Young Concert Artists (YCA) proudly presents its 2021-2022 season in an eagerly awaited live setting. YCA's musicians can fully enrich their audiences within the communal aesthetic of live performance. The season showcases five new YCA musician debuts in New York City and Washington D.C., four encore performances, and a gala concert at Carnegie Hall. In addition, YCA continues to hold its International Auditions and Winners Concert. Finally, the season closes with a recital in memory of Dr. Milton Corn at Kennedy Center.
Daniel Kellogg, President of YCA, remarks on the season: "After a challenging and transformative year, we can't wait to welcome audiences back to the concert hall in our '21-22 Season. We look to the future of our artform, and remain as dedicated as ever to launching the careers of our great YCA artists."
The YCA New York, NY series begins with The Final Auditions at the Kaufman Music Center to round out the Susan Wadsworth International Audition cycle on October 31, followed by the Winners Concert on November 1; the YCA Opening Night Concert at
Carnegie Hall on November 11 celebrates the debut of pianist Zhu Wang, performing pieces by Bach/Marcello, Schumann, Liszt, Zhang Zhao, and a world premiere piece by YCA composer-in-residence Nina Shekhar; bass-baritone William Socolof makes his debut on December 9 at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall performing songs by Ibert, Robert Owens, Schubert, Leaha Maria Villareal, Debussy, Joel Engel, Mahler, and Matthew Aucoin; on January 19 the first of four noon "Encore" recitals at the Morgan Library and Museum will be given by pianist Aristo Sham, playing Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and J.S. Bach. Violinists Risa Hokamura and Koichiro Harada present the "Encore" recital on February 16, performing Schubert, Saint-Saëns, and Shostakovich.
Pianist
Martin James Bartlett makes his debut on February 24 at Merkin Hall, with works by Rameau, Couperin, Haydn, Liszt-Wagner, Julian Anderson, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. On March 23,
Steven Banks performs in a saxophone "Encore" recital featuring works by Paul Creston, Fernande Decruck, and Brahms. The string quartet Quartet Amabile (Chihiro Kitada, violin, Yuna Shinohara, violin, Meguna Naka, viola, and Tatsuki Sasanuma, cello) make their debut on March 30 with works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and the U.S. Premiere of Dai Fujikura's Aquarius. Flutist Anthony Trionfo presents the last "Encore" recital on April 14 with Gwenyth Wentink on the harp, and Albert Cano Smit at the piano, performing Debussy, Prokofiev, and a new piece by YCA composer Katherine Balch. Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore makes the final debut of the season on April 20, performing songs by Undine Smith Moore, Rued Langgaard, Cécile Chaminade, Schubert, songs set to text by youth with non-verbal autism, and a fully staged reimagining of Handel's Lucretia, HWV 145; then, May 2, a festive Gala Concert will take place at Zankel Hall which will feature a world premiere quintet by saxophonist
Steven Banks, a world premiere for flute, viola, and piano by YCA composer Katherine Balch, arias by Handel, Barber's Dover Beach, and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite for two pianos, with The Borromeo String Quartet, Megan Moore, mezzo-soprano, Albert Cano Smit, piano, William Socolof, bass-baritone, Anthony Trionfo, flute, and Zhu Wang, piano.
The Washington, D.C. series of debuts at The Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater begins November 17 with the opening night debut of Zhu Wang, piano, performing pieces by Bach/Marcello, Schumann, Liszt, Zhang Zhao, and a world premiere piece by YCA composer-in-residence, Nina Shekhar. William Socolof, bass-baritone, makes his debut on December 1, performing songs by Ibert, Robert Owens, Schubert, Leaha Maria Villareal, Debussy, Joel Engel, Mahler, and Matthew Aucoin; pianist
Martin James Bartlett will have his debut on March 6 performing Rameau, Couperin, Haydn, Liszt-Wagner, Julian Anderson, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel; Quartet Amabile (Chihiro Kitada, violin, Yuna Shinohara, violin, Meguna Naka, viola, and Tatsuki Sasanuma, cello) will perform Mozart, Mendelssohn, and the U.S. Premiere of Dai Fujikura's Aquarius in their debut concert on March 20; Megan Moore, mezzo-soprano makes the final debut of the season on April 11, performing songs by Undine Smith Moore, Rued Langgaard, Cécile Chaminade, Schubert, songs set to text by youth with non-verbal autism, and a fully staged reimagining of Handel's Lucretia, HWV 145; the final concert of the D.C. series also taking place at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater is on May 17, to honor the memory of Dr. Milton Corn with a performance of works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Kreisler by violinist Randall Goosby and pianist Zhu Wang.
