Sunday, April 25th at 3: PM
Beethoven: Prince of Music
"The Archduke Trio"
What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.
---Ludwig van Beethoven
The WSO presents Beethoven: Prince of Music on Sunday, April 25th at the Litchfield Community Center, featuring the AYA Trio performing Beethoven's "Archduke Trio." Considered by many to be Beethoven's most beautiful piano trio, it is music of sweeping grandeur and the perfect showcase for the virtuosity of these musicians.
There are two ways to enjoy this event. You can purchase one of the limited tickets for the socially distanced in-person concert, or you may purchase the livestream, to watch at home while it's happening! Both options are $25.
IN-PERSON TICKET: Please be aware that masks must be worn at all times and social distance protocols will be in effect.
LIVESTREAM: Only one reservation is required per household. The link will be emailed to you approx. 24 hours prior to the event.
Honduran-Venezuelan Cellist Andres Sanchez, born in Allentown PA, USA, began his cello studies at the age of eight years old under the wing of current Puerto Rico symphony cello principle Miguel Rojas. After two years of study, he moved his studies to the cello studio of Jesus Morales, cellist of the Dali Quartet and ex principle of the Puerto Rico Symphony. At 10 years of age, Andres made his first solo debuts in the Midwest Clinic of Chicago, and the Ocean City Pops orchestra. Three years later, he made his Carnegie hall debut along side the Arconet chamber orchestra. At age 16, Andres was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music in 2013 where he studied with cellist Peter Wiley and Carter Brey. Andres Graduated this year from the Curtis Institute of Music. Andres has appeared as soloist with the Arconet Chamber Orchestra on several occasions since joining Curtis and has also performed as a soloist with the Kutztown Univeristy Chamber orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist with the Kennet Square Symphony, the Central Jersey Symphony, and the Summit Symphony. Andres will appear as a soloist this year with the PA Sinfonia and with the Waterbury Symphony as part of the AYA Trio Beethoven Triple Concerto debut.
Also an avid chamber musician, Andres has performed in over 30 chamber music concerts in the Curtis Student recital Series. As cellist of the AYA trio, he will be performing chamber across the country in locations such as Memphis TN, New York City, Waterbury CT, and Washington DC. The AYA trio just recently signed into the roster of Jean Schreiber Management where they are represented by Jean Schreiber Deutsch. The AYA piano trio recently performed in concerts international series, and Schneider concert series. In April they will be attending the Chesapeake chamber music competition. In the 2016-17 season, Andres served as the associate principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and as principle of the Curtis Opera Orchestra. During his service, Andres played in high profile venues such as the Kimmel Center; also a participant of the 2017 Curtis on Tour, Andres traveled and played in the finest venues of European cities including Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo, Dresdner Philarmonie, and Weiner Concert Hall. Andres has attended several master classes while at the Curtis institute of music, including ones with cellist Marcy Rosen, Colin Carr, and Timothy Eddy. He also participated the 2015 Banff Center Master Class Program where he studied with cellist Andres Díaz, Raphael Walfisch, and Denis Brott, and he has also participated in the 2016 Music From Angel Fire Festival where he performed side by side with Artists such as Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, Steven Tenenbom, and Ani Kavafian. In the summer of 2018, Andres attended the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival where he played with and was coached by the esteemed artists of the Emerson Quartet including Philip Setzer and Paul Watkins. Andres has also participated in the Hefietz institute, where he performed several chamber and solo recital works and took part in several master classes with cellist such as Franz Helmerson and Yeesun Kim.
Andres has been a participant of several competitions including the Fischoff, M-Prize, Hudson Valley, Greenfield, and the Carlos Prieto International Cello competition. In 2018, the AYA piano trio won 1st prize in the WDAV competition, and the trio also won joint first prize in the 2020 Yellow Springs Competition.
Pianist Ying Li is increasingly recognized as one of today’s most versatile and dynamic musicians. An enthusiastic traveler, she has performed as a soloist and chamber musician around the globe, ranging from Asia and North America to Europe. From ACT City Hall in Hamamatsu Japan and to Sala Verdi in Milan to Merkin Concert Hall in New York.
A finalist at the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Ying is a recipient of numerous awards, including first prize at the Artist Series of Sarasota national competition, Brevard Music Festival solo and
Concerto competitions, Liszt competition for Young Pianists, and third prize at Minnesota Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition.
As a soloist, she has performed with many orchestras including her most recent debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s family concert series under the baton of Maestro Lina Gonzalez- Granados at the Verizon Hall of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Ying has also performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra under maestro Xian Zhang, the Brevard Music Festival Orchestra under maestro Ken Lam, and the Longwood
Symphony Orchestra under maestro Ronald Feldman.
An avid chamber musician, Ying has appeared at festivals such as Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute in Chicago, La Jolla Music Society Summerfest in San Diego, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut, Four Seasons Chamber Music Winter Workshop in North Carolina, and Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland. Ying is a founding member of the AYA Piano Trio. The Trio won the 2018 Young Chamber Musicians Competition in North Carolina, and was invited back a year later for a residency of recordings and concerts. The AYA Trio also placed in the semi-finals at both the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition in Michigan and Indiana’s Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Fluent in Chinese, English and Korean, Ying’s artistic vision for the arts and artists focuses on advocacy for global
citizenship. Passionate about community engagement, she believes that although musical and literary notations may be different, the quality of emotional content in music can serve as a language-breaking barrier, uniting members of various communities in a global way. It is the responsibility as an artist and a musician to share these ideals in accessible ways. Wherever possible in her performing travels, she seeks opportunities to visit and perform in schools and community facilities. While serving in the Curtis Institute’s Social Entrepreneur fellowship program, she brought music into hospitals, retirement homes, homeless shelters, and underserved schools in the Philadelphia area. She has also participated in educational workshops in the Minneapolis and Cleveland areas, in collaboration with the Minnesota Public Radio and Performance Today host Fred Child. This project was generously sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Born into a musical Korean family in China, pianist Ying Li, was surrounded by music from the beginning. At the age of five, she started receiving piano training, and soon made her first public solo debut and competition victory at the age of seven. Having attended conservatories only, Ying was a student at the elementary school and middle school affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing from ages nine to fourteen. She, then moved to Philadelphia to attend the Curtis Institute of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music degree in 2019. Currently pursuing her Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School in New York, her major teachers have included Jonathan Biss, Imogen Cooper, Seymour Lipkin, and Robert McDonald.
Violinist Ari Isaacman-Beck, originally from Minneapolis, is the first violinist of the Philadelphia-based Dalí Quartet, in residence at West Chester University. His playing has been praised for its "impressive, masterful finesse" and "enormous soul and a big, vibrant sound." Equally at home as a solo violinist and chamber musician, he has performed as a soloist or chamber musician across the North America, Europe, and Asia at venues such as the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Tonhalle (Zürich), Jordan Hall (Boston), the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), and Carnegie Hall (New York City).
A passionate educator as well, Isaacman-Beck has served on the faculties of the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, New England Conservatory, and Junior Greenwood Music Camp; he has given masterclasses at the Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
When he's not practicing, rehearsing, performing, or teaching(!), Isaacman-Beck loves to read, practice yoga, ride his bicycle, and cook, with a particular interest in traditional Italian dishes.