Young Performers Career Advancement Program 2024 Artists To Perform At Carnegie Hall On January 15

The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) announced today that five emerging classical music solo artists and a quartet of musicians from around the world have been selected to perform at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as part of APAP's Young Performers Career Advancement Program (YPCA). The event will take place on January 15, 2024, at 7 p.m. during the annual APAP|NYC conference. The performance is free and open to the public. RSVP at https://bit.ly/APAPNYC2024YPCA.

YPCA 2024 will showcase the talents of (alphabetically) the Dior Quartet (Noa Sarid, Tobias Elser, Caleb Georges, and Joanne Yesol Choi), flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi, violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious, pianist Maxim Lando, opera soloist Joseph Parrish, and pianist Clayton Stephenson. (Bios follow). Grammy-winning and nominated artists Gabriel Cabezas, Valerie Coleman, Tessa Lark, Parker Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Imani Winds, and Eighth Blackbird are among the soloists and groups who've gained important recognition early in their careers via their YPCA showcases. 

“Throughout its 27-year history, APAP's YPCA program has been an important catalyst for the burgeoning of promising careers for hundreds of classical musicians and performers. APAP is proud to serve as this launch pad and introduce these young, talented artists to the many representatives leading and booking for venues across North America," observes APAP President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney.  

YPCA (pronounced “YIP-Kah”) was launched in 1996 as a program of APAP's Classical Connections initiative to support emerging classical music artists during the formative stages of their careers and can be traced to the success of YPCA alumni.

The event at Carnegie Hall gives these artists an extraordinary chance to perform their work directly in front of global arts leaders, performing arts presenters, managers, record company representatives and agents. These presenters are in New York to attend APAP|NYC 2024—and are making commitments and solidifying their performance calendars for the next few years.   

The artists were chosen via a competitive application process. During the APAP|NYC 2024 conference, they'll participate in a professional development track tailored to artists in the early part of their careers. This includes a practical overview of the presenting and touring industry and expert instruction in the development of audience engagement skills.   Here are a few highlights about 2024's YPCA artists (more info here):   

• Joined together from around the world, the Dior Quartet consists of Noa Sarid (Israel), Tobias Elser (USA), Caleb Georges (St. Lucia), and Joanne Yesol Choi (Korea-Canada). The group is the Quartet-in-Residence at the Glenn Gould School, Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada.

• Iranian and Pakistani American flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi's playing has been described as “virtuosic and birdlike” (I Care if You Listen) and having a “beautiful sound and personal sense of expression” (New York Classical Review). 

• Described as “superb” by the Chicago Classical Review, violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious is a passionate and versatile solo, chamber, and orchestral musician and performer. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and a winner of its John Erskine Prize for scholastic and artistic achievement.

• American pianist Maxim Lando first made international headlines performing together with Lang Lang, Chick Corea, and The Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall's 2017 Opening Night Gala. He has been described as a “dazzling fire-eater” (ARTS San Francisco), “a total musical being” (The New Criterion) and was lauded by Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times as displaying “brilliance and infectious exuberance”. 

• Joseph Parrish, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, is an Artist Diploma candidate at the Juilliard School. He has appeared as a soloist with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, American Classical Orchestra, and Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. 

• Pianist Clayton Stephenson's love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. Hailed for “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone), he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music. 

APAP is the national service, advocacy and membership organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust, performing arts presenting, booking, and touring field and the professionals who work within it. Our 1,700 national and international members represent leading performing arts centers, artist agencies, managers, touring companies, and performing artists. APAP is the producer of the annual APAP|NYC conference (apapnyc.org)—the world's leading gathering and marketplace for the performing arts—and is an industry leader, providing year-round resources, programming, and services. APAP|NYC is a founding partner of JanArtsNYC, the annual convergence of world-class public festivals and innovative industry gatherings taking place throughout the month of January at various NYC venues, supported by the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. 

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