Salonline 2024-08-18 Chengcheng Yao

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Sunday, August 18 2024

— a “hybrid” event —

Solo Piano

Program Highlights:

Chopin’s Impromptus: Discover the lyrical beauty and emotional depth of Chopin’s complete Impromptus. Composed between 1837 and 1842, these four pieces exemplify Chopin’s genius for spontaneous melody and intricate harmonic exploration. The first Impromptu (Op. 29) is a delightful blend of wistfulness and virtuosity, the second (Op. 36) exhibits a compelling and dramatic character, the third (Op. 51) is celebrated for its brilliant, playful nature, and the fourth (Op. 66), often referred to as the “Fantaisie-Impromptu,” combines rapid passages with reflective sections. Each piece offers a glimpse into Chopin’s unparalleled ability to weave emotion and innovation into his music.
Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze: Experience the vibrant and multifaceted Davidsbündlertänze, composed in 1837. This suite of 18 character pieces reflects the duality of Schumann’s musical persona, represented by his alter egos Florestan and Eusebius. The work captures a wide spectrum of moods, from the whimsical and playful to the deeply introspective. Schumann’s innovative use of musical forms and his exploration of contrasting themes make this suite a profound and dynamic expression of Romanticism.

Here’s a link to Chengcheng’s artistic abstract inspired by Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze

Chengcheng writes: “The artistic abstract is my ‘imaginary world’ when I play this piece. It brings the audience closer to what I feel and ‘see’ in the music.”

BIOGRAPHY

Praised as an “amazing young pianist” by Marin Alsop, Chengcheng Yao is quickly establishing herself as one of today’s most creative artists. Recent highlights include her performances of Bartók Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop and the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra and conductor Timothy Muffitt. She has also performed as a soloist with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra and Hebei Symphony Orchestra. She has given solo and chamber performances at many venues across North America, Asia, and Europe, including Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Steinway Hall in Hamburg, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Beethoven Center and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Chinese Culture Center and Berlin University of the Arts in Berlin, National Center for the Performing Arts and Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, University of Toronto, among others.

Winner of the 2017 Elizabeth Parisot Prize awarded to “outstanding pianists” at the Yale School of Music, Ms. Yao has won prizes in numerous competitions, including First and Special Prize in the 71st Steinway International Piano Competition, First Prize in the Sigma Alpha Iota Competition, First Prize in the Harrison Winter Piano Competition, Silver Medal in the 68th Wideman International Piano Competition, Silver Medal in the 2016 Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition, Second Prize in the Virtuoso & Belcanto Piano Competition, Third Prize in the Weatherford College International Piano Competition, and Third Prize in the WPTA International Piano Competition.

Ms. Yao completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She holds two master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music, where she worked with Jerome Lowenthal, Matti Raekallio, Peter Frankl, and Hung-Kuan Chen. She is one of the last students of legendary pianist Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and is now under the tutelage of Yong Hi Moon while pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Ms. Yao joined the piano faculty of the Washington Conservatory of Music in September 2021.


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