Orange County School of the Arts
PIANIST PROGRAM Proudly Presents
DECEMBER 5, 2023 7 PM KATHY & GARY CONRAD CHORAL ROOM
DMS 101
WELCOME
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Thank you for attending OCSA’s 2023-24 Fall Solo and Ensemble Piano Recital. Students in the Pianist Program Senior Conservatory will perform for you pieces from the world’s great piano solo and ensemble literature. We are very proud of our students’ dedication and hard work in preparing for tonight’s recital. Their commitment to our program and to their art is inspiring to us all. Enjoy tonight’s music!
ABOUT OCSA PIANIST PROGRAM: The Pianist Program enhances the training of middle and high school pianists whose goals include a performing or academic career. In addition to the Instrumental Music theory, history, and musical elective curriculum, the Pianist Program offers classes in solo performance training, piano skills and style topics, score and sight- reading, piano ensemble, and chamber music. World- renowned visiting artist teachers offer frequent coaching to students in the Piano Master Class.
2023-2024 SENIOR CONSERVATORY PIANIST PROGRAM ROSTER Piano Skills Development Group Annabella Dai (9th grade) Lindsay Nguyen (9th grade) Carissa Hahn (9th Grade) Angela Tran (9th Grade) Yutong Liu (10th Grade) Nathaniel Sprague (10th Grade) Bonnie Zhou (10th grade) Katelyn Vo (10th Grade) Jennifer Vu (10th Grade) Yunah Chun (11th Grade) Angel Li (11th Grade) Kate Shin (11th Grade) Isaac Sohn (11th Grade) Jadon Wu (11th Grade) Aaron Zhu (11th Grade) Alexander Ivanov (12th Grade) Kara Syn (12th Grade) Xinchun Zhang (12th Grade) Rachael Vu (12th Grade)
Piano Performance Group Maxwell Tran (9th Grade) Sterling Tran (9th Grade) Albert Hacker (10th grade) Yui Nagasaki (10th grade) Sophie Sukendro (10th Grade) Isabella Ko (10th Grade) Hongru Liang (11th Grade) Alyssa Snow (11th Grade) Lucie Kim (12th Grade)
We would like to recognize the private teachers of tonight’s pianists for their outstanding work. Without them, our program would not be possible. Thank you very much for sharing your students with us!
PROGRAM OF THE EVENING Orange County School of the Arts
PIANIST PROGRAM SENIOR CONSERVATORY presents
DECEMBER 5, 2023 | 7PM KATHY & GARY CONRAD CHORAL ROOM | DMS 101 DR. SARKIS BALTAIAN
Director, Instrumental Music Conservatory and Coordinator, Pianist Program
DR. SARKIS BALTAIAN, MS. FÜREYA ÜNAL, MR. SEBASTIAN CHANG Instructors
Funf Walzer, Op. 8 M. Moszkowski IV. Vivace assai V. Pomposo ed energico, ma non troppo allegro Nathaniel Sprague, primo / Yutong Steven Liu, secondo Sonata for Piano 4-Hands in C Major 1. Allegro con brio Annabella Dai, primo / Lindsay Nguyen, secondo
J.C. Bach
Sonata for Piano 4-Hands, Op. 6 Carissa Hahn, primo / Angela Tran, secondo
L.V. Beethoven
3 Poems, Op. 20 E. MacDowell 1. Night by the Sea 2. A Tale from Knightly Times Wei-Ning Isabella Ko, primo / Sophie Sukendro, secondo Le Triomphe de Bacchus 1. Divertissement Katelyn Vo, primo / Jennifer Vu, secondo
C. Debussy
6 Little Pieces 4. Christmas, Christmas 5. Scottish Chant 6. Little Highlanders Yui Nagasaki, primo / Mat Bonnie Zhou, secondo
O. Respighi
6 Morceaux, Op. 11 S. Rachmaninoff 6. Slava (“Glory”) Sterling Tran, primo / Skyler Tran, secondo (guest performer)
PROGRAM OF THE EVENING Cortege Burlesque Albert Hacker, primo / Maxwell Tran, secondo
E. Chabrier
Brief Intermission Scherzo No.3 Op.39 in C-Sharp Minor Yunah Chun
F. Chopin
Fantasie Op. 28 ‘Scottish Sonata’ I. Con moto agitato – Andante Kate Shin
F. Mendelssohn
Gargoyles, Op. 29 No.2 Jadon Wu
L. Liebermann
Gargoyles, Op. 29 No.4 Yiyi Li
L. Liebermann
Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 847, WTC, Book 1 Isaac Sohn
J. S. Bach
Estampes III. ‘Jardins sous la pluie’ Hongru Liang
C. Debussy
Sonata Op. 111 No.32 in C Minor I. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato Alyssa Snow
L. Beethoven
Paganini Jazz Aaron Zhu
F. Say
The Steinway B Concert Grand piano for tonight’s performance has been prepared by Mr. David Stoneman.
BIOGRAPHIES Dr. Sarkis Baltaian, Director of the Instrumental Music Conservatory and Coordinator of the Pianist Program has gained an international reputation as a concert pianist, chamber musician, recording artist and pedagogue. He has been praised by critics for his “beautiful tone and ability to project even the most delicate pianissimos” and compared to George Gershwin and Oscar Levant for his performance of Gershwin’s Concerto in F. Dr. Baltaian made his Carnegie Hall Debut in 1999 and has performed extensively both as recitalist and concerto soloist with major orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. A top prize winner of national and international competitions, Dr. Baltaian attended the University of Southern California under the direction of renowned pedagogue and concert artist John Perry where he also served as his teaching assistant. A dedicated teacher, Dr. Baltaian’s students have won various national and international competitions and have been accepted at schools such as the Eastman School, New England Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, USC, UCLA, Rice University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Barbara, Pomona College and University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Baltaian has held full time professor positions at the Colburn Conservatory and UAHuntsville. He currently serves on the faculty of the Pasadena Conservatory of Music and maintains a private studio in Orange County and Los Angeles, working with award winning students. Füreya Ünal was born in Istanbul where she started playing the piano at the age of 3 1/2. Her formal music education began at five years of age at Istanbul University State Conservatory. In 1996, Füreya was granted her bachelor’s degree from Istanbul Conservatory. She has been awarded two masters degrees. Her first masters was granted from Istanbul Conservatory, her second from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. During her education, she has studied with Irina Zaritskaya, Mikhail Voskresenski, Anatol Ugorski and Leontina Margulis. Throughout 1995 and 1996, she studied in Monaco with Hüseyin Sermet at the Monaco Music Academy. Füreya is a member of faculty at California State University Fullerton. She has given a number of concerts and recitals in Turkey, Germany, Monaco, France, Bulgaria, Portugal, and the United States. She was a recipient of Cultural Exchange Fellowship in 2012 given by Turkish Cultural Foundation to give concerts and master classes in The People’s Republic of China. She is the founder, artistic director and pianist of the new music ensemble Divan Consort. The group has released their first album, “Refuge” on Albany Records which was awarded with Gold and Silver Medals by Global Music Awards. Ms. Ünal’s recordings can be found on many platforms including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon music. Her book on music theory, Building Blocks, Music Theory Basics has been published by Cognella Publishing in 2015. She was awarded the Woman of Distinction by Assembly Woman Sharon Quirk- Silva in 2013. Ms. Ünal has been judging festivals and competitions throughout Southern California and Los Angeles, including Bach Festivals and MTAC’s State Competition. Sebastian Chang’s first major performance as a piano soloist was of his composition Concertino for Piano and Orchestra with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra at the age of 9. From ’16-’18, he was the Resident Composer of the Louisville Orchestra, and he currently fulfills the duties of the orchestra’s Auxiliary Pianist. He is the youngest three-time BMI Student Composer Awards winner in the history of the competition (’02, ’05, & ’07). He won five ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Awards (’01, ’02, ’04, ’05, & ’06). He was awarded a $50K scholarship as a Davidson Fellow Laureate by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development in ‘02. His Symphony, premiered by the Louisville Orchestra in January ‘15, is subject of Episode 9: “First Symphony” of the Music Makes a City Now PBS documentary cycle. Between Heaven and Earth, in collaboration with Kurdish Baghdad-native visual artist Vian Sora, was premiered by the Louisville Orchestra & Louisville Chamber Choir in February ‘18. Sebastian obtained his B.M. in Composition from the Curtis Institute of Music & his M.M. in Composition from the University of Southern California.
ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
About the
Pianist Program
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Pianist Program enhances the training of student musicians by providing a collegepreparatory curriculum with specialized training in piano, taught by nationally and internationally renowned faculty. In addition to the instrumental music theory, history, and musical elective curriculum, the Pianist Program offers classes in solo performance training, piano skills and style topics, score and sight reading, piano ensemble, and chamber music. World-renowned visiting artist teachers offer coaching to students on a regular basis. Composed of outstanding musicians whose goals include a performing or academic career, the Pianist Program provides students the opportunity to perform both nationally and internationally, as well as learn the skills necessary to develop as fine musicians and individuals.
DR. SARKIS BALTAIAN Director, Instrumental Music
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES Pianist Program students are provided the opportunity to concertize regularly in major venues such as Carnegie Hall and appear in a number of reputable international festivals, including Aspen, Tanglewood, Conero, Casalmaggiore, and NYU Steinhardt, to name a few. Students capture major prizes from many prestigious competitions, including the Tureck Bach, Chopin, Virginia Warring, Los Angeles Liszt, American Protégé, Lansum, Satori, and Carmel Klavier International. The Pianist Program maintains a strong commitment to new music, often commissioning piano ensemble works by award-winning composers. The program’s state-of-the-art keyboards and concert instruments enable students to create music at the highest level, right on campus.
PAST GUEST ARTISTS AND MASTER TEACHERS Ning An, internationally renowned concert pianist Bernadene Blaha, University of Southern California Lucinda Carver, University of Southern California Frederic Chiu, internationally renowned concert pianist Kevin Fitz-Gerald, University of Southern California Andreas Klein, internationally renowned concert pianist Alexander Kobrin, Eastman School of Music Norman Krieger, Indiana University Garrick Ohlsson, internationally renowned concert pianist Nina Scolnik, University of California, Irvine Peter Takács, Oberlin Conservatory Jean-Yves Thibaudet, internationally renowned concert pianist
PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES Pianist Program students receive ample performance experience on and off campus, both solo and collaborative. They also participate in chamber music, piano ensemble, and vocal collaboration recitals, while appearing regularly as soloists with OCSA’s Symphony Orchestra. Additional opportunities include an annual performance at the prestigious Segerstrom Center for the Arts as part of OCSA’s Season Finale and performances in major concert venues throughout Southern California.
HELP SUPPORT THIS AMAZING CONSERVATORY WITH A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION! If you are enjoying tonight’s experience and student presentation, please consider making a tax-deductible donation in support of this conservatory for the 2023-2024 school year. Due to challenging financial circumstances, we need your help now more than ever!
DEADLINE TO GIVE: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023 For questions, please contact Family Liaison Becky Parsons at becky.parsons@ocsarts.net or 714.560.0900 ext. 5535.