Piano Recital: Less than Five Hands
$25
- Irwin Shung, piano
- Donna Lee, piano
Alexander Scriabin — Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9
George Gershwin — "I Got Rhythm" from Girl Crazy (arr. Gregory Stone)
George Gershwin — Cuban Overture
Camille Saint-Saëns — Carnival of the Animals
Johann Sebastian Bach — "Schafe können sicher weiden lassen" ("Sheep may safely graze") from Was mir behagt ist nur die muntre Jagd ("The lively hunt is all my heart's desire"), BWV 208
Johann Sebastian Bach — Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639
George Gershwin / Earl Wild — Etude No. 4: Embraceable You
Pianists Donna Lee and Irwin Shung reunite on the concert stage to celebrate Spring 2023 with a colorful program featuring piano music written for one, two, three, and four hands. The duo will perform Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals, highlighted by an ironic array of animal noises and caricatures, and Gershwin's Cuban Overture, inspired by a two-week vacation in Havana in 1932. Shung and Lee will also play Gregory Stone's dazzling duet arrangement of the ever-popular I've Got Rhythm, as well as rarely-heard gems scored cleverly for unusual hand combinations.
About Resonance Masters' Series
The Resonance Masters' Series has served as the classical arm of Resonance at Soma Towers since 2017. We believe that music can express that which words cannot; that art exists to shine a light on humanity's greatest ideals; and that beauty and truth do matter. Beethoven once stated that in music, "what is important is the lasting – the eternal." Whether you are a lifelong classical music lover, or just exploring for now, we welcome you to join us in our journey through great music written for the ages.
Located in the intimate Resonance Hall, our Series prioritizes community. Performers regularly engage with audiences in an attempt to bridge the gap between composer and listener. As one of downtown Bellevue's foremost classical music series, the Resonance Masters' Series has featured acclaimed artists such as as Rachel Barton Pine (international), Stephen Stubbs (Boston Early Music Festival), Craig Sheppard (Royal Conservatory and University of Washington), Jinjoo Cho (McGill and Oberlin), Rachel Lee Priday (University of Washington), Daniel Shapiro (Cleveland Institute of Music), Adam Pearl (Peabody Conservatory of Music) and the Eastside's own Sempre Sisters.
https://www.rmseries.com/About Irwin Shung, piano
Dr. Irwin Shung, whose playing has been praised by State Magazine for its "ease, technique, and musicianship," has performed in North America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Shung joined the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music in July, 2015, and also directs the Resonance Masters' Series at Resonance at SOMA, situated in Bellevue, Washington. He currently serves as President of the Northeast Ohio Music Teachers' Association.
Shung received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in January, 2015, where he studied with Dr. Daniel Shapiro. He has also received instruction on piano from various distinguished teachers including Marian Hahn (Peabody Conservatory), Leon Fleisher (Peabody Conservatory), Herbert Stessin (Julliard School), and Gabriel Chodos (New England Conservatory). Awards received include the Pauline Favin Memorial Award from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, prizes in the 2012 Darius Milhaud Competition, as well as the Young Artist International Piano Competition.
Shung currently serves as piano faculty at the Notre Dame College in Cleveland. Shung's performances have been featured by KING FM in Seattle, as well as WCLV Ideastream in Cleveland. His complete recording of the first book of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier is available online, and a recording of the second book is forthcoming.
https://irwinshung.comAbout Donna Lee, piano
D.M.A., Piano Performance, Cleveland Institute of Music
M.M., B.M., Piano Performance, University of Toronto
Donna Lee is a veteran performer and collaborator, playing in concerts, recitals and festivals all over North America and Europe. She is currently on the piano faculty at Notre Dame College and performs as a staff pianist at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. She also serves as the president of the Northeast Ohio Music Teacher's Association.
Born in Toronto, she began her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in the Young Artists Performance Academy. Subsequently, she had the privilege of studying at the Musikhochschule in Hannover, Germany. During her time there, Lee won first prize at the San Sebastián International Piano Competition in Spain, special prize at the IBLA Grand Prize in Italy, and performed concerts and recitals at the Mozarteum Summer Festival in Salzburg, Austria.
In Canada, Lee was the second-prize winner of the prestigious Canadian Chopin Competition. She was also on tour for Jeunesses Musicales du Canada Desjardins Series, with French Horn player, Louis Phillipe Marsolais. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Daniel Shapiro.
https://www.bw.edu/academics/bios/lee-donna