE: 15 Staten Islan, New York AGE: 15

JEFFREY QUAN

Bellevue, Washington AGE: 10

XINRAN SHI

San Jose, California AGE: 13

Toronto, Ontario AGE: 21 COLLEGE: University of Toronto

SOPHIE SUKENDRO

ZACHARY GAO

ELLA SUMANASENI

RYAN HONG

ELLIANA SUN

Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 12 Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 14

Laguna Niguel, California AGE: 15 Bellevue, Washington AGE: 16 Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13

CHLOE SUN

XIMURONG ZHAI

MILES SUTTON

EVAN ZHANG

COURTNEY TAM

KARINA ZHANG

ANDREW TRUONG

NATHANIEL ZHANG

Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 13 Chicago, Illinois AGE: 30 Bellevue, Washington AGE: 15 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

Toronto, Ontario AGE: 15

Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 10 Irvine, California AGE: 9 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

FELIX ZHANG

SHAWN CHEN

EMILIE ZHAO

EMMA CLENDENEN

STEFAN ZHOU

Bellevue, Washington AGE: 11 Coquitlam, British Columbia AGE: 10 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

Kirkland, Washington AGE: 8 Vancouver, British Columbia AGE: 9 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

AUGUST 8 GUEST ARTIST RECITAL Christ Church Cathedral 7:30pm

FRANZ SCHUBERT transcr. FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886) Der Müller und der Bach S. 565 No. 2 Aufenthalt S. 560 No. 3 Auf dem Wasser zu singen S. 558 No. 2 Die Stadt S. 558 No. 11 Gretchen am Spinnrade S. 558 No. 8 Ständchen von Shakespeare S. 558 No. 9 Erlkönig S. 558 No. 4

ROBERT SCHUMANN transcr. FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886) Liebeslied (Widmung) S. 566

FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)

Hymne de la nuit S. 173a/1 Romance in E Minor S. 169 “O pourquoi donc”

EDVARD GRIEG (1843-1907)

“Ein Traum” from Sechs Lieder Op. 48 (transcr. S. Babayan)

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)

"Lilacs" Op. 21, No. 5 (transcr. S. Rachmaninoff) "Melody" from. 12 Songs, Op. 21 (transcr. A. Volodos)

FRITZ KREISLER (1875-1962) Liebesleid (transcr. S. Rachmaninoff)

— INTERMISSION — FEDERICO MOMPOU (1893-1987) Canción No. 6 Canción No. 8 Canción No. 7 From "Cançons i Danses"

KOMITAS (1869-1935)

Berceuse (transcr. G. Saradjian)

REYNALDO HAHN (1874-1947) L’heure exquise (transcr. S. Babayan)

HAROLD ARLEN / EDGAR YISPEL HARBURG Over The Rainbow (transcr. K. Jerry)

JESUS GURIDI (1886-1961) La Carrasquilla

PAUL HINDEMITH (1895-1963)

"Einleitung und Lied" from "Klaviermusik, Op. 37, Pt. 2 "Reihe kleiner Stücke"

GEORGES BIZET (1838-1875) Chants du Rhin: I. L'Aurore

STEPHEN REYNOLDS (1947-) “Chanson d’automne” from Two Poems in Homage to Fauré

FRANCIS POULENC (1899-1963) Improvisation No. 15 in C Minor, "Hommage à Edith Piaf"

GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924)

Au bord de l’eau, Op. 8 No. 1 (transcr. S. Babayan)

FRANCIS POULENC (1899-1963) Les chemins de l'amour, valse chantée

CHARLES TRENET (1913-2001) En avril à Paris (transcr. A. Weissenberg)

GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Oh lady, be good! (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 12 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

GALA CONCERT

…where pianists intertwine with musical mastery

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

- INTERMISSION 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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