Yvonne Chen
pianist, March 27
From performing in hospital hallways to Carnegie Hall, Taiwanese-American pianist Yvonne Chen enjoys programming site-specific performances, as well as creating a logical yet balanced array of music blending the familiar with the unfamiliar, the old and the new, and the traditional with the avant-garde in a single program. A recipient of the 2016 Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award, Chen’s innovative programming includes “An Exploration of Harpsichord Music from the 20th Century”, ”MADNESS" featuring Rzewski's de profundis for speaking pianist, and a recital of solo piano works featured in and inspired by the novels of Haruki Murakami.
A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Ms. Chen received performance degrees from the Juilliard School (New York, NY) and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music (Houston, TX). In Houston she performs as pianist and founder of contemporary music collective Loop38 and as a soloist in arts and music spaces across the city such as Rothko Chapel, the Wortham Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. She is currently finishing her doctoral degree in piano performance at Rice University while on Piano Faculty at St. John’s School.
Maxwell Foster
pianist, March 26
A native of Brisbane, Australia, pianist Maxwell Foster started studying the piano at the age of three. Maxwell has made numerous appearances at Hammer Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Perth Concert Hall, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and has performed at such international venues as Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall. After moving to Melbourne at the age of twelve, Maxwell attended the Australian National Academy of Music under the guidance of Rita Reichman. During his time in Melbourne, Maxwell became a staple amongst the classical music community, winning the Young Performer of the Year award and regularly appearing in the concert seasons of every major Orchestra in Australia.
Maxwell has gained his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at the Juilliard School, and his Master of Musical Arts degree at Yale University. Maxwell is now pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins under the guidance of Yong-hi Moon.
Alexia Riner
composer, March 27
Alexia Riner is an LA-based electronic producer and DJ who specializes in building complex soundscapes, and pairing them with her soft, luscious vocal lines. She also creates interactive experiences fusing music, technology and other mediums. A graduate of Harrison School of the Arts in Lakeland, FL, Alexia went on to receive a dual-degree in Electronic Production & Sound Design and Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She then moved to Los angeles with the aim of bringing something innovative and unique to electronic music.
Since the release of her debut album Darknet, she has performed both in the US and internationally, produced for artists such as Madame Gandhi, and worked on sound design for companies such as Native Instruments. Her sound installations have most notably included a piece for the MOCA in Miami, entitled Composition in Fourteen Tones, and an installation titled Perimeter for Ableton’s Loop Conference. She is currently finishing her second solo album, continuing her work with installations, producing for various artists, and DJing globally.
Liliya Ugay
composer, march 26
Liliya Ugay is Assistant Professor of Composition at the Florida State University College of Music. Described as "particularly evocative…fluid and theatrical” (The Arts Fuse) as well as both "assertive and steely," and "lovely, subtle writing" (Wall Street Journal), her music has been performed in many countries around the globe. Ugay has collaborated with the Nashville Symphony, Albany Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, New England Philharmonic, Yale Philharmonia, Raleigh Civic Symphony, among others. Her compositions have been featured at the Aspen, Norfolk, Cultivate, American Composers, Chelsea, June in Buffalo, and Darmstadt New Music festivals, as well as the 52nd Venice Biennale.
Liliya has received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP, Yale University, and the Woodruff Foundation. One of her passions as a pianist is to promote the music of repressed Soviet composers in her concert series Silenced Voices, for which she received guidance from Boris Berman.
Originally from Uzbekistan, Liliya is currently a composer-in-residence at the American Lyric Theater working on a full-length opera with Julian Crouch and at the Washington National Opera working on a one-act opera with Sokunthary Svay. Ugay holds degrees from the Yale School of Music; her primary mentors include Aaron Jay Kernis, Martin Bresnick, Christopher Theofanidis, and David Lang.