Left to Right: Hung-Kuan Chen, photo courtesy of the artist. Tema Blackstone, photo courtesy of the artist.
Claude Debussy (arranged by Ravel): Nocturnes. 1909.
II. Fetes
III. Nuages
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasy No. 1 in F Minor, KV 594. 1790.
I. Adagio
II. Allegro
III. Adagio
Franz Schubert: Sonata in C Minor, D. 958. 1828.
I. Molto moderato
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto: Allegro – Trio
IV. Allegro
Intermission
Sergei Rachmaninoff. Suite No. 2, Op. 17. 1901.
I. Introduction: Alla marcia
II. Waltz: Presto
III. Romance: Andantino
IV. Tarantella: Presto
About the Program
A pair of exceptional pianists unite for an unforgettable evening of piano. Masterful performers from the Juilliard School, Hung-Kuan Chen and Tema Blackstone showcase their technical prowess via selections from Mozart and Debussy, including music for two pianos. The married couple often teaches together and has performed as a duo worldwide.
Chen was born in Taipei and raised in Germany. The winner of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and the recipient of an Avery Fisher Grant, he has collaborated with conductors like Christoph Eschenbach and Hans Graf. His colleagues include the Tokyo and Shanghai string quartets and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Blackstone’s rich and varied life in music has grown out of her impressive career as a pianist. Her influential work involves the advocacy of music as a force for personal and societal wellbeing, and the passing on of great music to new generations.
Both are part of the faculty for Art of Piano, a program that pushes the instrument to new heights in skill, expression, and composition.
Art of Piano is generously supported by lead donor Heather Edwards.
Additional support provided by Helen Graham and the Yolanda Freeze Master Artists Music Fund.
Biographies
Hung-Kuan Chen
Hung-Kuan Chen was born in Taipei and raised in Germany. His early studies fostered strong roots in Germanic Classicism tempered with the sensibility of Chinese philosophy. The winner of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the recipient of an Avery Fisher Grant, Chen has collaborated with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach and Hans Graf, and his colleagues include the Tokyo and Shanghai string quartets, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Roman Totenberg, clarinetist David Shifrin, and pianist Tema Blackstone.
Image by Linda Li
Faculty, Art of Piano
Tema Blackstone
Tema Blackstone’s rich and varied life in music has grown out of her career as a pianist. Her influential work encompasses advocacy of music and musicians as a force for personal and societal well-being, and the passing on of the legacy of great music to new generations. She is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard’s Pre-College division in New York. As a public speaker, Ms. Blackstone raises awareness of the positive effects of the arts on society, describing how music and medicine reflect and enhance one another. She champions this cause as musician and lecturer wherever she travels, from Boston, New York, Calgary and Toronto to France, Switzerland and China. Her impressive concert career encompasses solo engagements as well as piano duo performances with Hung-Kuan Chen, to whom she is married. The couple often teaches as a team and has performed worldwide.
Image by Linda Li
Faculty, Art of Piano
Staff Credits
Program Staff
Michael Falk
Director of Music
Micah Yui
Program Director, Art of Piano
Ivy Pan
Program Manager, Music
Angela Schenstead
Program Delivery Specialist
Production Staff
Matt Flawn
Head of Lights
Marissa Gell
Assistant Production Manager
Sam Hindle
Assistant Head of Sound
Roxanne Miller
Stage Manager
Henry Ng
Audio and Music Technician
Albert Picknell
Head Piano Technician
Andrew Smith
Production Manager, Performing Arts
Michael Young
Head of Stage
