Saturday, May 11, 2024 @ 7:30pm – 9:00pm (PDT)
Stage 7 Pianos, Kirkland, WA, United States

"Cohen's individualistic and intriguing take on [Prokofiev's] Visions Fugitives as a whole is one of the finest I have heard… If you have ever wondered how Wilhelm Kempff might have sounded playing Prokofiev, here is your chance to find out." – Fanfare Magazine

Refreshments available.

About Judith Cohen, piano

Judith Cohen began piano studies at the age of five with Ruth Schein, and continued at the Chicago Musical College with Saul Dorfman until the age of eighteen. She completed graduate studies with Randolph Hokanson at the University of Washington, and has performed in the public masterclasses of Aldo Ciccolini, Alexis Weissenberg, Daniel Pollack, and Murray Perahia.

Ms. Cohen made her European recital debut in 2002, performing two solo recitals in Budapest, Hungary, and since then has returned three times for concert tours of Hungary. She has performed solo recitals in Mexico, under the sponsorship of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. Critic Robert Somerlott of the Mexico City News hailed her as "an artist of unusual talent who captivated the audience with both her musicianship and stage presence." She has performed solo and chamber music recitals throughout the Pacific Northwest, in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Kentucky, and Texas. She has also been presented in solo recitals by the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in both Chicago and Los Angeles, and by the Florence Conservatory of Music in Italy.

Ms. Cohen is the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Governor's Chamber Music Series in Olympia, Washington, and the pianist in the acclaimed TangleTown Trio. She has performed and toured with Donald Byrd's Spectrum Dance Theater as piano soloist between 2009-2016, with music of Erwin Schulhoff, Robert Schumann, and Andy Tierstein. Her discography includes recordings on the Pear Records, Capstone, and Byzantium labels. In a 2012 review of two of these recordings, Radu Lelatiu of Fanfare Magazine reported, "She is without doubt a first-rate artist…if you have ever wondered how Wilhelm Kempff might have sounded playing Prokofiev, here is your chance to find out."

In 2005, Ms Cohen received the honor of becoming a Steinway Artist. She enjoys the distinction of being part of this elite society of pianists.

"Cohen's individualistic and intriguing take on [Prokofiev's] Visions Fugitives as a whole is one of the finest I have heard… If you have ever wondered how Wilhelm Kempff might have sounded playing Prokofiev, here is your chance to find out." – Fanfare Magazine

http://www.judithcohenpianist.com/home.html

About Andrew "Andy" Liang, violin

Andrew Liang has been a featured artist on NPR's From the Top, and performs with the Seattle Symphony as a member of the second violin section. After making his solo debut with the Oregon Symphony at the age of 11, Andy performed in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Boston's Jordan Hall by the age of 15. Liang recently received his Artist Diploma from the University of Texas at Austin as a member of the Cordova Quartet, the Young Professional String Quartet in Residence, where he studied with the Miró Quartet. Liang received both his bachelor's and master's degrees at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he studied with Cho-Liang Lin.

https://andyliangviolin.wordpress.com/

About Alexander Grimes, viola

Alex Grimes serves as Principal Viola of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra in Seattle, Washington. Before moving to Seattle, Alex was a regular substitute with the Nashville Symphony and enjoyed a freelance career recording film and television soundtracks with Nashville Scoring Strings. A native of Long Island, New York, Alex has lived and performed internationally. His most recent appearances were as a fellow of the Huberman Project in Tel Aviv, Israel, and as a recitalist at the Accademia Perosi in Biella, Italy.

https://www.alexandergrimes.com/

About Christine Lee, cello

A Paris Fulbright Fellow recipient, cellist Christine Lee has been noted by the New York Times as a "clear delight." Currently splitting her time between Seattle and San Francisco, Christine pursues a wide range of creative, musical projects; while her passion is in chamber music, she also devotes her time towards teaching, social media management, and solo engagements. Most recently, Christine joined the Camellia Symphony and Christian Baldini in opening their 59th Season with a performance of the Schumann Concerto, and as part of her engagement with the symphony, had the great joy of meeting and teaching a masterclass for the local cello students in Sacramento. During her most recent studies in the Chamber Music Program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she performed alongside exciting artists such as Gil Kalisch, Ian Swensen, Tessa Lark, Jennifer Culp, David McCarroll, and Dimitri Murrath. In addition to a full-time performing schedule, Christine’s interest in utilizing social media in the classical music realm has lead her to a role as social media manager of the Seattle-based chamber music series, Emerald City Music, where she is part of the marketing team.

Christine is the cellist of L'arc Trio, a piano trio based in San Francisco who most recently won a grant by IntermusicSF to commission a brand-new work titled Ominous Machine by the inspiring, trailblazing composer Vivian Fung. L'arc Trio was first prize winner of the Barbara Fritz Chamber Music Award and have participated in Music for Food concerts in San Francisco. Christine's interest in collaborative music also extends to her co-founding Ensemble Blank, an ensemble focused on premiering new music and whose concerts are innovatively designed in art museums in Seoul, South Korea.

After spending a summer playing chamber music at the Fontainebleau Music Festival in France, Christine was deeply inspired to pursue studies in Paris; in 2017, Christine was selected as one of two Fulbright Fellows to study in Paris and studied with renowned cellist Michel Strauss. During her studies in Paris, she made her solo debut at the Reid Hall and had the great privilege of performing for over 600 Fulbright Scholars and Nobel Laureates for the Fulbright Seminar in Berlin.

https://music.washington.edu/people/christine-lee

Stage 7 Pianos

12037 124th Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98034
United States

http://stage7pianos.com/
(425) 968-2410