Piano on Park presents:
Jiawei Yan & Edwin Kim - viola and piano duo
Celebrated violist Jiawei Yan and pianist Edwin Kim present a pair of landmark viola sonatas on the centenary of their composition: Paul Hindemith’s post-Romantic, style-bending masterpiece that marked his own switch to playing the viola, and Rebecca Clarke’s sensuous, virtuosic breakout piece, humbly self-described as “my one little whiff of success.” Both sonatas provide more than a whiff of folksong and Debussian harmonic color, as well as a fascinating snapshot of the tumult of 1919 and its different interpretations by composers separated by gender, nationality and ocean.
Doors at 7.00 pm; Music at 7:30 pm
free admission (with donation for musicians appreciated)
PROGRAM:
Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11. No. 4 (1919)
Rebecca Clarke: Sonata for Viola and Piano (1919)
Carl Maria von Weber: Andante e Rondo ungerese in C Minor, for Viola and Orchestra, J. 79 [op. 35] transcribed by William Primrose for Viola and Piano (1809, Ed. 1956)
In high demand as a chamber musician and orchestral player alike, Chinese violist Jiawei Yan performs regularly at New York City’s most prestigious venues and holds an adjunct faculty position at New York University’s Steinhardt School. Her recent performance highlights include principal positions in both the Verbier and Lake George Music Festival Orchestras, as well as chamber appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Steinway Hall, National Sawdust and Manchester Music Festival. Yan’s upcoming appearances include a solo recital on the Piano on Park series and chamber performances with Ensemble Evolve, which she co-founded.
Yan performs frequently with orchestras across Greater New York, including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Symphony in C, and the Montclair and Hartford Symphony Orchestras. Her diverse career makeup has also featured a partnership with the Fordham Classical Music Society, in which she managed, curated and performed on Fordham University’s solo and chamber concert series.
Yan holds degrees and diplomas from the Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, and Bard College and Conservatory. She is currently an Artist Diploma candidate at New York University, and her major teachers include Paul Neubauer, Ira Weller and Michael Tree.
Award-winning pianist Edwin (Sungpil) Kim performs as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist across the US and in his native South Korea. Praised by International Piano Magazine for performances infused with “magic in atmosphere, individuality and poise,” his repertoire encompasses timeless masterpieces of the piano literature along with innovative new compositions.
As a dedicated advocate of contemporary music, Mr. Kim founded Ensemble Evolve, whose mission is to pair the standard repertoire with contemporary works to bridge the stereotypical distance between the two communities. The group will present its first season in 2020 with a program showcasing compositions by a world-renowned composer, Kevin Puts, a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Recently, Edwin Kim won the first prize and the Best Polonaise Prize at the 3rd Australian International Chopin Piano Competition in Canberra, AU. In 2018, National Institute of Frederic Chopin invited him to give recitals at the Chopin’s birthplace, zelazowa wola. His upcoming concerts of 2019 include a chamber concert at Flushing Town Hall in November, followed by a concert tour in South Korea.
As a recitalist, he performs in prestigious halls as well as casual venues that support his mission to make classical music accessible to people everywhere. He has performed as part of Yamaha's Rising Artist Series, at the Sydney Opera House, the Seoul Arts Center, and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. In 2015, he was heard by thousands in the New York metropolitan region performing an all-Chopin recital live on WWFM radio. For further records, please visit http://www.sungpilkim.com/biography.
Since 2015, Mr. Kim has been serving on the faculty alongside the principals and concertmasters of the major orchestras of Europe and North America at the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy in British Columbia, and joined the faculty for the Piano at Peabody (an amateur summer course) in 2016.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
This concert has limited seating available (First Come First Sit!). If you need to be able to sit, please kindly send us a message so we can reserve a chair for you. Also keep in mind that the event is taking place in a "shoe-free zone". Choose your socks wisely!
About Piano on Park:
Piano on Park offers an intimate and refreshing way to experience live music. The house concert series was launched when pianist Cyrus von Hochstetter opened his doors to host regular performances by soloists, chamber ensembles and small bands of all musical styles and colors. The venue enables a direct and unhindered exchange between performers and public, resulting in a unique and impactful musical experience.