Andres Sanchez, cello and Victor Asuncion, piano

Program

  • Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) - Lied ohne Worte Op. 109 (1845) (5’)
  • Franz Schubert (1997-1828) - Arpeggione Sonata D.821 (1824) (25’)
  • I. Allegro Moderato
  • II. Adagio
  • III. Allegretto
  • Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) - Mosè-fantasía MS 23 (1818-19) (6’)

1st Prize Winner of the 29th Annual Sphinx Competition and Semi-Finalists of the prestigious 2025 Schoenfeld International Cello Competition, cellist Andres Sanchez is a fast rising talent whose expressive style and technical precision have made him a talent to watch in the classics world. He has participated in several competitions including the 73rd ARD International Competition, 2024 Walter W. Naumburg Competition, and 2026 Classic Cello International Competition.

Andres has appeared as a soloist with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Longwood Symphony, Kenneth Square Symphony, the Central Jersey Symphony, the Summit Symphony, Pennsylvania Sinfonia, and the Gabrieli Ensemble. Upcoming debuts include concerto appearances with the Houston Symphony, Wilmington Symphony, and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

Hailed by The Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist. He played his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra, and his New York recital debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1999. In addition, he has worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Batiz, Mei Ann Chen, Zeev Dorman, Arthur Weisberg, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Jordan Tang, and Bobby McFerrin.

A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Andres Diaz, James Dunham, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Cho-Liang Lin, Giora Schmidt, the Dover, Emerson, Serafin, Sao Paulo, and Vega String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe.

Mr. Asuncion is the Founder, and Artistic and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship and performance. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. Victor Santiago Asuncion is a Steinway artist. Marian holds degrees from the University of South Florida, DePaul University, and the University of the Philippines. Her primary teachers include Dr. Carolyn Stuart, Dr. Olga Kaler, and Prof. Arturo Molina.

About the Dame Myra Hess Concerts

The concerts are generously sponsored by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and by individual donors.

Upcoming Performances

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