Hello Friends!
Well, we are fast approaching the end of what has been a fantastic school year and I for one am looking forward to this summer’s slate of events.
This coming Saturday, May 3rd, I will be playing a trio arrangement of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with my good friends Dawn Wohn(violin) and Brian Hsu(piano). If you recall I gave a quick mention of this piece in my last blog.
The following day, the Yale Philharmonia will make its annual appearance in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall for an all Prokofiev program featuring his Classical Symphony, selections from the Romeo and Juliet Suites and the Fourth Piano Concerto (Left Hand) with soloist Boris Berman, chair of the piano faculty at Yale. This year the school has celebrated Mr. Berman’s 60th birthday along with his many contributions to the music world both literary and artistic.
Later this summer I will join the Yale Philharmonia for concerts in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul, July 15-27. The performances, tagged as the “march for peace” in Beijing will be in alliance with the city’s Cultural Olympiad during the build up toward the Summer Games which begin August 8th. The YSM and the Central Conservatory of Music will join together to form a huge orchestra for Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony. Of course this a very important year for the US and China in terms of improving relations and I am proud to be part of a school that will contribute to a hopeful detente between our nations.
Upon returning, I will be visiting my alma mater, Bard College, for a performance of John Adam’s Shaker Loops and Somei Satoh’s “Toward the Night” in the New Albion Festival running August 1-10. I hope to see some of you upstate New Yorkers there!
Then folks, it’s adios New Haven, hello NYC! I have pretty much waited an entire young life to live in this city and now it’s finally gonna happen. Wish me luck and I will keep you posted of any and all developments!
Much love. -Ashley