Gary Graffman has been a major figure in the music world since his debut with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of eighteen. For the next three decades he toured almost continuously, playing the most demanding works in the piano literature. His numerous recordings with the orchestras of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago under such conductors as Bernstein, Ormandy, Szell, and Mehta include concertos by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Brahms, Chopin, and Beethoven; they are still regarded as touchstones. In 1979, however, an injury to his right hand limited Mr. Graffman's concertizing to the small body of repertoire for left hand alone. Since then seven new works have been commissioned for him, and he continues to perform.

Mr. Graffman's association with the Curtis Institute of Music began in 1936, when he was accepted, at the age of seven, to study with Isabelle Vengerova. He graduated in 1946. In 1980, following his performance-reducing injury, he joined the Curtis piano faculty.

From 1986 through May 2006, he served as director of Curtis, as well as president from 1995 to 2006.

An internationally renowned artist and pedagogue, Victor Danchenko was for many years a member of the Faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He now proudly makes Toronto his home and teaches at The Glenn Gould School.

Recognized as one of today’s leading instructors, he has conducted numerous master classes in the U.S., Canada, Europe (including three major schools in London - Royal College, Royal Academy, and Guildhall School - Paris National Conservatory Superior and Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory), South America, and Asia. Mr. Danchenko has also frequently participated in various other summer schools and festivals around the world, such as Keshet Eilon master course in Israel, Ishikawa Music Festival in Japan, Euro Arts Festival in Germany, Niagara on the Lake International Festival in Canada, Seoul International Music Festival Academy, Summit Music Festival (N.Y.), to name a few.

Marian Hahn has been a member of the piano and chamber music faculties at the Peabody Conservatory since 1987, and currently holds the Singapore Conservatory of Music Chair in Piano.

Her solo career was advanced by top prizes in the International Leventritt Competition and the Concert Artists Guild auditions, which led to her New York debut and “Encore” recitals at Weill Hall. She was also a top prizewinner in the University of Maryland and Kosciuszko competitions.

As a chamber musician, Hahn has participated in the Marlboro, Sedona, Rockport, and Grand Canyon festivals, and was a long-time faculty artist at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Maine. A founding member of the Amabile Piano Quartet, recording on the Summit label, she also toured extensively as a member of the Amadeus Trio, recording on the Kleos label.

Brian Ganz is widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation.  

A laureate of the Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud and the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Piano Competitions, Mr. Ganz has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the City of London Sinfonia, and the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, and has performed with such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Mstislav Rostropovich, Piotr Gajewski and Yoel Levi. 

The Washington Post has written: “One comes away from a recital by pianist Brian Ganz not only exhilarated by the power of the performance but also moved by his search for artistic truth.” For many years Mr. Ganz has made it his mission to join vivid music making with warmth and intimacy onstage to produce a new kind of listening experience, in which great works come to life with authentic emotional power. As one of Belgium's leading newspapers, La Libre Belgique, put it, "We don't have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy."

In January of 2011 Mr. Ganz began a multi-year project in partnership with the National Philharmonic in which he will perform the complete works of Frédéric Chopin at the Music Center at Strathmore. After the inaugural recital, The Washington Post wrote: "Brian Ganz was masterly in his first installment of the complete works [of Chopin]." Tonight's recital marks the tenth in the series. 

Mr. Ganz is on the piano faculty of St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he is artist-in-residence, and is also a member of the piano faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. He is the artist-editor of the Schirmer Performance Edition of Chopin’s Preludes (2005). Recent performance highlights include Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Alba Music Festival in Italy, Mozart's Piano Concerto K. 466 with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and the Annapolis Symphony, Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto with the Billings Symphony, and a solo recital for the Distinguished Artists Series of Santa Cruz, California. 

Jong Hwa Park is a concert pianist and a professor. Born in Korea, he began playing the piano at age four. Park established his international credentials at an early age. There followed a string of engagements across Europe, the United States and Asia where he performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras.

Park’s diverse career in music reflects his passion for both performance and education. Since becoming a faculty member at the prominent Seoul National University in 2007 at age 33, he has designed and organized innovative lectures and international festivals. Park is a passionate advocate of modern music and is a frequent guest at major festivals worldwide.

In his youth, he studied at the Preparatory School of Tokyo Music College in Japan and the Preparatory School of New England Conservatory in the United States. In 1992, Park was offered a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he followed the great artistry of legendary pianist Russell Sherman. Park completed his Bachelor and Master degrees with Honors.

Upon completing his Master’s program, Park moved to Europe where he was invited to study at a number of prestigious institutions where he studied with Dmitri Bashikrov, Joaquin Soriano, and Elisso Wirssaladze. Concurrently, Park received musical guidance from Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Leon Fleisher and Martha Argerich. In 1998, he was invited to study at the Il Fondazione per Il Pianoforte in Como, Italy. In 1999, Park followed Bashkirov to Spain, where he obtained the prestigious Artist Diploma – a highly selective degree reserved only to a handful of candidates each year—from Escuela de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. In 2003, Park moved to Germany, where he enrolled in the distinguished Meisterklasse program at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Munich. Park has achieved many accolades throughout his career. Park received first prize in the Mainichi Shinbun Music Competition of Japan at age 12. Subsequently, he won several first-prizes at national competitions in the Japan, Korea and the US. Internationally, Park is laureate of numerous competition including the Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition, the Santander International Piano Competition, the Rubinstein International Competition, and the Ferrucio Busoni International Piano Competition. Park has appeared in renowned concert halls including the Koncertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Herculas saal in Munich, and the Palais de Beaux in Belgium. He has collaborated with the some of the world’s highly acclaimed orchestras including the Dresden Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Symphony and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is also active in smaller format projects including chamber music to chamber orchestras. The latest project was with Daniel Hope and Zurich Chamber Orchestra. As socially conscious and conscientious artist, he firmly believes that music is to be shared beyond concert goers. He is committed to realizing this belief through projects such as ‘Run Piano’ in the capacity as an artistic director delivering live music to disadvantaged communities and individuals.

His debut recording of Rachmaninov and Mussorgsky with Sony Classical was praised by music magazines for its “powerful and masterful interpretation”. His second album ‘NUNAYA’, Korean Children’s Songs arranged as piano pieces was released with Universal Music and was described in the press as “beautiful and sublime, moving hearts and invoking the memories past”, climbing to the top of the classical charts. Park also completed a widely praised NUNAYA Korea tour that launched at LG Arts Center in Seoul.

Park sometimes appears on television screen as presenter in music documentary and so far worked with productions for two prominent Korean broadcasting companies.

Dr. Yangsook Lee is a native of Seoul and received her B.M from Curtis Institute, M.M from The Juilliard School of Music in the U.S., and DMA from King Sejong University in Seoul.

She has been performing solo recitals, chamber music, and concertos with orchestras including New York City Symphony, North Czech Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, I Soloisti Italian Chamber Orchestra, Mozart Collegium Orchestra and with several Korean Orchestras performing at the most prestigious concert halls such as Musikferein Golden Hall in Vienna, Dvorak Hall in Prague, and Santory Recital Hall in Tokyo.

Dr. Lee received the Korean Classic Music Award of 2010 for completing The Chopin Series including two Piano Concertos in Seoul, South Korea, celebrating the bicentennial birth of  Frederick Chopin.

She had been Music Director of Sun Hwa Arts Performing Academy in Seoul from 1999 to 2015. She has been a jury member at several international competitions such as Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona, Spain, Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and Frederick Chopin Competition in Moscow, Russia.

Dr. Yesook Lee, a Korean-American composer, educator, and pianist, composes for traditional ensembles, solos, and operas, as well as compositions incorporating electronic media.

Lee has been awarded several grants and scholarships, including the Korean Cultural Foundation Artist Grant, the Peabody Career Grant, and the University of Maryland Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. Other awards include First Place in the Prix d’Été Competition, the Walsum Composition Award, and the International Society of American Music Composer Award. Lee has received numerous commissions, including ones from the Maryland Opera Studio and the Russian Chamber Arts Society. As an active secondary school education instructor, Lee teaches PVA piano and composition at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Maryland.

Emil Chudnovsky is a graduate of Yale University (Certificate of Performance) and the Mannes College of Music in New York (Bachelors of Music), and a nine-time international competition winner and laureate. An experienced soloist, he has recorded six CDs and performed concerts and recitals in over 30 countries.

Mr. Chudnovsky’s students have performed as soloists with orchestras in the greater DC area, including concerto appearances at the Kennedy Center, and have been chosen for principal seats in the area’s top youth orchestras. In recital, his students have performed in Russia, Bulgaria, Taiwan, and in the DC area at such prestigious venues as the Russian and Ukrainian Embassies, as well as in special appearances before His Majesty, the King of Norway and before His Excellency, the Ambassador of Romania.

email: gtmusic@kabdc.org

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