Crane School of Music Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. Young-Ah Tak will perform alongside the Crane Symphony Orchestra in Schumann’s “Concerto for Piano” on Oct. 27.
The Crane Symphony Orchestra at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music will present its second concert of the fall semester on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.
The performance will feature the “Piano Concerto in A-Minor, Op. 54” by Robert Schumann, featuring soloist Dr. Young-Ah Tak, an assistant professor of piano at The Crane School of Music.
“This concerto is typical of Romantic-era works—so beautiful and yet complex. All three movements are related, thematically. It almost feels like the thematic materials and harmonies melt into the music so naturally. However, as a performer, I must say it is a difficult and complex piece to master,” Tak said. “I am very much looking forward to performing such a special piece with the Crane Symphony Orchestra and sharing it with the community!”
In addition to the Schubert concerto, the Crane Symphony Orchestra will also perform the “Polonaise” from Antonín Dvořák’s opera “Rusalka,” as well as “Symphony No. 2 in D-Major, Op. 73” by Johannes Brahms.
This concert is free, and the public is invited to attend.
About the performers:
The Crane Symphony Orchestra is the second oldest college orchestra in the United States, and in its long legacy, students at Crane have worked with legendary conductors and musicians, such as Nadia Boulanger, Sarah Caldwell, Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Gunther Schuller and Robert Shaw, to name a few. Directed by Dr. Ching-Chun Lai, the Crane Symphony Orchestra is a premier, 90-member performing ensemble at The Crane School of Music. The Crane Symphony Orchestra has performed in Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, and in Carnegie Hall, among other prestigious venues.
Praised for her “thrilling blend of fury and finesse” (San Antonio Express-News) and her “winning combination of passion, imagination, and integrity” (New York Concert Review), pianist Dr. Young-Ah Tak enjoys a remarkable career that has taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea and Japan.
Tak made her New York City debut at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, with the Juilliard Orchestra. She has since appeared in the United States with the Roanoke, Lansing, Imperial, Venice, North Arkansas and NEC Philharmonic orchestras. She has appeared abroad with the Filharmonia Pomorska (Poland), Oltenia Philharmonic (Romania) and, in Korea, with the Seongnam, Busan, Ulsan and KNN philharmonic orchestras, and the Korean Symphony Orchestra. Other notable performances by Dr. Tak have taken place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater in Philadelphia, the Seoul Arts Center, Jordan Hall in Boston, Columbia University, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, Ravinia Festival, Music@Menlo, Michigan State University’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts and The Banff Centre in Canada. Active as a chamber musician, Tak has collaborated with violinist Robert Mann, cellist Bonnie Hampton, the Ma’alot Quintet and members of the Florestan Trio. She is also a passionate advocate of contemporary music, and has performed at Sequenza 21 and at the Piano Century concert series in New York City.
Tak has been awarded top prizes in numerous international competitions, including the San Antonio International Piano Competition, Italy’s Valsesia-Musica International Piano Competition, Korea’s Isang Yun International Music Competition, the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Missouri Southern International Piano Competition, Corpus Christi International Competition and Germany’s Ettlingen International Piano Competition.
Tak received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School before earning her Master of Music degree and graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory and completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, studying principally with Leon Fleisher, Russell Sherman, Yong Hi Moon, Wha Kyung Byun and Martin Canin. She currently serves as an assistant professor of piano at The Crane School of Music, and is an Artist-in-Residence at Southeastern University in Florida.
Tak’s debut recording of Judith Zaimont’s “Wizards – Three Magic Masters” was released by Albany Records to critical acclaim. Her solo album of Haydn, Schumann, Liszt and Kirchner is available on MSR Classics, and most recently she has been invited to record for Steinway’s Spirio catalogue, becoming a Spirio Recording Artist. Tak is a Steinway Artist.
This concert will be broadcast live on the Crane School of Music YouTube channel at the performance time. To view the program and see other upcoming streaming performances, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.
For more information about SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.
Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York’s only All-Steinway institution.
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