Evenings of Piano Concerti
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 8:00 PM
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
New York, NY
Sarah Chan, piano
Hae Joo Hahn, harp
Kang Eun Seo, piano
Paul Mauffray, conductor
NYCA Symphony Orchestra
Tickets: $50, $30, $20 Student / Senior
PROGRAM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
Sarah Chan, piano
Vivaldi: Concertino for Harp and Strings
Hae Joo Hahn, harp
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, "Emperor", Op. 73
Kang Eun Seo, piano
Paul Mauffray, Conductor
NYCA Symphony Orchestra
About the Artists
Paul Mauffray
Prague and Vienna based American conductor, Paul Mauffray, makes his New York conducting debut with NYCA in this performance. In 2018 he conducted the Louisiana Philharmonic in the New Orleans Opera premiere of George Whitefield Chadwick's opera “Tabasco” which had not been heard in over 120 years and which Mr. Mauffray reconstructed from the 1894 autograph manuscript.
Working as assistant conductor on Czech operas with Sir Charles Mackerras, Jiří Bělohlávek, John Eliot Gardiner, and Kirill Petrenko, he recently conducted Janáček ’s “Makropulos Case” and Dvořák’s “Rusalka” at the invitation of Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky Theatre.
In 2016 he conducted a studio recording of the American opera “The Scarlet Letter” by Fredric Kroll with the Brno Philharmonic where he previously conducted Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” (taken over on 24 hours notice) and Mozart’s Requiem.
He has conducted at the Bucharest National Opera, Slovak National Opera, Schleswig-Holstein Landestheater, Opéra Louisiane, and Mobile Opera. Mauffray won 2nd Prize in the Bartok International Opera Conducting Competition, 2nd Place in The American Prize for Professional Conductors, and has over 20 years conducting experience with European orchestras and operas in Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Lyon, Salzburg, St. Petersburg, and Vienna.
After studies in Germany and the Czech Republic, he earned his master's degree in conducting at Indiana University. He is a frequent conductor with Czech orchestras, at Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, and has often performed as conductor featuring soloists from the Vienna Philharmonic.
Paul Mauffray is an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Sarah Chan
International concert pianist Sarah Chan has garnered numerous awards, including The American Prize in Piano Performance, “Rising Artist” selection by New York Concert Artists and Associates, the PianoTexas International Festival competition professional prize. She has performed throughout America, Europe, and Asia, with distinguished artist recitals at Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Berlin Philharmonie Hall Kammermusiksaal, La Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, St. James’s Piccadilly, Künstlerhaus Concert Hall-Munich, Beifang University Performing Arts Center, Ningxia Normal University Concert Hall, Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. As soloist with orchestra, Chan has performed with the National "Mihail Jora" Philharmonic Orchestra of Romania, Romanian State Symphony Orchestra, New York Concert Artists Symphony Orchestra, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, and Enid Symphony Orchestra.
A native of Hong Kong, Sarah Chan received her education in the U.S. and in France. She trained musically at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (D.M.A.), Le Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University (M.M), Manhattan School of Music (B.M.), and the University of Michigan. Concurrent with her musical training, she pursued French and French literature studies at La Sorbonne, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan. Presently, Dr. Chan serves as Assistant Professor of Music (Keyboard Studies and Music Theory) and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at California State University. Since 2015, she has also held the appointment of Visiting Professor of Music at Ningxia Normal University.
As adjudicator, Dr. Chan judges for The American Prize, United States Open Music, France Walton Music, Crescendo International Music, Classical Masters Music Festival, Zeiter Piano, and Ghiglieri Piano competitions, along with numerous events of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT, the state affiliate of the Music Teachers National Association), and the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC). She regularly serves as International Artist-Teacher-in-Residence at Beifang University for Nationalities and Ningxia Normal University in China, and has conducted masterclasses at Charleston Southern University, University of Central Missouri, Oklahoma City University, Erskine College, and Florida Atlantic University. Passionate about interdisciplinary scholarship and musical outreach, Dr. Chan presented her most recent lecture, “China’s One Belt, One Road in the Musical Arts and Higher Education:Advancing the Silk Road through New Business Partnerships with U.S. Universities and Conservatories of Music, 2015-2018”, at the 2018 MBAA International Business Society Conference (Chicago).Within her state of residency, Sarah Chan serves on the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Executive Board as Member-at-Large (Northern California), and as District V Director and chair of the CAPMT State Concerto Competition-North Regional Division.
Hae Joo Hahn
Hahn Hae-joo is a performer who is favorably reviewed not only in Korea but also in Europe for her deep sentiment and superb technique demonstrated at every performance. While enrolled to Seoul National University, she began by performing at the Japanese Embassy and continued her performance activities at embassies in parts of the world including Germany, Italy, Canada, Brazil, and Norway and at Music Journal’s Spring Concert. She moved to Germany in 2001, where she entered Meisterklasse at Die Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and studied under the guidance of Prof. Helga Stock. While on the program, she received favorable reviews for some twenty performances she presented through such occasions throughout Europe as solo performance and interview with a television Channel in Bordeaux, France, her completion of the International Academy at the Moulin d'Andé, and performance at the British. And through her performance with Seoul Royal Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Polish Baltic F. Chopin Philharmonic in Gdańsk, the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Kiev Symphony Orchestra in Ukraine, Filarmonica Moldova Iaṣi in Romania, Poloiesti Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania, Hahn Hae-joo presented her excellent musical interpretation and deep sentiment.
Ms. Hahn received a lot of praise from local critics by accompanied perfomance at 'the Evenings of the Piano Concert' held at the Merkin Hall that is inside of Kaufnac Center in New York on May,2014.Ms. Hahn is currently teaching at Baekseok University Conservatory of Music.
Kang Eun Seo
Since her debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at age ten, pianist Kang Eun Seo has earned a reputation for her passionate performance with nuanced sensitivity and interpretive maturity.
Her concerto engagements include appearances with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as solo and chamber performances at the Aspen Music Festival, Sanremo Music Festival, and Festival MusicAlp. Her performances have also been broadcasted on Arte, a public broadcasting TV network, which specializes in arts and culture.
Ms. Seo has studied with John Perry, Pavlina Dokovska, Matti Raekallio, YoungLan Han and DaeJin Kim. She has been a prizewinner of the White Night Piano Competition of St. Petersburg, Marian Garcia International Piano Competition, Eurasia Music Festival Competition, and Stephan Möller Competition among others.
Ms. Seo, who also holds a strong interest in piano pedagogy, has earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Yonsei University and her Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School. Following a year at Mannes School of Music on a full scholarship, she is currently working on her Doctorate of Musical Arts at Rutgers University. Ms. Seo resides in New York City.