BELLEVUE SYMPHONY
FALL CONCERT
DIGITAL
PROGRAM

SUNDAY, OCT. 6, 2024
3 pm
Meybenbauer Theater
Bellevue WA

  • BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture, Op.84
  • SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No.2, Op.22 with Guest Star: Kevin Ahfat, piano 

    - INTERMISSION (15 minutes) -

  • RAVEL: Tzigane, M.76 with Rising Star Hana Gottesman, violin
  • SHOSTAKOVICH: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
  • PRESHOW CONCERT at 2 pm!
    Performed by 6 Gold Medalists from the 2nd International German Music Piano Competition
  • BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture, Op. 84
    Egmont, Op. 84 by Ludwig van Beethoven, is a set of incidental music pieces for the 1787 play of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It consists of an overture followed by a sequence of nine pieces for soprano, male narrator, and full symphony orchestra. Beethoven wrote it between October 1809 and June 1810, and it was premiered on June 1810. The subject of the music and dramatic narrative is the life and heroism of 16th-century nobleman Lamoral, Count of Egmont from the Low Countries. It was composed during the Napoleonic Wars when the First French Empire had extended its domination over vast swathes of Europe. Beethoven had famously expressed his great outrage over Napoleon Bonaparte's decision to crown himself Emperor in 1804, furiously scratching out his name in the dedication of the Eroica Symphony. In the music for Egmont, Beethoven expressed his own political concerns through the exaltation of the heroic sacrifice of a man condemned to death for having taken a valiant stand against oppression. The Overture became an unofficial anthem of the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Beethoven composed Klärchen's songs "Die Trommel gerühret" ("The drum is a-stirring") and "Freudvoll und leidvoll" ("Joyful and woeful") with Austrian actress Antonie Adamberger specifically in mind, and she often spoke enthusiastically of her collaboration with him. The music was praised by E.T.A. Hoffmann for its poetry, et sa réussite à s'associer à la pièce (and its success in associating with the play) and Goethe himself declared that Beethoven had expressed his intentions with "a remarkable genius." The overture is powerful and expressive, one of the last works of Beethoven's middle period. It has become as famous a composition as the Coriolan Overture and is in a style similar to the Fifth Symphony, which he had completed two years earlier.

  • SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No.2, Op.22
    The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns was composed in 1868 and is probably Saint-Saëns' most popular piano concerto. It was dedicated to Madame A. de Villers (née de Haber). At the première on May the composer was the soloist and Anton Rubinstein conducted the orchestra. Saint-Saëns wrote the concerto in three weeks and had very little time to prepare for the première; consequently, the piece was not initially successful. The capricious changes in style provoked Zygmunt Stojowski to quip that it "begins with Bach and ends with Offenbach." The piece follows the traditional form of three movements but allows for more freedom in tempo markings. Normally, the first movement is fast-paced, while the second is slower, but the first movement here is slow and the second movement has a scherzo-like quality, resulting in a form resembling a typical four-movement symphony but lacking the first movement (a form also represented by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata). The concerto begins with a piano solo playing a long improvisational introduction in the style of a Bach fantasia. After the orchestra enters, the restless and melancholy first theme is played, again by the piano solo. Saint-Saëns drew the theme from his student Gabriel Fauré's abandoned Tantum ergo motet. A brief second theme appears, followed by a middle section of increasing degrees of animato. The main theme is recapitulated fortissimo and the soloist is given a long ad libitum cadenza. The Bach-like opening motif returns in the coda. The second movement is in E-flat major and, instead of being a typical adagio, resembles a scherzo. The mercurial piano part is marked leggieramente, and the two main themes are clever and light-hearted. The energetic, delicate personality of this particular movement is characteristic of Saint-Saëns' musical wit, most famously observable in Le Carnaval des Animaux. The concerto concludes by returning to G minor. Like the preceding movement, it moves quickly; this time the form is an extremely fast, fiery saltarella, in sonata form, featuring a strong triplet figure. At presto speed, the orchestra and soloist rush tumultuously along, gaining volume and momentum and finishing in a whirlwind of G minor arpeggios. The concerto is scored for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, crash cymbals and strings. A performance lasts around 23 minutes. The concerto, particularly the second movement, heavily influenced fellow French composer Gabriel Pierné's Piano Concerto in C minor of 1887. The composer was also very fond of Chopin's Scherzo n. 4, which may have influenced this movement. Georges Bizet wrote a transcription of the concerto for solo piano. The concerto is featured in the 2020 film "Nocturne".
  • RAVEL: Tzigane, M.76
    Tzigane is a rhapsodic composition by the French composer Maurice Ravel. The original instrumentation was for violin and piano (with optional luthéal attachment). The first performance took place in London on April 1924 with the dedicatee, Hungarian violinist Jelly d'Arányi, on the violin and Henri Gil-Marchex at the piano (with luthéal). In his biographical sketch of 1928, Ravel spoke of it as "a virtuoso piece in the style of a Hungarian rhapsody". It consists of "a string of successive variations juxtaposed without development". In the early 1920s, Ravel had been planning a piece for violin and piano for his closest female friend, Hélène Jourdan-Morhange. Around the same time Ravel got to know d'Arányi when she played his Sonata for Violin and Cello with Hans Kindler in London, and afterwards regaled the composer with a selection of folk-tunes from her country. In the ensuing two years Ravel put aside the sonata he had intended for Jourdan-Morhange, who by then had retired from playing due to a chronic illness, and wrote the Tzigane. The luthéal was a new piano attachment (first patented in 1919) with several tone-colour registrations which could be engaged by pulling stops above the keyboard. One of these registrations had a cimbalom-like sound, which fitted well with the gypsy tone of the composition. The original score of Tzigane included instructions for these register-changes during execution. The luthéal, however, did not achieve permanence. By the end of the 20th century the first print of the accompaniment with luthéal was still available at the publishers, but by that time the attachment had long since disappeared from use. Ravel soon orchestrated the piano part, and the version for violin and orchestra was first performed in Amsterdam on 19 October 1924, with Pierre Monteux conducting the Concertgebouw and Samuel Dushkin as soloist. On November 1924 the Paris premiere featured Jelly d'Arányi with the Concerts Colonne under the direction of Gabriel Pierné. The name of the piece is derived from the generic European term for "gypsy" (in French: gitan, tsigane or tzigane rather than the Hungarian cigány) although it does not use any authentic Gypsy melodies. The composition is in one movement, with an approximate duration of ten minutes, scored for strings and harp, double woodwind, two horns in F, one trumpet in C, celeste, triangle, timbre, and cymbal. The opening is marked 'Lento, quasi cadenza' and is for solo violin, playing on the G string for the first 28 bars; Jankélévitch describes the preamble (Lassan) as "superior exercises – runs, staccato notes, trills and mordents". Then follow a succession of "gipsy improvisations – the Friska, then the Czardas", at the end of which "the rhapsody becomes impatient and runs feverishly through all kinds of successive tonalities without retaining any of them".
  • SHOSTAKOVICH: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
    The Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, by Dmitri Shostakovich is a work for orchestra composed between April and July 1937. Its first performance was on November 21, 1937, in Leningrad by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky. The premiere was a "triumphal success"[1] that appealed to both the public and official critics, receiving an ovation that lasted well over half an hour. The work is scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets and E♭ clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, three B♭ trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, glockenspiel, xylophone, two harps (one part), piano, celesta and strings. The first movement, in D minor, is in sonata form. The exposition opens with a "strenuous" string figure in canon of rising and falling minor sixths that quickly narrow to minor thirds. The opening's dotted rhythm persists as a lyrical first theme is played by the first violins. This theme presents itself as a descending five-tone motif in bars 6-7, but Shostakovich had already used it in the second movement of his fourth symphony (bars 318-321), which was recognized there as a quotation from Gustav Mahler's song "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt", from Des Knaben Wunderhorn; specifically, the line "He goes to the rivers and preaches to the fishes". In its original appearance, this Mahler quotation is juxtaposed with musical notation in the shape of a nose (on page 122 of the Sikorski score), the notes in the "nose" being a quotation from "The Internationale", which was also previously hidden in bars 25-30 of the first movement of the 4th symphony, with the effect of depicting the futility of the socialist "sermon". For the appearance of this quotation in the fifth symphony, the five-tone Mahler motif occurs in a total of 15 variants in the first and third movements, and bears witness to the Shostakovich's secret triumph in being able to describe the party doctrine that had silenced his earlier work as a completely useless sermon. This provocative insight is therefore part of Shostakovich's "creative response of a Soviet artist to justified criticism". However, since the fourth symphony had been withdrawn before the premiere in 1936 and could only be presented to the public 25 years later, the extramusical context was lost when the 5th symphony was premiered in Leningrad. Only later has this connection between the fourth and fifth symphonies, which undermines the demands of "socialist realism", been uncovered.

    In the first movement, the first theme is repeated several times in combination with the opening motif, and greatly varied with new demarcations and penetrations. There is a great deal of variation and linking of all elements, giving the impression of a single continuous process. The secondary theme (mm. 50-120) in E♭ minor offers the greatest possible contrast to the main theme. The tempo is more fluid, and the sustained tones of the secondary theme are linked by wide intervals: octaves, fourths, sevenths instead of the dominant seconds found in the first theme. Simplicity prevails over complexity, as the far-reaching lyrical melody is accompanied by chords in a continuous, slightly lively rhythm. An accompanying figure takes the lead at the beginning of the powerful development. Only now does the tempo of this movement reach Allegro. Themes from the exposition appear in augmentation and diminution in contrapuntal conflicts with themselves. The thematic material is transformed into a grotesquely distorted quick march in a wide development with military drums and trumpets. After several false starts, from m. 157 the second theme intervenes in the action. In the recapitulation, which is heavily reduced compared to the exposition, themes heard earlier on are brought back again either identically or somewhat varied. Near the end of the movement, the second subject is heard again in the form of a canon played by flute and horn, then the same material is played by the violin and piccolo. The movement ends with the celesta playing a rising figure, and slowly fading away. In general, the inner drama of the first movement can be described as an interplay between lamentation and mourning, contrasting with a "departure for battle" which reaches its climax with the entry of the recapitulation. In the end, the outcome of this conflict proves to be ambiguous, and the looming threats have not yet been resolved.

    The second movement is in a ternary scherzo form, or minuet and trio form, in A minor, but it more closely resembles a ländler than either a minuet or a scherzo. The first section and its reprise consist of a rather loose and varied sequence of ländler melodies. The movement opens with a heavy, loud introduction in the cellos and basses, followed by a softer solo on the E♭ clarinet and the french horn, later oboes, and finally strings. At the end of this development, the ländler becomes grotesque and bloated. The trio has a peculiar harmony. Degrees I and VII alternate in the basic position, so that parallel fifths constantly arise.  In the recapitulation, some of the material heard earlier is repeated piano and staccato, not loudly and sustained as at the start. The movement closes in A minor with four canonically enriched fortissimo bars. Overall, the scherzo lacks innocence and humor; closer listening assures that the peace is not to be trusted, considering the numerous unusual modulations and occasional discords.

    Shostakovich begins the third movement with F♯ minor violins in three sections, rather than the more usual two. The opening theme is played by the third violins. Second and first violins are slowly added and continue the melody. After the assertive trumpets of the first movement and the raucous horns of the second, this movement uses no brass at all, so there is a limited palette of sounds. This section yields to a pair of flutes in widely-separated counterpoint, the second of which makes reference to the first subject of the first movement. The solo is then passed on to the oboe with string accompaniment. The third movement ends like the first, with a celesta solo that slowly fades away. The strings are divided throughout the entire movement (3 groups of violins, violas in 2, cellos in 2; basses in 2). This movement is a culmination of resignation, mourning and lamentation, which in the center of the movement increases to a passionate accusation with clarinet, xylophone and piano. Otherwise the movement is more chamber music-like and carried by the string orchestra. The tonality is floating and often not definable, free-floating and independent linearity of the individual voices prevails.

    Fourth movement: Allegro non troppo: The D minor finale, also in sonata form, differs greatly from its predecessors, mostly with regard to melodic structure and motives. Various themes from earlier in the work are expanded until we get to a new theme played on the trumpet. This new theme is passed on to the strings and eventually the piece becomes quieter. The development section is much quieter and more tranquil, and is ultimately replaced by a march, where the melodies from earlier are played like a funeral dirge, accompanied by timpani. The music builds as the new accompaniment passes from timpani to woodwinds and then to strings, finally reaching a point where the piece changes from a minor key into a major key.

    The Symphony quotes Shostakovich's song Vozrozhdenije (Op. 46 No. 1, composed in 1936–37), most notably in the last movement; the song is a setting of a poem by Alexander Pushkin (find text and a translation here) that deals with the matter of rebirth. This song is by some considered to be a vital clue to the interpretation and understanding of the whole symphony. In addition, commentators have noted that Shostakovich incorporated a motif from the "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen into the first movement, a reference to Shostakovich's earlier infatuation with Elena Konstantinovskaya, who refused his offer of marriage; she subsequently moved to Spain and married the photographer and film director Roman Karmen. With the Fifth Symphony, Shostakovich gained an unprecedented triumph, with the music appealing equally—and remarkably—to both the public and official critics, though the overwhelming public response to the work initially aroused suspicions among certain officials. The then-head of the Leningrad Philharmonic, Mikhail Chulaki, recalls that certain authorities bristled at Mravinsky's gesture of lifting the score above his head to the cheering audience, and a subsequent performance was attended by two plainly hostile officials, V. N. Surin and Boris M. Yarustovsky, who tried to claim in the face of the vociferous ovation given the symphony that the audience was made up of "hand-picked" Shostakovich supporters.[12] Yet the authorities in due course claimed that they found everything they had demanded of Shostakovich restored in the symphony. Meanwhile, the public heard it as an expression of the suffering to which it had been subjected by Stalin. The same work was essentially received two different ways. Alexei Tolstoy's review set the official tone toward the Fifth Symphony. An article by the composer appeared in the newspaper Vechernyaya Moskva on January 25, 1938, a few days before the Moscow premiere of the Fifth Symphony. Among the reviews, which often analyzed the work in thorough detail, one that particularly delighted me stated that the Fifth Symphony was a Soviet artist's no-nonsense response to fair criticism. The official tone toward the Fifth Symphony was further set by a review by Alexei Tolstoy, who likened the symphony to the literary model of the Soviet Bildungsroman describing "the formation of a personality"—in other words, of a Soviet personality. In the first movement, the composer-hero suffers a psychological crisis giving rise to a burst of energy. The second movement provides respite. In the third movement, the personality begins to form: "Here the personality submerges itself in the great epoch that surrounds it, and begins to resonate with the epoch." With the finale, Tolstoy wrote, came victory, "an enormous optimistic lift". As for the ecstatic reaction of the audience to the work, Tolstoy claimed it showed Shostakovich's perestroyka to be sincere. "Our audience is organically incapable of accepting decadent, gloomy, pessimistic art. Our audience responds enthusiastically to all that is bright, clear, joyous, optimistic, life-affirming."

    During the first performance of the symphony, people were reported to have wept during the Largo movement. The music, steeped in an atmosphere of mourning, contained echoes of the panikhida, the Russian Orthodox requiem. It also recalled a genre of Russian symphonic works written in memory of the dead, including pieces by Glazunov, Steinberg, Rimsky-Korsakov and Stravinsky. After the symphony had been performed in Moscow, Heinrich Neuhaus called the work "deep, meaningful, gripping music, classical in the integrity of its conception, perfect in form and the mastery of orchestral writing—music striking for its novelty and originality, but at the same time somehow hauntingly familiar, so truly and sincerely does it recount human feelings". Shostakovich returned to the traditional four-movement form and a normal-sized orchestra. More tellingly, he organized each movement along clear lines, having concluded that a symphony cannot be a viable work without firm architecture. The harmonic idiom in the Fifth is less astringent, more tonal than previously, and the thematic material is more accessible. It has been said that, in the Fifth Symphony, the best qualities of Shostakovich's music, such as meditation, humor and grandeur, blend in perfect balance and self-fulfillment. The rejoicing is forced, created under threat, as in Boris Godunov. It's as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying, "Your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing", and you rise, shaky, and go marching off, muttering, "Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing."

    The Fifth is one of Shostakovich's most played symphonies.
KEVIN AHFAT
SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No.2, Op.22

“Ahfat is poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm, with a bold, boundary-pushing, millennial style matched by refined execution.”
–Vanguard Seattle

An artist that “leaves no question about his riveting presentation and technical finesse” (Seattle Times), Canadian pianist KEVIN AHFAT is acclaimed to be “poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm, with a bold, boundary-pushing, millennial style matched by refined execution” (Vanguard Seattle). Possessing “a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity” (Musical America), he “summons plenty of thunderpower in the big moments, but clearly values musicianship over mere showmanship” (American Record Guide).

Ahfat continues performances and recordings as the newest core member of the three-time Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, one of Canada’s preeminent chamber ensembles and foremost cultural forces. Their latest releases on Chandos Records have been nominated for a 2022 Juno Award, 2022 OPUS Klassik Award, as well as being named one of the “Top 10 classical musical albums of 2020” by The Boston Globe and one of WQXR’s “Best Classical Albums of 2020”.

Kevin was named one of CBC Music’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30 in 2018 and subsequently released a live recording of Brahms from CBC’s Studio 211. Highlights of recent seasons include engagements as soloist throughout North America and abroad, including at Koerner Hall in Toronto, Maison symphonique in Montreal, Meridian Arts Centre and Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Merkin Hall in New York, and with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles. Further highlights include a performance of Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Postludium with the Esprit Orchestra, a return to the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall for its first-ever Shostakovich Concerto Festival, as well as a partnership with Richard Alston & Juilliard Dance in their recreation of Alston’s Sheer Bravado (2006) in New York.

Ahfat has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned artists across many genres, including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Stefan Jackiw, SO Percussion, David Finckel, Sonia Rodriguez, and Jera Wolfe. Festival appearances include the Bowdoin, Music@Menlo, Rockport, Fall for Dance North, Zhuhai, and Kyoto International Music Festivals. He has been broadcast locally and abroad several times on CBC Music’s In Concert program and WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Series, and contributed his playing to Yamaha Canada’s recent Dear Glenn AI Project.

In early 2018, he was thrilled to give the North American Premiere of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Third Sonata for Cello and Piano (1919), recently published by Bärenreiter-Verlag, with a longtime artistic collaborator, cellist Juliette Herlin. Last season, they gave the Sonata its Midwest Premiere on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago; the Canadian Premiere in Toronto later that year. In anticipation of this premiere, Kevin filmed & produced a mini-documentary titled Soirée pour Camille, a short film documenting the historical context of the work, the artistic partnership of Kevin & Juliette, and their joint exploration of French music.

Continuing his dynamic exploration of music in-tandem with film, he recently partnered with Riddle Films to release a cinematic performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition filmed live at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. A cinematic dance film by Toronto-based film director Vikram Dasgupta is slated for release in 2024 in partnership with Fall For Dance North.

Kevin recently worked with Juilliard Global Ventures as part of the Juilliard Open Classroom team where he helped to develop new digital learning environments to reach musicians across the globe. In this capacity, he offered his skills as a teacher, curriculum writer, and course builder to a number of online courses, including Juilliard Open Classroom’s first release: Sharpen Your Piano Artistry. He was a curriculum writer for Piano Preludes: Bach, Chopin, and Debussy, offered through the online education platform edX. Keen on developing the artistry of young musicians, he has presented masterclasses at Moravian College, Olympic College, the College of Southern Idaho, and the University of Las Vegas.

A two-time winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, Kevin completed principal studies at the Juilliard School in New York under the tutelage of Joseph Kalichstein and Stephen Hough, and was in-residence as a Rebanks Fellow at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. He is a grateful recipient of a Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award and was a NFMC Artist Award recipient.

Kevin is Artistic Director of OPUS Chamber Music, Toronto’s newest premier hub for chamber music connecting audiences with dynamic and compelling artists who aim to excite, connect, and inspire.

Rising Star: Hana Gottesman
RAVEL: Tzigane, M.76

Hana Gottesman has performed on both coasts of the United States, including concerts in San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, as well as at Town Hall and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Hana was winner of the 2024 Coeur d'Alene Symphony National Young Artist Competition, the 2023 Eastside Symphony Young Soloist Concerto Competition, was a finalist at the Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy and is a three- time First Prize winner at the Simon-Fiset/SMTA Competition where she was also awarded the Jean Kantner Memorial Trophy for Best Performance of a Baroque Composition and the Kent Coleman Memorial Trophy. Hana was also a winner of the 2023 Seattle Young Artist Music Festival Concerto Competition, and then in 2024 was awarded the Festival Medal. Hana has recently performed as soloist with Philharmonia Northwest, the Eastside Symphony, the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, and the Coeur d'Alene Symphony Orchestra. She appeared on the Ross Arts Chamber Music series and performed as soloist with the Sonoma Strings in California. Hana has studied violin with Jan Coleman, continues her studies with Simon James, and has played in masterclasses of Ani Kavafian, Alexander Markov, Keng-Yuen Tseng, Grigory Kalinovsky, William van der Sloot, Amy Schwartz-Moretti, and Soovin Kim. Born and raised in Washington, Hana enjoys reading, swimming, and is enthusiastic about her academic activities, especially language studies which include Spanish and Japanese. Hana has also been a medal winner and is certified in the field of abacus mathematics.

Hana Gottesman is generously underwritten by Bellevue Symphony board member, Jeffrey Elwell.

Close

2 pm Pre-Show Concert

FEATURING 6 GOLD MEDALISTS FROM THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL GERMAN MUSIC PIANO COMPETITION
Flowers and medals generously donated and presented by Dr. Yelena Balabanova, Competition Director.

Yuxin Sun and Yiling Sun:
Bach: Air and Badinerie from Orchestral Suites

Yuxin Sun, 8, is a third-grade student at Christa McAuliffe Elementary school in Sammamish. She has been a student of Dr. Yelena Balabanova at the International Conservatory Studio since 6 years old. Yuxin has been recognized at many events, including Gold medals at Sonafest Bellevue, SCMTA Sonatina Sonata Festival, EMTA Jazz, Rag and Blues Festival, and Silver medals at German Music International, French Music International. Most Recently, Yuxin played at the EMTA Gala Concert for the Time Era Festival Baroque Era Gold and Best of Festival Award. Yuxin participated in the Stanford Wright Chamber Music Competition with her elder brother Yiling and won Double Gold in both Classical and non-Classical divisions. In her free time, Yuxin likes to read, play gymnastics and solve puzzles. 

Yiling Sun, 12, is a seventh-grade student at Basis Independent School in Bellevue. He has been a student of Dr. Yelena Balabanova at the International Conservatory Studio since 9 years old. Yiling has been recognized at many events, including Willard Schultz Award for First Place at SMTA Simon-Fiset Piano Competition, Gold medals at German Music International, French Music International, Sonafest Bellevue and SCMTA Sonatina Sonata Festival, and the Bronze Prize in Concerto division at Singapore International Competition. Last year, Yiling was named one of the winners in the SCMTA Concerto Competition, and played with Mukiteo Orchestra at the Winter Concert. Yiling currently serves as the Public Relations at the International Beethoven Society of Young Musicians. He participated in the Stanford Wright Chamber Music Competition with his younger sister Yuxin and won Double Gold in both Classical and non-Classical divisions. In his free time, Yiling likes to read and play Flute and Rubik cube. 

Harper Li:
Haydn: Sonata No. 19 in E Minor, Hob. XVI:47 II

Harper Li, a 9-year-old pianist from Redmond, Washington, began her musical journey four years ago under the guidance of Ekaterina Melkamini. She finds joy in her practice sessions, dedicating herself to mastering technical exercises while exploring the emotional depth of music. Harper has achieved distinction as a gold medalist in numerous local piano competitions including the Pacific NW Competition, SIPF Virtuoso Festival, SIPF Bach Festival, Sonafest Competition, and the Russian Competition (adjudicator's top honor). Internationally, she has won first prize in competitions such as the Charleston International Music Competition, Virtuoso International Music Awards, Stockholm International Music Competition, and the "Vienna" Grand Prize Virtuoso. She was also selected to perform at the Gläserner Saal, Musikverein, in Vienna. Outside of music, Harper is dedicated to giving back to her community by performing at senior living facilities throughout the year. In addition to her musical pursuits, she enjoys reading, drawing, practicing gymnastics, and exploring the wonders of travel. 

Alexander Wang:
Mozart: Sonata in F Major K. 332 1st movement

Alexander Wang is a 11-year-old 6th grader who just started his middle school life in Tyee Middle School. Alexander started playing piano since he was 6 years old and has been enjoying playing piano. With the mentorship of Mrs. Tatiana Lanford, Alexander has made a lot of achievements in many piano competition and festivals, including three gold medals with most memorable award in Pacific NW Piano Competition, four gold medals in SIPF Bach Festival, three gold medals in Russian Chamber Music Competition, a gold medal in Chopin NW Festival, a gold medal in PAFE Festival, three gold medals in  SIPF classical Festival, three gold medals in Sonafest and many other medals from variuos festival. He also received a Gold cup from the Washington Federation of Music Clubs for three consecutive years of achieving a Superior score in their piano solo events and a Gold Cup from Concerto. Besides music, he likes soccer and currently plays for Little Warriors at WPL Super League. Alex likes swimming as well and he competed as a member in PNS Zone team during summer. He also excels at Math and competed in many math competitions at different levels.

Jeffrey Zhao:
Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, 1st/2nd movs

Jeffrey Zhao has studied piano with Maria Maltseva for the past 10 years. At the age of 16, Jeffrey is already a determined musician, with an extensive repertoire that includes eight piano concertos. Jeffrey’s most recent achievements include multiple disinguished gold medals and most memorable awards in 2024; second prize at Enkor 2023 and 2024; a concerto performance with the Cascade Symphony Orchestra in October 2022; gold medals at the Virtuoso, Sonafest and SIPF Classical Viennese Festivals 2023/24; first place in solo and concerto classes at PAFE 2023; being selected as a 2021 state recitalist for the Eastside Chapter of WSMTA; and being selected as a finalist for both the 2023 and 2024 Chicago International Piano Competitions. Jeffrey has attended masterclasses with many gifted pianists such as Victoria Bogdashevskaya, Illana Vered, Jacques Despres, Paul Barnes, Alexey Trushechkin, Steven Spooner, and Josh Wright. Jeffrey is also an avid skier and a regular winner at various math competitions.  

Minjae Kim:
Mozart: Sonata in C Major, K. 330, 1st mov

Minjae Kim is a 17 year old senior at North Creek High School. Along with his brother, they were the 2023 Regional MTNA winners. Minjae recently won First place at the 2024 Chicago International Piano Competition. Minjae has earned many Gold Medals: Chopin NW Competition, Russian Chamber Music Competition, Distinguished Gold Medalist at Virtuoso Competition, 1st place at the Carles & Sofia International Piano Competition, Canadian International Music Competition, Pacific International Piano Competition, two-time Finalist for Seattle Symphony Competition, winner of WMEA’s Solo and Ensemble, 1st prize winner of KMA Competition. He was a featured soloist for Mukilteo Orchestra Fall Concert. He has performed at Benaroya Hall, Mercer Island Burbank Park and Chamber concert venues. Besides music, Minjae loves computer programming, computer gaming and tennis. Minjae is an elite student of SH Youn.

Alexander Vollmer and 
Kaitlyn Gia Lee:
Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor: I - Molto Allegro

Alexander Vollmer, age 14 discovered his strong passion in piano at age of 9 and started participating in piano competitions two and half years later. He has won many top prizes in competitions, including UK International Music Competition, American Virtuous International Music Competition, Chopin Northwest Piano Competition, National Young Virtuosi Recital Competition, Northern Lights Music Competition, Charleston International Music Competition, WSMTA Recitalist Competitions, Pacific Northwest Piano Competition, Russian Music Competition, Virtuoso Artists Festival, Classical Viennese International Festival, Sonafest, among many others. Alexander had his orchestra debut in 2023 with the Eastside Symphony and ORS of Tacoma. He has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall and the Beethoven Haus, Germany. Alexander was accepted into the 2023 Seattle Piano Institute. He has received master classes with Craig Sheppard, Robin McCabe, Peter Takács, Justin Krawitz. Alexander has been an Elite student with SH Youn since 2021. He is a 9th grader in Lakeside School. 

Kaitlyn Gia Lee is a 16 year old pianist from Seattle. She is a Platinum/Gold Medalist/First Place winner from over 30 national and international competitions, including the Canadian International Music Competition, Pacific NW Piano Competition, Chopin NW, Russian Chamber, PAFE, Pacific International Piano Competition, Eastside Symphony Concerto Competition, and Steinway Competition. She is also a Ten Grands winner and a scholarship recipient. As a featured guest performer, Kaitlyn was invited to perform with the Federal Way Philharmonic, Everett Philharmonic, Mukilteo Orchestra and Eastside Symphony. She has also appeared in King FM 98.1 and performed on-air. Most recently, she has won Grand Prix in the VII Geneva International Music Competition, and the International Artists Competition, as well as First Place in the Charleston International Music Competition for the duet category. Her musical achievements aside, she has expanded her musical endeavors to fundraising initiatives supporting various causes. These include aiding the Ukrainian and Russian communities, fostering opportunities for aspiring musicians on the autistic spectrum, and recently, advocating for the North Shore School District amidst budgetary challenges through organizing and performing concerts. She attends Lakeside School in Seattle. Kaitlyn has been an Elite student of SH Youn since age 8.
  • Violin 1
    Concertmaster: Valerie Tung
    Caroline Faflak
    Alonso Tirado
    Kelly Marsh
    Sarah Malmstrom
    Na Young Kwon
    Carrie Layer-Penner
    Iris Chen
  • Violin 2
    Elena Vukosavljev
    Monica Boros
    Emily Ponten
    Teresa Sandys
    Danielle McCutcheon
    Kathy Shaw
    Jonathan Graber
    Jenny Kim
  • Viola
    Elizabeth Boardman
    Amy Werner-Allen
    Padua Canty
    Danny Sheu
    Kathryn Kibbe
    Natalia Ilinykh
  • Cello
    Mara Finkelstein
    Joseph Bichsel
    Grant Olsen
    Kumiko Chiba
    Jared Ballance
    Sounglim Lee
  • Bass
    Ramon Salumbides
    Attilla Kiss
    John Convertino
  • Flute
    Kate Mondragon
    Helen Lee
  • Oboe
    Logan Esterling
    Lauren Urban
  • Clarinet
    Beverly Setzer
    Jennifer Ziefel
  • Eb Clarinet
    Leslie Edwards
  • Bassoon
    Robyn Watson
    Kate Mackenzie
  • Contrabassoon
    Francine Peterson
  • Horn
    Principal: Kyli White
    Matt Anderson
    Ben Johnson
    Ron Gilbert
  • Trumpet
    Robert Gale
    Peter Nelson-King
    Scott Meredith
  • Trombone
    Keith Winkle
    Greg Schroeder
    Gerald Larkins
    Tuba . Kevin Pih
  • Tympani
    Matt Drumm
  • Percussion
    Denali Williams
    Emmy Ulmer
    Declan Sullivan
  • Keyboard
    Mayumi Tamake
  • Harp
    Deborah McClellan

Maestro Brian Davenport

Born in Walla Walla, Washington, Maestro A. Brian Davenport began his interest in music at the age of four. After obtaining his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music from Harvard, he spent three years in Paris, France, studying music under the famous Nadia Boulanger, and conducting in Monte Carlo under the tutelage of Igor Markevitch. He has conducted orchestras in countries throughout the world, including China, Scandanavia, Germany, and Ukraine. In 1990, he conducted the Federal Way Symphony in the opening sellout performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for the Goodwill Games. He also conducted the world premiere of Handel's Messiah in Russian in the city of Kazan.

Board of Directors:
Dr. Sara Wagner, Board Member, Executive Director
Allan Park, President
Dr. Adam Aleksander, 1st Vice President
Nino Merabishvili, 2nd Vice President
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Brian Davenport, Treasurer
Dana Davenport, Board Member, Logistics
Jeff Elwell, Board Member, Concert Manager
Kevin Burton, Board Member, Hospitality Manager

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Dr. Natalya Ageyeva, Advisor
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Conney Vernall, Advisor
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Risa Jun, Volunteer
Mayumi Ohara, Volunteer

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