Tag Archives: Piano

New classical concert series showcases piano-baed chamber music

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

A new classical concert series curated by a Grand Valley State University piano faculty member will present chamber music in venues both on campus and at locations throughout West Michigan.

The inaugural GV Piano Chamber Series will showcase more than a dozen musicians, including several GVSU faculty members, in a series of free, open-to-the-public concerts. The performances start Sept. 20 at the Haas Center for Performing Arts on GVSU’s Allendale Campus and extend into 2022.

The series will feature the totality of German composer Johannes Brahms’ chamber music work written for piano and other instruments, segmented into six programs, said Sookkyung Cho, the associate professor of piano for GVSU who curated the series. Besides the on-campus location, the off-campus concert venues include locations in Grand Rapids as well as along the lakeshore.

Cho will be joined by musicians playing violin, viola, cello, clarinet and horn. These acclaimed musicians have vast experience performing at venues across the globe; many also are current members of, or have appeared, with symphony orchestras in West Michigan.

BrahmsFest, as the series is called, is an opportunity to present piano-based chamber music on some of the most beautiful pianos in the West Michigan area, Cho said.

“This will give us a rare opportunity to explore one composer’s musical world throughout the year, and Brahms’ chamber works are some of the most beautiful music ever written,” Cho said. “The timing also just seemed perfect to me — chamber music is all about coming together, being in harmony with one another, and conversing with each other.

“Most of all, I would just love for audiences to indulge in and enjoy beautiful music.”

Find out more about the series and schedule by visiting the GV Piano Chamber Series website.

GVSU presents Guest Artist Recital: Yoo Jin Noh, piano on Jan. 31

Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

Yoo Jin Noh

By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University


Yoo Jin Noh made her debut with the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra as a soloist in 2017. She also performed at the United Nation Headquarters in New York City for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2015. Her recent performances include appearances with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Halfner Symphony and a solo recital at Azusa Pacific University.

 

Noh, who was born blind, pursued her interest in music in early childhood and began her piano study at age 14. Despite her late start, she has received many awards from local competitions. In 2005, she received a grand prize at the U.S. String and Piano Concours of Hymn and played at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York City. In 2008, she received the VSA Young Soloist Award and was invited to play at the National Federation of the Blind Convention.

  • What: Yoo Jin Noh, piano
  • When: Jan. 31, at 7:30 pm
  • Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus

GVSU presents Guest Artist Recital: Mika Sasaki, piano on Jan. 19

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University

 

Pianist Mika Sasaki has established herself as a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and emerging educator. Since her concerto debut with the Sinfonia of Cambridge in the United Kingdom at the age of 7, she has appeared twice with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the 92Y Orchestra in New York City. She has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Minato Mirai Hall (Japan) and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Japan). Her solo debut album “Obsidian: Mika Sasaki plays Clara Schumann” was released on Yarlung Records in 2016.

  • What: Mika Sasaki, piano
  • When: Jan. 19, at 7:30 pm
  • Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus

GVSU presents Guest Artist Recital: Yoo Jin Noh, piano on Jan. 31

Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

Yoo Jin Noh

By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University


Yoo Jin Noh made her debut with the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra as a soloist in 2017. She also performed at the United Nation Headquarters in New York City for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2015. Her recent performances include appearances with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Halfner Symphony and a solo recital at Azusa Pacific University.

 

Noh, who was born blind, pursued her interest in music in early childhood and began her piano study at age 14. Despite her late start, she has received many awards from local competitions. In 2005, she received a grand prize at the U.S. String and Piano Concours of Hymn and played at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York City. In 2008, she received the VSA Young Soloist Award and was invited to play at the National Federation of the Blind Convention.

  • What: Yoo Jin Noh, piano
  • When: Jan. 31, at 7:30 pm
  • Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus

GVSU presents Guest Artist Recital: Mika Sasaki, piano on Jan. 19

Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , , , ,

Mika Sasaki

By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University

 

Pianist Mika Sasaki has established herself as a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and emerging educator. Since her concerto debut with the Sinfonia of Cambridge in the United Kingdom at the age of 7, she has appeared twice with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the 92Y Orchestra in New York City. She has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Minato Mirai Hall (Japan) and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Japan). Her solo debut album “Obsidian: Mika Sasaki plays Clara Schumann” was released on Yarlung Records in 2016.

  • What: Guest Artist Recital: Mika Sasaki, piano
  • When: Jan. 19, at 7:30 pm
  • Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus

Top-5 Stories from the month of March

3-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, Local Faces, Our Cities, , , , , , , , , , ,

Mike DeWitt

Mike.dewitt@wktv.org

 

March brought some record numbers to WKTV News because of stories about people who make Wyoming and Kentwood a great community to live in.

 

If you happened to miss some of March’s top stories, make sure to check them out below!

 

Thom Vander Klay - Wyoming BasketballAfter 31 years, Thom Vander Klay and the Wyoming Wolves are still making history

 

Coach Vander Klay has coached basketball in Wyoming for over three decades. The 2016 season marked a new experience with Wyoming’s first four-year class of Wolves.

 

Sami Ahmad18-year-old pianist wows crowd performing Rachmaninoff at Grand Rapids Youth Symphony concert

 

At only 18 years old, Sami Ahmad mastered Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. His mastery of the piece earned him the honor of being the featured soloist at the March concert.

 

Maria ErazoNot just another pretty face

 

First generation immigrant Maria Erazo is a woman of many talents: Entrepreneur, business woman, author, motivational specialist…and the new Face of Siegel Jewelers.

 

The TwitsWyoming Theater Company presents the original ‘despicable me’ Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’

 

Wyoming High School students worked hard to put on a wonderful performance of Roald Dahl’s “The Twits.”

 

quilter - OnPointOnPoint Tutorials, Tips & Tours – the show about all things creative

 

OnPoint Tutorials, Tips & Tours airs on WKTV and focuses on providing viewers with step-by-step tutorials on particular techniques each week. The show airs Monday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.