Sunday, May 24th, 2025, 2:00 pm
Piano on Park Live presents:
Folk to Salon
RSVP with $20 Suggested Donation
Ji in Yang - violin
Audrey Abela - piano
This colorful program brings together a diverse range of works for violin and piano, featuring elements from dance, song, salon, and folk idioms and celebrating the musical traditions of Spain, Romania, France, and America.
Program:
Béla Bartók - Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 (1915)
Manuel de Falla - Suite Populaire Espagnole (1926)
Gabriel Fauré - Berceuse (1879)
Carl Engel/Efrem Zimbalist - Seashell (1919)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Much Ado About Nothing Op. 11 (1919)
Claude Debussy - La Plus Que Lente (1910)
Franz von Vecsey - Valse Triste (1913)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Deep River, Op. 59 No. 10 (1905)
George Gershwin/Jasch Heifetz - 3 Preludes for violin and piano (1942)
About Ji in Yang
South Korean virtuoso Ji in Yang embarked on her musical journey at the age of six, guided by a profound passion for the artform. Since then, she has shared her music with audiences around the world, striving to connect deeply with each listener through her performances. As a guest soloist, Dr. Yang has collaborated with renowned ensembles spanning the UnitedStates and Korea, including distinguished orchestras such as the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Folsom Lake Symphony Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others. Recognized for her expressive and nuanced playing, the United Kingdom’s Musical Opinion described her solo appearance at Cadogan Hall as ‘brilliantly played.’
Dr. Yang has been a sought-after collaborator, having worked closely with leading musicians and organizations worldwide, including Joseph Kalichstein, Cho-Liang Jimmy Lin, Elmar Oliveira, and as a member of New Asia Chamber Music Society. Dr. Yang has been a member of the esteemed conductorless ensemble, Sejong Soloists, where she frequently takes center stage as a soloist. Notably, her artistry shines on the ensemble’s album ‘Passion,’ released under the Universal Music label, where she delivers captivating renditions of Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires “Summer” and Ponce’s Estrellita arranged by Heifetz. Her interpretation of ‘Summer’ from Astor Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires has garnered over 58,000 views on YouTube, resonating deeply with audiences worldwide. Dr. Yang's performances have also been heard on radio and television shows such as NPR’s ‘From the Top,’ Japan’s NHK, America’s Capital Public Radio on ‘Insight,’ and guest appearances on Korea’s KBS television shows ‘Art Theatre’ and 'Classic Odyssey.’ She has performed as a guest artist at the United Nations during their Earth Day celebrations.
Dr. Yang’s educational background includes a Pre-College, Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Hyo Kang and Dorothy DeLay. Furthering her education, she has earned an Artist Diploma on a full scholarship from Yale University under Hyo Kang and earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts on a full scholarship at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York with Daniel Phillips. Dr. Yang has been greatly influenced through masterclasses led by legendary artists such as Ruggiero Ricci, Itzhak Perlman, Rodney Friend, Dong-Suk Kang, Rolf Schulte, and Igor Ozim, further enriching her musical prowess.
Dr. Yang plays on a Petrus Guarnerius violin, crafted in Venice in 1723.
About Audrey Abela
Praised for her sensitive and individual interpretations, French pianist Audrey Abela has performed extensively in the United States, South America and Europe in major venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Steinway Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Salle Pleyel and the Royal Dublin Society. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from CUNY Graduate Center. In 2019, she completed her dissertation, a study on French pianism at the Paris Conservatory during the Interwar Period. Subsequently, she recorded her debut album, En Suite, an homage to French piano music, which was described as “a disc to treasure;” she has over 100K listeners on Spotify. Mrs. Abela is passionate about teaching and transmitting her love of music to the youth; she is the director and founder of Opus One Music, a thriving music school based in New York City. Mrs. Abela is the mother of two young children.