Pianist Anna Han to Perform at Park Avenue Christian Church, 2/2

The vibrant young pianist Anna Han, First Prize Winner of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation's 2012 New York International Piano Competition (NYIPC) will be heard in recital on Sunday afternoon, February 2nd at 3:00pm at Park Avenue Christian Church, 1010 Park Avenue, York, NY.

The varied program features works ranging from baroque to contemporary music by Corigliano, Liebermann and past NYIPC winner Michael Brown.

The complete program follows:

Bach/Siloti: Organ Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855
Beethoven: Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3
Corigliano: Etude-Fantasy for Piano

~~ Intermission ~~

Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35, Book I
M. Brown: Suite for Piano
Chopin: Nocturne Op. 55, No. 2 in E-flat Major
Liebermann: Gargoyles, Op. 29

Tickets are free and open to the public. For general information please call 212-288-3246.

Eighteen-year-old Anna Han is the First Prize Winner of the Sixth New York International Piano Competition. Han has studied with Mr. Fei Xu at New Century Conservatory since she was five years old. She has won a number of national and international piano competitions, including the first prize at the 2011 New Orleans International Piano Competition for Young Artists, the first prize for the 2011 and 2008 IIYM (International Institute for Young Musicians) International Piano Competitions, second prize at the 2008 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition Junior Division, the bronze medal at the 2008 Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competition, fifth place at the 2010 Cooper International Piano Competition, and she was the national first place winner of the 2007 Music Teachers National Association Junior Piano Competition.

Anna Han made her orchestral debut with the Chandler Symphony Orchestra in 2007 at age eleven, performing Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1. In 2009, she performed Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and in 2010 she performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.3, again with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. That same year, she was the featured soloist in two concerts with the Verde Valley Sinfonietta where she performed Schumann's Piano Concerto. Ms. Han has performed in such venues as the Phoenix Symphony Hall, Mesa Center for the Arts, Chandler Center for the Arts, and the Lied Center of Kansas. She has also appeared in a piano concert in New London, Connecticut in 2009, and performed at the 2007 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. Anna is currently a student at K12 International Academy. In her spare time she likes reading, photography, sports, and listening to all genres of music. She also enjoys playing chamber music. Ms. Han has been featured on the National Public Radio show From the Top.

Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz, Executive Directors of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, have devoted a lifetime to the musical education of young people. Internationally recognized as one of the most distinguished duo-piano teams of their generation, Stecher and Horowitz are equally renowned for their multi-faceted activities as performers, teachers, composers, and educational consultants - activities that have earned them a unique position in the world of music. Having been co-directors of the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts for 39 years, (1960-1999) it was apparent to both principals that the most important years for developing interested young musicians were the pre-teen years and into the early twenties, a good decade of concentrated and formative development. The New York Piano Competition was originally founded on this premise.

Photo Credit: www.hemsingpr.com