Sunday October 13, 2019 in Mclean
Four Hands Across the Keyboard:
Four-Hands Piano Music by French Composers
featuring
Dasha Gabay and Hyeweon L. Gessner
Program
Biographies
Pianist Darya Gabay received her BA Degree from M. Mussorgski Music College in St. Petersburg and MM Degree from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia. She studied with the renowned teaches and professors, Galina Fedorova, Tamara Fidler, Sofia Vackman, and Sergei Urivaev. Throughout her concert career she had performed in some of the great halls of Russia. As an accompanist she had performed in many All-Russian and International competitions, where she has been awarded “The Best Accompaniment Diploma” three times (1995, 1997, and 1998), and participated in several recordings for St. Petersburg Radio and Television.
Since immigrating to the United States in December of 1998 Ms. Gabay has become a faculty member of the Levine School of Music and maintains a private studio in Fairfax Station, VA. In addition, Ms. Gabay has been performed extensively throughout Washington D.C. area as a chamber music collaborator and accompanist.
Born in Korea, Dr. Hyeweon L. Gessner began studying piano at the age of six. After winning several major piano competitions in her country, she made her first trip to North America with Sung A Choir and appeared as a piano soloist in twelve cities, including New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. Dr. Gessner received her Doctoral Degree and the Artist Diploma in Piano performance at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), University of Cincinnati, studying with James Tocco, Eugene & Elizabeth Pridonoff.
Dr. Gessner has appeared as a soloist as well as chamber musician at the University of Cincinnati, Kent State University (OH), St. Mary’s College (MD), Lenna Hall (Chautauqua, NY), Smithsonian Museum, Cleveland Museum of Arts, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Lyceum (VA), Atlas Theater, German Embassy and French Embassy in Washington, DC, Sejong Cultural Center (Korea) and Kammermusik Hall (Luebeck, Germany). She also served as the Assistant to the Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music at CCM and a collaborating artist for the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia Summer Music Festival.
Dr. Gessner’s teaching posts include the University of Cincinnati (Preparatory Department), Georgetown University and Levine School of Music. In 2007, she was nominated by the Governor’s School at the University of Richmond as an Outstanding Teacher.