Friday’s program opens with Carlos Simon’s “Holy Dance” from “Four Black American Dances,” followed by the Mozart and Brahms’ Fourth Symphony in the second half. “Four Black American Dancers” reflects Simon’s engagement with Black musical traditions through contemporary classical music. 

“We just had our first rehearsals this week, and Tobias and Erin sound amazing,” said Keeley Brooks ’25, president of YSO. “I think the orchestra is really excited to get to play with them on Friday, and on tour as well.” 

Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante was written for violin, viola and orchestra and has remained one of the most celebrated fusions between symphony and concerto.

According to Liu, the piece is special because it is not merely an arrangement for two solo parts and an orchestra accompaniment; it fosters a “passionate” dialogue between violinist, violist and orchestra. 

“The piece is able to capture such a deep range of emotions in the way that’s almost more like his operas — really pushing the boundaries of what the concerto was at the time,” Liu said. “Mozart really takes the piece away from a pure virtuosic show-off to a way of storytelling that is evident in the piece.” 

While Nishi and Liu first performed the concerto together last year for the annual William Waite Concerto Competition, their connection with the piece and to each other spans many years. 

Despite playing viola in the concerto, Nishi’s primary instrument is not viola. Over the past month, she has juggled preparations for her upcoming viola performances alongside auditions for master’s programs on the violin. 

“I definitely think that playing viola makes my violin playing better: it teaches me to listen for a bigger sound and a warmer sound,” she said. “It makes me use the violin in a way that’s not for granted, making me think about the constraints and balances of the instrument, and how to listen.”

Nishi first picked up the viola for her first-year class, “The Performance of Chamber Music,” when there was a shortage of violists. She was first introduced to the Mozart piece when she was invited to perform it with the Berkeley College Orchestra that same year.

As a first year in YSO, Nishi grew close to Liu’s sister, Phoebe Liu ’23, a former managing editor at the News, her stand partner who became a mentor for her musical journey at Yale. 

“She left a super strong impression on me because she was super kind and welcoming,” said Nishi. “Tobias is the same way.” 

Liu called Nishi his mentor and described her as someone to look up to at both a musical and personal level. Rehearsing for a duet performance in Woolsey and preparing for the upcoming tour, Nishi and Liu have been rehearsing together frequently. 

Throughout his time at Yale, Liu said that he has grappled with the challenge of finding time to rehearse while managing a rigorous academic course load. 

“Sometimes in music, you can spend eight hours in the practice room and feel like you get worse. One of the strategies my teacher taught me was to force yourself to set aside at least one hour every day and commit to that hour regardless of what else is going on in my life,” he said. 

Recently, said Nishi, the group has been doing a lot of slow intonation work, which “lets their musical preferences come out” and allows them to listen to each other more closely. 

While the soloists have been working particularly intensely, the entire orchestra has been rehearsing to prepare an extensive amount of repertoire for the upcoming tour.

After the competition last year, the programming committee and Boughton decided to take two separate programs, including the three pieces at Friday’s concert. 

The first program, which they will perform in Skopje and Volos, consists of Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan,” the Sinfonia Concertante, John Williams’ “Star Wars,” Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid” and encores by Simon, Duke Ellington and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. 

The second program, to be performed in Thessaloniki, Giannitsa and Athens, includes Korngold’s “Sea Hawk Overture,” Simon’s “Four Black American Dances – Waltz,” Duke Ellington’s “River Suite” and the Brahms symphony from Friday’s concert. 

According to Boughton, the repertoire is a diverse mixture of American and European music. 

“As an ambassador of Yale and an American university, I think it’s important to take American music, and I’m interested to see how that’s received in Greece,” he said. 

The orchestra’s goal of bringing American music to more audiences seems to be working. On Wednesday morning, the orchestra received news that the concert in Giannitsa was sold out. 

The performance is set to be displayed on a large screen in the city square. Proceeds from the ticket sales will be used to buy a new piano for the local music school. The orchestra also plans to invite over 150 school children to attend the dress rehearsal of the concert. 

In addition to playing at larger music venues, the orchestra will perform at least three outreach concerts, including one for children. 

“It’s great for the Yale students because they will get to learn more about Greek culture and get to know people, rather than just performing in big concert halls and staying in hotels and visiting tourist sights,” Boughton said. 

YSO returns from tour on March 21. 

The post Competition winners Erin Nishi ’25 and Tobias Liu ’26 to perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with YSO appeared first on Yale Daily News.

In addition to performing songs from the musical, the concert is set to feature student-arranged pieces from “Les Miserables” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” The group is expecting a significant alumni turnout for the event, with the group’s first-ever conductor returning to conduct “Africa” by Toto at the concert.

“The vibe is very unserious — you get to break some rules of what a concert looks like. Are you supposed to sit there, completely still and not say anything?” said DPops co-president Kira Tang ’27. “That’s not the point, the point is to have fun and invite your friends, it feels like a party.”

DPops’ specialty as an orchestra is its focus on pop songs, including music from films, musicals and even video games. 

This fall, for their “DPops To Go” concert in the Davenport Dining Hall, they performed pop hits from the summer, including Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO,” after which the event was named. 

“DPops felt full of life and love for music but also love for being a bit unserious, while also having this appreciation for music itself and the technicality of it,” said co-president Genevieve Kim ’26. “We call it DPops spirit, and it’s just this joy of existing in this space where we can all make music together that we love.”

For Kim, who plays the trumpet, DPops is a creative outlet and allows her to explore something completely unrelated to her career trajectory. She described her excitement about the possibility of joining the orchestra even before arriving at Yale. 

Additionally, Kim said that DPops has allowed her to share her love of orchestral music with friends who are unfamiliar with classical music.

“It’s this great way to be able to connect your joy in a space of music with someone else who might not be accustomed to that joy but definitely can tap into that when you are performing a song that they love already and also can recognize,” said Kim. 

When the planning committee set out to select pieces for the upcoming concert, they realized that many of the pieces shared a “witchy” motif, said Tang. This guided them to the theme of “Wicked,” especially given the re-popularization of the musical due to the recent movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. 

The medley that DPops will be performing from the musical is an arrangement from the group’s archives. Kim said that the group was excited to perform the piece for alumni. 

“I love that there’s both a piece of music that has been so beloved for so long and also a group of people who have loved this music that is persistent but has also had a recent resurgence,” said Kim.

In efforts to increase youth engagement in orchestral music, particularly through pop music, DPops is inviting children and their families from New Haven to Saturday’s concert.

Over the days leading up to the concert, DPops members have posted fliers around New Haven and sent emails to local public schools to advertise the event. 

“As a musician, there is so much emphasis on the canon, as in pieces that everyone should know or play within classical music,” said Tang. “While that’s great, there’s something really nice and accessible about pop.”

Tang, a cellist, highlighted DPops’ emphasis on student-arranged pieces as a factor that drew her to join the group. The composition process is led by two head arrangers and one assistant, who also mentor other group members interested in learning to arrange music. 

Tang began arranging music for her friends in high school and was excited to continue this in college. 

In addition to student-composed pieces, the orchestra is also conducted by a student. This year, DPops is conducted by Mitchell Dubin. According to Dubin, this facet of Dpops distinguishes the group from Glee Club, Yale Band and YSO, which are all led by professional conductors. 

“My role as a conductor is to provide feedback throughout the arranging process — I like to be as hands on and involved as appropriate,” said Dubin. “My job ultimately when it comes to arranging is to make sure that the thing we present to the orchestra is a mix of challenging, interesting and fun.”

The “DPops Defies Gravity” concert will be held in Woolsey Hall at 3 p.m. on March 1.

The post Davenport Pops Orchestra set to defy gravity this weekend appeared first on Yale Daily News.

This year’s new tap class represented breaks from tradition. For the first time in the group’s history, the Whiffenpoofs welcomed a female musical director, Eunice Oh ’26, as one of its 14 members.

“As soon as one of the members introduced the news, at that moment, it really just felt warm to be welcomed into a family,” said Yixiao Zhang ’26, a new Whiffenpoofs member from the Alley Cats.

New Whiffenpoofs member Noah Jung ’26, of the Alley Cats, was pacing around Beinecke Plaza when he received the FaceTime call. On the other side of the phone, current Whiffenpoof members gathered to welcome taps and shared memories from their year of concertizing and traveling the world.

According to Jung, the anxiety leading up to the call made the “super, super energetic phone call” worth it.

Isabelle Millman ’26, the new pitch of Whim ’n Rhythm and current pitch of Something Extra, said that she was “equal parts excited and terrified.” 

When her phone rang, Millman ran out of her music class and took the call in the hallway, where a former Something Extra member and current Whim ’n Rhythm member notified her of her acceptance.

When Oh received the call from Logan Foy ’25, the Whiff’s current pitch, she knew that she had gotten the position.

“I was in shock throughout the phone call; there’s kind of a sense that it doesn’t feel real,” said Oh.

Historically, the Whiffenpoofs have consisted of all-male seniors, while Whim ’n Rhythm only tapped female seniors. In 2018, both groups began admitting taps of all genders — the Whiffenpoofs tap singers with tenor and bass vocal range, while Whim ’n Rhythm perform a soprano and alto repertoire.

This year marks the first time in the Whiffenpoofs’ 116-year history that the illustrious pitch position has been awarded to a woman.

While this achievement is a first for the group, Oh is no stranger to this role. Over the past year, Oh served as the first female pitch and musical director of the a cappella Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, or SOBs, an experience she believes has prepared her for this new challenge.

“I think that the transition from a co-ed space to co-ed leadership is something that I’ve navigated, so I’m excited to figure out how that works for this new group,” she said.

In addition to Oh and Zhang, the Whiffenpoofs tapped Gui Medeiros Costa Pereira ’26, Emily Frances Patrick ’26, Charlie Calkins ’26, Benjamin Jimenez ’26, Lucas Oland ’26, Brandon Lee ’26, Quincy Rosenzweig ’26, Joseph Aguilar ’26, Peighton Lotwis ’26, Elijah Lee ’26, Noah Jung ’26 and Tabatha Stewart ’26.

Whim ’n Rhythm selected Millman, Sophie Garcia ’26, Sophia Lahik ’26, Estelle Balsirow ’26, Anjal Jain ’26, Jaime Cha ’26, Genevieve Kim ’26, Aryana Ramos-Vazquez ’26, Hai Yen Tran ’26, Kate Van Tassel ’26, Graciana Doster ’26, Leila Glotzer Martin ’26, Lu Arie ’26 and Joanne Lee ’26, who is also the co-podcast editor at the News. 

For both groups, the tap and audition processes are incredibly similar — consisting of warm-ups, pitch matching and memory exercises, solo performances and interviews. 

As many seniors noted, the rush process for the senior a cappella groups is different from the audition process for other a cappella groups. For one, there are no callback auditions, and decisions are announced a mere few days after auditions. 

According to Oh, her audition was much longer for the Whiffenpoofs. She had to go through a pitch audition process, which involved leading a 40-minute rehearsal through two arrangements, followed by a 20-minute interview. 

Aryana Ramos-Vazquez ’26 described the Whim ’n Rhythm audition process as a “lovely” and “supportive environment.”

For some taps, the idea of singing in Whiffenpoofs was on their radar before arriving at Yale. Charlie Calkins ’26, of the Alley Cats, attended his first Whiffenpoofs concert with his father in sixth grade. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be a member. “It was really a dream come true to be tapped,” he said.

New taps from both groups are incredibly excited for what’s to come in the following year. With many members already part of Yale’s a cappella community, prospective members said that they look forward to strengthening existing friendships and creating new ones.

“I really look forward to getting to know my fellow people much better,” Lahik said. “I don’t really know many of them, so I look forward to mixing and building new connections and relationships with them. I’ve heard great things from every Whim class so far.”

Tap night for both Whiffenpoofs and Whim ’n Rhythm was on Old Campus on Tuesday.

The post Whiffenpoofs and Whim ’n Rhythm announce newest tap classes appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Korenaga is a singer-songwriter who hails from Bethany, Connecticut. Released on Jan. 31, the song marks her third single and leads her upcoming EP. 

“I write music to connect. Connect with myself, with other songwriters and with listeners. I hope that listeners can find a piece of my song, whether it be one line or a chord progression, that resonates with them,” said Korenaga.

The song was written for a close friend of Korenaga. 

According to Korenaga, her “emotional nature” shapes her songwriting; after listening to her friend’s experiences, she was inspired to channel them into a song. 

“It was a rainy night in Boston and I had just finished dinner with a friend — that’s when I

got her call,” said Korenaga. “The shock and disbelief of how someone could treat another person put me into a deep emotional state, which drove the vision of this song.”

When the singer-songwriter got her journal at age 11, she began writing lyrics in them. As a trained violinist and pianist, she was introduced to music early on and harbored a desire to create her own music. 

As she entered high school, songwriting became something more for Korenega. Her childhood home’s basement, equipped with a piano and dim lights, became her escape; there, she would write songs, including ‘baby like me.’ 

The songwriting process was a long one. Her brother, on top of being a full-time college student in Nashville, served as her producer.

The song was written around March 2024, but there were different vocal and instrumental attempts that Korenaga and her brother worked through. Korenaga spent a generous amount of time choosing which chords to use for the song and how to structure them in a way that keeps focus on the lyrics.

Korenaga got to perform the song as part of Yale Spring Fling Committee’s “Tiny Dorms” — a series of original stages from different student artists and bands. She also worked closely with 17o1 Records, Yale’s only record label dedicated to student artists.

“I have the best support system in the world, and I think I’m the luckiest person in the

world for it,” said Korenaga. “It really made me recognize how much I love making music and how much I want to keep making it.”

Korenaga is especially grateful for her family, who have continuously supported her passion for art. 

Additionally, Korenaga works with an artist team that consists of a manager, photographer, videographer, graphic designer, producer, events director and publicity manager. Her photographer is Robert Gao ’27 and her manager is Devin Thomas ’27.  

As part of marketing for the song, Korenaga held a photoshoot inside the Trumbull laundry room referencing the lyric “does she do your laundry?”

“A lot of choices are determined by the limited resources we have access to around campus, which often leads to some unexpected creativity (like the Trumbull laundry shoot)! We also always make Pinterest boards together before each shoot that give us some ideas,” Gao wrote to the News.

As manager, Thomas organizes weekly meetings and oversees everything from event planning to graphic design and videography. Additionally, he helps plan her promotional content.

Many on Korenaga’s team spoke about how much they enjoy working with Korenaga — she’s truly passionate about the music and the people she works with, they said. 

“She is truly so dedicated to her music and is so talented. It’s been a blast supporting her grow her career as an artist and being just a piece of her success,” said Thomas.

‘baby like me’ is the first song on Korenaga’s EP and a music video for the song is set to release soon. 

The post Marin Korenaga ’27 sings of heartache in recent single, “baby like me” appeared first on Yale Daily News.

This past week, the a cappella group has delivered close to a hundred Singing Valentines to Yalies, ordered for them by significant others, secret admirers and friends alike. Part of the group’s fundraising effort for their international tour to Ireland in May, the Singing Valentines can be purchased on the group’s website for $10, with the option to add flowers, candy and a custom card. 

“I’m a big believer that Yale, when it comes to holidays, gets really wrapped up in the spirit of it, and I really love it,” said Lauren Alfaro ’28, one of the New Blue’s three “love-meisters.” “Singing Valentines has been a great way for friends to send other friends messages, and to just spread a message of love to someone they might not even know that well.”

Love-meisters like Alfaro are the group’s first years, or “bloibs.” They are in charge of coordinating, scheduling and assigning Singing Valentines to the New Blue members. 

After creating a spreadsheet with order details — names of senders, their intended recipients, chosen song and the times and locations of the performances —- the love meisters email professors asking for permission to sing in front of their classes.  

Some professors, shared Alfaro, are more reluctant when it comes to having their class time disrupted, while others find the oftentimes embarrassing exchanges hilarious. 

“Last year I ordered one for [my boyfriend] during his ultimate frisbee practice in PWG,” said Amiah Hanson ’27, who is also a member of the New Blue. “We marched up among all these sweaty people. I cornered him and we sang a barbershop quartet at 3:30 p.m. in PWG.”

Hanson and her boyfriend have been dating for a year and a half now. For their first Valentine’s Day together, they decided to send each other Singing Valentines. Because Hanson was then a love-meister, she knew exactly when she would be receiving hers: in the middle of a Biology 103 lecture. 

This year, however, her a cappella group has adamantly kept Hanson in the dark about the performance. For her boyfriend’s Valentine, Hanson said that she plans to sing “East of the Sun” with the rest of the group — one of the slower, more romantic pieces in the group’s repertoire. 

“The notion of a barbershop quartet is pretty cutesy because they’re older songs,” said Hanson. “[Singing Valentines] has evolved to contain more funny things as well, but it really just depends on what you’re trying to do. There’s enough song variety to decide.”

On the order form linked on the group’s website, students have a selection of six songs to choose from, ranging from romantic to more humorous and light-hearted, like “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie” —  a song often selected for friends.

In addition to sending Singing Valentines to significant others and close friends, some people also place orders to “create drama,” said Rachel Camille Bish ’28, another of the New Blue’s love-meisters. 

A few days ago, for instance, a student spent $43 on seven Valentines all for the same person —  who the group initially believed to be the sender’s partner, Bish shared. The next day, however, the group received an email from the presumed sender, who revealed that his friends had posed as him to buy these Valentines. 

Bish said the sender shared that his friends had plotted to get him and his ex-partner back together and requested that the group not deliver the Valentines. 

The opportunity to order anonymously plays a central role in the Singing Valentines culture on campus, said Laine Banziger ’28, and allows the performances to create some intrigue surrounding fellow students’ love lives. 

“I’m sending one to my suitemate Kayla, because she told me that she would die if someone sent her a Valentine during her Econ class, which is also when I’m sending it,” said Banziger. “It’s going to be anonymous so no one in her class is going to know who it’s from,” she continued. 

The New Blue has already collected well over $1000, with most of their sales happening this Thursday and Friday. 

The post Love and games — New Blue of Yale delivers Singing Valentines to lovers, friends and enemies alike appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The program accepts one student annually and requires no additional costs beyond Yale College tuition. Students must indicate on their Common Application that they are applying for Yale’s BA-MM program. To qualify for the program, students must successfully audition through the School of Music before matriculation or after their third year of study.

“Students are expected to play at a master’s level when auditioning, so the entrance bar is very high in terms of the expectations,” said Albert Gang ’24 MUS ’25, a fifth-year student in the program.

Instead of completing a two-year master’s program following their bachelor’s degree, students begin the intensive portion of their graduate studies during their senior year and study full-time at the School of Music during their fifth year.

Ani Kavafian, a violin professor who has taught several students in the program since its inception, highlighted the selectiveness of the admissions and audition process.

Most students who apply for a master’s degree at the School of Music have four years of elite conservatory training. Despite not having the same years of experience under their belt, BA-MM students are expected to perform at the same level — straight out of high school.

Kavafian explained that the program allows her to work with students who have both academic propensity and ability to perform music at the graduate level. 

“Very few people can be in that little circle, so it’s a very unique but wonderful program,” she said. “They’re the most organized of any of my students. And if you’re not organized, it’s an overwhelming program.”

The program is similar to other dual-degree offerings at competing schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, where students can earn their master’s at the New England Conservatory or the Juilliard School, respectively.

However, the program at Yale may offer a more convenient option for students due to the School of Music’s on-campus location.

At other dual-degree programs, students might only be able to make the trip to the conservatory once a week, said Gang. Gang’s conservatory was right across the street for his four college years.

“I would go to class in the morning, have a lesson, and then practice or do other activities for the rest of the day. It was really simple to integrate into my undergrad life,” he said.

Additionally, the program encourages students to be fully immersed in the undergraduate social scene. 

When Gang first arrived on campus as an 18-year-old during the pandemic, he noted that there wasn’t much of a community within the BA-MM program. Thus, he joined the Yale Symphony Orchestra and chamber music with other undergraduates for the first two years. 

Isabelle Ong ’28 MUS ’29 is also a member of YSO, which she finds to be “a lot of fun” and “very fulfilling.”

Like Gang, she shared that she spends more time with Yale College students than with students at the School of Music. However, Ong said that she has encountered only moments of kindness and inspiration since enrolling at the School of Music.

“When we were doing self-introductions, everyone would say that they graduated from Curtis or Juilliard, and I just graduated from high school,” she said.

According to Ong, the most immersive part of her college experience has been going to a studio class, where she learns firsthand from high-level peers and plays in front of an audience every other week.

For Kavafian, the BA-MM program offers a unique opportunity to witness her students’ growth throughout their college years, as she gets to teach her students for five years instead of just two.

“The growth that I experience with them is astounding, and I have more time to shape their musical ideas and then let them fly with their talent,” she said.

Gang also noted that the BA-MM program allowed him to study with Kavafian while at Yale College, which he wouldn’t have otherwise. While some faculty at the School of Music teach undergraduate students privately or offer lessons for credit programs, others only teach at the graduate level.

In addition to lessons, students in the BA-MM program are expected to fulfill the 72 credits required for their master’s degree, which includes theory and history, chamber music and playing in Yale Philharmonia.

Gang explained that he had already been involved in YSM courses starting his freshman year and was in Yale Philharmonia his senior year. His transition into the BA-MM program felt natural.

However, according to Gang, the biggest challenge of being a BA-MM student was seeing his undergraduate friends leave after graduation.

“The type of student who goes to the School of Music is also really different from the typical Yale College student, and there definitely was an adjustment period,” he said.

While the BA-MM program is a unique opportunity for students to experience the best collegiate education and conservatory training, there is still room for refinement within the program, said Gang.

As an international student from Singapore, Ong noted that she knew very little about the program based on online information. Further, she said that she was unable to learn about the program by word of mouth.

Gang recalled an experience where he was unable to perform in a masterclass for undergraduate students due to his enrollment in the program, despite being a junior at the time.

“There were certain opportunities that I wasn’t able to get at the undergrad level, but in summary, I had an extremely positive experience,” he said.

Other students choose not to audition for the program to experience as many years of a college education. Alex Nam ’25 is one of them; this February, he plans to audition for top master’s programs, including YSM.

Auditions for the School of Music take place from Feb. 17 to 23.

The post Meet the graduate-level musicians who study full-time at Yale College appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Korsantia is expected to stay at the school for one year, serving as a temporary appointment for the departing Boris Slutsky, who has been at YSM since 2019.

Korsantia made a name for himself on the global stage after winning First Prize in the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. He has since performed with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic, and collaborated with renowned artists such as Christoph Eschenbach and Paavo Järvi.

In addition to his distinguished performing career, the Georgian pianist has solidified his reputation as a sought-after teacher. For the past 22 years, he has worked with New England Conservatory’s piano faculty, which he described as one of the best piano departments in the world. 

Next year, Korsantia will continue his teaching career at both NEC and YSM, with a few select students in two separate studios. Wei-Yi Yang, professor in the Practice of Piano, said that Korsantia will be on the jury during auditions for his prospective students this February. He added that he was excited to begin working with Korsantia and looks forward to getting to know Korsantia personally ahead of the Fall. 

“He is very kind and collegial, and we look forward to him bringing a new voice and perspective to the close-knit students and faculty,” Yang said. 

Korsantia echoed Yang’s emphasis on building community within the piano faculty. 

He explained his desire to assume the position after experiencing Yale’s “welcoming atmosphere” when he visited campus to teach a masterclass last November.  

“The foremost importance to me was the courtesy, friendship, and wonderful collegial relationships that my friends who currently and used to teach at Yale described,” he said. 

Korsantia also mentioned the immense prestige of the School of Music and the fame of the institution as an inclination for joining the faculty.

In describing the process of selecting Korsantia, the piano department stressed the importance of choosing a candidate who was both an incredible performer and an excellent teacher. 

Boris Berman, head of the piano department, described Korsantia as an artist who is not overly extravagant and brings fresh interpretations to well-known pieces. Additionally, Berman said that he was impressed by Korsantia’s highly engaging teaching at the guest masterclass in November.

“When we are looking for somebody to join us, we are looking for the same quality, and we are very happy to have found those qualities in Professor Korsantia,” Berman said.

García-León agreed that Korsantia stood out as a candidate when he was a guest at the School for the masterclass. 

“The piano faculty was impressed with his exceptional artistry, engaging teaching style, and warm personality,” he said. 

Korsantia said that his offer from Yale was very generous, as it allowed him to stay “loyal” to his current conservatory. He described his relationship with NEC’s students, faculty and community as “priceless” and explained the importance of maintaining good relationships with the institution.  

While Korsantia is unsure of the duration of his partnership with Yale, he is excited to bring his teaching and experience to the School of Music. 

“The way I teach is ultimately through my experiences of performing, and I try to use that experience to pass it on to my students,” he said. 

Korsantia described himself as a believer in “humankind,” which informs his teachings. He draws on the  “spirituality of past times” and accumulating knowledge rather than adhering to a specific school of teaching. 

Korsantia will perform the opening concert of the Horowitz Piano Series in September. 

The post Renowned pianist Alexander Korsantia to join as Visiting Professor in the Practice of Piano appeared first on Yale Daily News.

This year’s festival marks the first time that the Schwarzman Center supported the jazz festival. Salvant’s performance was largely possible due to the Schwarzman Center, said YUJC Co-President Teddy Horangic ’25.

“ It’s worth noting that jazz has a lot more institutional support from the university today than it did at the time of the first festival, over ten years ago,” said YUJC Co-President Alex Roseman ’25.

The festival spanned over three nights, with Salvant closing the festival on Saturday. The Mariel Bildstein Trio opened the festival on Thursday with a performance at the Afro-American Cultural Center. 

Performances for the entirety of the festival are completely free and open to the public. The concert was full with many on the waitlist waiting outside of Commons in hopes of getting a spot inside the festival. 

Salvant’s performance was preceded by the Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective’s performance. When Salvant took to the stage, event organizers asked viewers to refrain from taking photos or videos of the event. 

About a year ago, the YUJC board had been brainstorming for the artist lineup of the festival when they realized that the Schwarzman Center had previously partnered with many different artists, including jazz artists. 

When YUJC leaders spoke to the Schwarzman Center about a potential collaboration, the center said that a performance from Salvant had already been on their radar.  

“It was just the perfect coincidence of matched incentives. We really could not have done this without them,” said Horangic.

According to Horangic, after seeing Salvant at age 16, she was sold on jazz singing. During the concert, Horangic spoke about how exciting it was to open for the person who fueled her passion for jazz.

She said that she hoped to emulate Salvant’s approach to supplement her music with historical and cultural storytelling. 

“She’s just my hero in jazz. I aspire to have everything about what she does as an archivist, as a theatre performer. It’s all so inspiring,” said Horangic. 

Salvant’s performance was accompanied by drumist Kyle Poole, pianist Gleen Zaleski and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. 

Following the performance was a conversation led by Daphne Brooks, professor of African American studies. Brooks was incredibly excited for the opportunity to speak to Salvant, given that Brooks is a fan herself who has written and taught Salvant’s work many times in her classes.

“I’m always hopeful that I’ll be able to discuss with her about her work, especially right after she’s performed so that was a box I could check off my bucket list,” said Brooks.

During the conversation, attendees were able to hear more about Salvant’s creative process, specifically regarding her latest work, “Ogresse.” The recent release is a cross between jazz and theater: a dark, romantic myth about a monster with a taste for human flesh, who falls in love with a human man. 

Additionally, Salvant spoke about her experience doing archival research and some current and upcoming projects. Salvant shared her plans to release an animated film, which has been in the works for about seven years and is set to be released in the next few years. 

Since 2010, Salvant has released seven albums — of them, six have been nominated for Grammy Awards.

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“We aimed to find a balance between showcasing established jazz musicians who bring a wealth of experience to the festival and providing a platform to growing artists for their craft,” said programming director Shaun Pexton.

The festival consists of three separate concerts. The festival’s first two days took place at the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale. 

The first day brought out the Mariel Bildstein Trio. Bildstein’s band has performed at the Lincoln Center, the MET, the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Perth International Jazz Festival. 

On Friday, the festival features a performance with Sasha Berliner — a jazz musician and composer who has headlined various festivals in the United States and Canada. She is the first recipient from the United States to receive the LetterOne “Rising Stars” Jazz Award and the youngest winner of the Downbeat Critics’ Poll award in the vibraphone category.

This year marks the first partnership between the YUJC and the Schwarzman Center. The final event and highlight of the festival will be a performance from three-time Grammy winner Salvant held at Commons.

Salvant, who is also a MacArthur Fellow, delivers jazz performances that feature a plethora of different themes ranging from blues, global folk tradition and baroque.  

Choosing the line-up of artists was an incredibly long and thought-out process, said Pexton. According to Thara Joseph ’26, a member of YUJC, the group intentionally chooses artists who are not just musically exceptional but committed to serving and engaging communities. 

 “A key priority was curating a lineup that highlights the rich and diverse traditions of the jazz genre while also keeping up with the exciting ways the art form continues to evolve today,” said Pexton.

According to YUJC co-president Alex Roseman, the festival is a tradition that serves as a way to bridge the gap between Yale students and the New Haven jazz community. For this reason, the festival is free of charge and open to the public. 

“It’s important, I think, to make sure the university isn’t isolated from the city,” said Roseman. And, of course, we want everyone to be able to enjoy high-quality jazz performances.” 

The festival is one of YUJC’s biggest events during the academic year. 

Student leaders began preparing and fundraising for the festival over a year in advance. They frequently met to complete funding applications, find instruments and equipment, reach out to artists, and book venues for the festival.

“The collaborative spirit of our organization, from our core leadership to our newest members, transforms what could be an overwhelming undertaking into a well-orchestrated celebration of jazz that serves both the Yale and New Haven communities,” said Joseph.

Interested students can find tickets for Sasha Berliner’s concert here and register for the waitlist of Cécile McLorin Salvant’s sold-out show here. 

The post The Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective’s 12th Annual Jazz Festival commences with the Bildstein Trio, to continue through Saturday appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Lim took center stage in 2022 after becoming the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, launching his illustrious career. Ever since, he’s solidified his reputation as a once-in-a-generation talent. 

Saturday’s performance was no different, causing audiences to marvel at his flawless technique, imaginative instincts and astounding musical maturity –– talent that stretched well beyond his years.

At just 20 years old, Lim has already made two appearances with the New York Philharmonic, having debuted with America’s leading orchestras last season with Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto. 

This year, Lim brought Chopin’s F minor piano concerto to a sold-out concert hall. The piece was penned by the great Polish composer in 1830, when he was the same age as Lim. 

While Chopin is unanimously celebrated as one of the most virtuosic and prolific composers for the piano, his only two concertos have been harshly criticized since their debuts. Many appraisals point to weak orchestration and lack of symphonic complexity, which is unsurprising considering all of his works, except the concerti and a Cello Sonata, are written for the solo piano. 

Pianists have rearranged the score in past performances to accommodate gaps in this orchestration –– among them notably Alfred Cortot in 1935 and Mikhail Pletnev in 2017. Lim chose to stick with the urtext for his powerful performance, a decision that convinced audiences of the ingenuity of Chopin’s writing. 

Unlike the Rachmaninoff piano concerto he played earlier this year, his strategic interpretation was not one of an emotional rollercoaster. Instead, Lim highlighted the subtleties of Chopin’s craft, exploring his signature use of harmony and early romantic style with tasteful sensitivity. 

The piece opens with a solemn tutti, beginning with the strings and followed by a foreshadowing theme from the oboe. Almost all sound dissipates from the hall before the pianist’s emphatic entrance, which Lim played with utmost clarity.

Through the exposition, Lim remained poised, with almost a tame approach at the bench. He hardly moved throughout the performance, capturing the character of the piece only with the music itself. 

As the movement went on, Lim was in complete control, pacing the development section with intention and spontaneity. 

The only caveat to a near perfect execution of the first movement was the connection between orchestra, conductor and soloist. The accompanimental string sections, under the baton of a debuting Kazuki Yamada, sometimes disengaged during sparser passages, failing to support Lim’s embellishments and dense piano part. 

Moreover, the fiery ending of the recapitulation was slightly underwhelming and failed to reciprocate Lim’s energy. 

Conversely, the chemistry between performer and accompaniment beautifully rejoiced to capture the temperament of the nocturne-like second movement. The gentle and warm undertones of the orchestra complemented Lim’s sumptuous playing. His timing of ornamental figures, lyrical phrasing, and touch and quality of sound made for an astonishingly beautiful performance. 

The last movement, written in the style of a mazurka, resembles that of an energetic dance and requires remarkable precision and dexterity. Lim performed the most difficult passages with ease, capturing the essence of a Polish dance while still maintaining the musical and structural cohesion of the overall concert. 

Following the royal exclamation from the french horn before the coda, Lim brought the audience along one final voyage, this time with a conclusive quality to his playing. These last two minutes were perhaps the most convincing. It appeared as if Lim had finally come to terms with Chopin’s writing, understanding the piece for its nuance and complexity. 

His execution of the coda drew the audience to the edge of their seats, enchanting them with his fairy-esque touch, before capping off the concerto with a robust and satisfying ending. 

Unlike many of his previous performances, the audience didn’t immediately rise from their seats, perhaps still processing the noble finale. However, shortly after he began to bow, the entire hall was on their feet, cheering and whistling for the generational star. 

As an encore, Lim performed the 13th variation from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BMV 988, the complete work of which he will perform later in the season.

The New York Philharmonic performed two other works on the night — a New York Premiere of Entwine, by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura preceding the concerto in the first half, and a second half with Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony. 

The third movement, a sweeping and lyrical adagio, contains one of the most emotionally moving melodies in classical music. Principal Clarinetist Anthony McGill played the melody tenderly, blending love with longing. In one of the most touching moments in the whole program, the same theme is passed around to different instruments in the orchestra, which was paced to perfection by Yamada. 

The audience left David Geffen Hall perhaps slightly winded from the hour-long symphony, but left with music to hum until the new year. 

Lim’s next concert is on Dec. 17 at the Incheon Arts Center in South Korea. 

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