Geirthrudur Guðmundsdóttir, cello and Liang-yu Wang, piano

Program

  • Clara Schumann (1819-1896) - Three Romances, Op. 22 (1853) (9')
  • I. Andante
  • II. Allegretto: Mit zartem Vortrage
  • III. Leidenschaftlich schnell
  • Johannes Brahms (1833-1896) -Sonata in F Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 99 (1886) (23')
  • I. Allegro vivace
  • II. Adagio affettuoso
  • III. Allegro passionate
  • IV. Allegro molto
  • Florence Price (1887-1953) - Adoration (1951) (4')

Praised for her “agile and passionate” playing, her “remarkable maturity” and her “unbridled and honest” interpretation, Icelandic-American cellist Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir has performed internationally at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall and at the Southbank Centre in London and appeared as soloist a with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, among others. Her 2021 concert tour of Iceland, where she performed the six Bach Cello Suites, was hailed as “an awe-inspiring experience” (Jónas Sen, Fréttablaðið).

Geirþrúður has been a prize winner at numerous competitions, including the Anton Rubinstein International Cello Competition, Hellam Young Artist Competition and the New York International Artists Association Competition. A passionate chamber musician, she was awarded the Gold Medal and Grand Prize at the 2022 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition with the Terra String Quartet, as well as receiving the chamber music prize at the Ecole d’Art Américains de Fontainebleau, the top prize at the Dover String Quartet Competition, and appearing as a semi-finalist at the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition. She has performed at festivals across the United States and Europe, including IMS Prussia Cove, Kneisel Hall, the International Holland Music Sessions, Hvide Sande Masterclasses, the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and the Harpa International Music Academy. In addition to her work as a modern cellist, Geirþrúður is an active performer on baroque and period instruments and has a keen interest in conducting. Outside her love of music, she enjoys reading, photography, and chess.

Praised by The Herald Times as a pianist who “strokes and strikes the keyboard pristinely and with elegance”. Taiwanese pianist Liang-yu Wang has performed in major concert halls across four continents. The legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci enthusiastically endorsed her as “A terrific pianist!”

Ms. Wang is currently based in the Chicago and serves as the collaborative pianist at the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music. An enthusiastic chamber musician, she has been featured as guest artist with notable chamber music organizations including performances at the Morgan Library & Museum, Red Rocks Music Festival, the Banff Centre, Schlern International Music Festival, Chamber Music on the Fox, and Académie Musicale Internationale “Barbara Krakauer”. Her playing has been broadcasted on WFMT, the Violin Channel, PBS, and Klara (Belgium). The debut CD she recorded with with cellist Thomas Landschoot, “Balabille: Cello Sonatas by Debussy, Poulenc & Chopin” (ArchiMusic) was nominated as “The Best Classical Music Album” by the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. Ms. Wang was a recipient of the Collaborative Piano Fellowship from the Bard Conservatory of Music, working closely with the renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw. Ms. Wang has also served as Visiting Assistant Professor (Collaborative Piano/String) at the Indiana University-Bloomington and was on faculty at Western Illinois University School of Music. During summers, she is on staff at the prestige music program, Meadowmount School of Music. As a passionate advocate of contemporary music, her ongoing concert tours and recording project in collaboration with the Belgian leading composer Frank Nuyts has been one of her recent career highlights.

About the Dame Myra Hess Concerts

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

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