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The PT Young Artists-in-Residence program is made possible by the generous assistance of the Helen F. Whitaker Fund.
 
Regular Features
 
Live in Studio 4A
Our showcase for artists invited to perform on the program and talk about their music
The PT 50
Our list of 50 essential classical CDs
Piano Puzzlers
Bruce Adolphe's "name that composer" piano quiz
 
 
 
PT Young Artist-in-Residence
International Sejong Soloists

PT Player Profiles

Ani Aznavoorian ANI AZNAVOORIAN | full bio

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Instrument: Cello
Began Playing at Age: 3
Favorite Work to Play: All Brahms chamber music
Guilty Music Pleasure: System of a Down, Prince, Madonna
Favorite CDs: as above
Most Memorable Performance: Playing in a Japanese mini-series called "Harmonia"
Favorite Downtime Activity: Enjoying my home because I don't get to be there enough

Na-Young Baek NA-YOUNG BAEK

Hometown: Seoul, KOREA
Instrument: Cello
Began Playing at Age: 10
Other Instrument: Piano
Favorite Work to Play: Any great works of different periods of composers
Guilty Music Pleasure: Korean pop songs
Favorite CDs: mix CD of slow movements of great sonatas and symphonies
Most Memorable Performance: My piano performance (first and the last) when I was 9
Favorite Downtime Activity: Web surfing

Cornelius (Neil) Dufallo CORNELIUS DUFALLO (Neil)

Hometown: New York City
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 4
Favorite Work to Play: Improvisational music, Bach
Guilty Music Pleasure: I like to write music.
Favorite CD: A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
Most Memorable Performance: Working with Ornette Coleman
Favorite Downtime Activity: Reading, listening to music
My Other Band: nursekaya string quartet (xl)

Beth Guterman BETH GUTERMAN | full bio

Hometown: Belmont, Massachusetts (currently NYC)
Instrument: Viola
Began Playing at Age: Violin at age 4, viola at 17
Favorite Work to Play: Shostakovich Sonata
Guilty Music Pleasure: Beastie Boys, Madonna, Michael Jackson
Favorite CD/What's in My CD Player Now?: Ella Fitzgerald Live in Berlin, a 1960s Juilliard Quartet recording of the Bartók Quartets, Oistrakh & Rostropovich & Richter Beethoven Triple Concerto
Most Memorable Performance: Playing in my sister's wedding ceremony
Favorite Downtime Activity: Lots of movies. Reading. Eating out between rehearsals.

Frank Huang FRANK HUANG | full bio

Hometown: Sugarland, Texas
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 7
Favorite Work to Play: Chamber music, especially quartets
Guilty Music Pleasure: Rap, Hip-Hop
Most Memorable Performance: Every performance is memorable, some good, some a little scary.

Amy Iwazumi AMY IWAZUMI | full bio

Hometown: Born in Galveston, Texas; grew up mainly in New York
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 2½
Other Instruments: some drum and flute in junior high
Favorite Work to Play: No favorites... anything that stirs thoughts and emotions.
Guilty Music Pleasure: Guilty? I listen to anything, but have a preference for hip-hop.
Favorite CDs: Eminem Show, Blackalicious Blazing Arrow, anything by Snoop Dogg, Tupac
Favorite Downtime Activity: Graphic designing; designing and making clothes

Judy Kang JUDY KANG | full bio

Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 4
Other Instruments: learned piano, recorder and guitar
Favorite Work to Play: Any piece that moves me; any work that I am working on at that moment; a work that challenges me both technically and musically, such as Beethoven Concerto, Sonata; Bartok Solo Sonata.
Guilty Music Pleasure: Hip Hop, Britney Spears, Pop in general
Favorite CDs: Sarah McLachlan, Enigma, Radiohead
Most Memorable Performance: Playing a recital in a church to a full crowd, 35ºC outside, no A/C, with emergency crew in back (in Canada)
Favorite Downtime Activity: Movies and great dining with great friends!!!

Seyoung Lee SEYOUNG LEE | full bio

Hometown: Seoul, KOREA
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 5
Favorite Work to Play: String Quartets (esp. Beethoven) or Piano Trios
Guilty Music Pleasure: Listening to Korean Pop Songs.
Favorite CDs: Vengerov Plays Esaÿe
Favorite Downtime Activity: Drive away from the city for a few hours.

Yu-Jeong Lee YU-JEONG LEE| full bio

Hometown: Seoul, KOREA
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 5
Other Instrument: Piano (little bit)
Favorite Work to Play: Any chamber music
Guilty Music Pleasure: Listening to Korean pop songs
Favorite CD: Schubert Cello Quintet by Yo-Yo Ma & Cleveland String Quartet
Most Memorable Performance: First debut of my musical life
Favorite Downtime Activity: Watching TV, sleeping

Richard O'Neill RICHARD O'NEILL | full bio

Hometown: Sequim, Washington (a small, retirement community outside of Seattle)
Instrument: Viola
Began Playing at Age: 15, I was a violinist beforehand since 5 years of age.
Guilty Music Pleasure: Madonna Ray of Light (I'm embarrassed)
Favorite CDs: The Best of Chet Baker Sings: "Let's Get Lost"; Johnny Hartmann + John Coltrane Ballads
Most Memorable Performance: Performing the Mendelssohn Octet with Cho-Liang Lin and Gil Shaham last May in a special concert celebrating Mr. Kang in Seoul, Korea.
Favorite Downtime Activity: I love to eat: ALOT! I also work out: so I love to swim, run, lift weights.
Sejong Anecdote: On a seven-city tour of Asia with Kyung-Wha Chung in December 2001, we encountered a horrible set-back: All flights to the city where we had a concert that evening, Sapporo, were cancelled due to a terrible blizzard. The closest airport still open was six hours away from our destination by bus, so we flew to Obihiro very late in the afternoon and began our bus ride over the mountains in this terrible blizzard. It was so bad that everyone began placing bets as to when the concert would begin, if at all. Finally, we arrived in Sapporo in three feet of snow that had fallen that very day - one and a half hours late. To our amazement, the entire audience had waited in their seats for our arrival and gave us a very enthusiastic response.

Melissa Reardon MELISSA REARDON | full bio

Hometown: Northborough, Massachusetts
Instrument: Viola
Began Playing at Age: 4
Other Instruments: piano, violin, flute (no longer play these)
Favorite Work to Play: String quartets, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante
Guilty Music Pleasure: Pop and Hip-Hop
IN MY CD PLAYER NOW: Omara Portuondo from Buena Vista Social Club
Most Memorable Performance: Performing with my string quartet in high school
Favorite Downtime Activity: Sightseeing, reading, cooking... sleeping.

Stephen Sas STEPHEN SAS | full bio

Hometown: New York
Instrument: Double Bass
Began Playing at Age: 13
Favorite Work to Play: Brandenburg 6
Favorite Downtime Activity: Spending time with my wife, Debby.

Russ Stewart RUSS STEWART | full bio

Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin/New York City
Instrument: Violin
Began Playing at Age: 3
Favorite Work to Play: Any cleverly written modern music is terrific; music from first half of the 20th century.
Guilty Music Pleasure: Aside from classical music, I listen most to electronica... but... I don't feel guilty about it :)
Favorite CDs: Entire Fritz Kreisler Collection... such poise!
Most Memorable Performance: Performance of Bernstein's "Serenade" for solo violin in Alice Tully Hall in New York with the Juilliard Orchestra
Favorite Downtime Activity: Study of international politics, computers, downhill skiing, traveling.