“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart.” — Helen Keller
The Most Beautiful
Hear the stories of composers who struggled with disability, and their triumphs of beauty and connection. Music by Beethoven, Frederick Delius, Smetana, and Gabriela Lena Frank.
Friday Intimate Concerts take place at KMFA 89.5. Friday night tickets are only available in advance and include drinks and light bites during a post-concert reception with the artists. Saturday Synchronism Concerts take place at the First Unitarian Church. Subject to availability, $12 Student Rush (with student ID), $33 General Admission, and $48 Premium tickets may be purchased at the box office starting at 6:30 PM on the evening of the Saturday night concert.
Program
Children’s Dance from Four Folk Songs | Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972)
Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2 | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
- Poco sostenuto – Allegro ma non troppo
- Allegretto
- Allegretto ma non troppo
- Finale. Allegro
INTERMISSION
Violin Sonata No. 2 | Frederick Delius (1862–1934)
Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 15 | Bedrich Smetana (1824–1884)
- Moderato assai
- Allegro ma non agitato
- Finale. Presto
Sandy Yamamoto, violin | Amy Levine-Tsang, cello | Michelle Schumann, piano
Amy Levine-Tsang
Cellist Amy Levine-Tsang enjoys an active career as a chamber musician and teacher. Ms. Levine-Tsang has collaborated with many ensembles including the Brentano, Cassatt, Colorado, and Meridian String Quartets; and the New Jersey Chamber Music Society. She is a former member of the Richardson Chamber Players and the award-winning Laurel Trio. Ms. Levine-Tsang has performed at many festivals including the Marlboro Music, Gerhart Chamber Music, Portland Chamber Music, and Cactus Pear Music Festivals; as well as Music in the Vineyards and Laurel Festival of the Arts. She formerly taught cello at Princeton University and now teaches privately in Austin. Her most dedicated students have gone on to major in cello performance at schools such as Boston Conservatory, Cleveland Institute, Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, TCU, UNT, and UT-Austin.
Michelle Schumann
Hailed for her “sensitive, flexible, and tempestuous dexterity” (Fanfare Magazine), pianist Michelle Schumann has built a reputation for evocative and moving performances. Since 2006, Michelle has served as Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, where she “is fearlessly expanding our definition of chamber music” (Austin-American Statesman). Her brand of performance includes an enthusiastic interplay with audiences, bringing diverse music together under a narrative blanket. She was named “Best Classical Musician” in the Best of Austin 2019 Readers Poll by the Austin Chronicle.
Schumann is Professor of Piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and additionally holds a Performance Diploma from the Vienna Conservatory.