Joyce Yang Plays Grieg

Masterworks, 2024-2025 Season

Joyce Yang Plays Grieg

Nov 17
Sunday
3 PM
Century II Concert Hall

featuring Laura Jackson, guest conductor and Joyce Yang, piano

Joyce Yang's long-awaited return to Wichita brings Grieg's beloved Piano Concerto in A minor to the Symphony Steinway. Lose yourself in Grieg's captivating melodies uniquely blending Norwegian folk influences with classical forms, creating a work of timeless beauty and emotional depth.

Then, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, led by guest conductor Laura Jackson, will leave the audience breathless with Sibelius's Symphony No. 2. This Finnish composer is one of the greats of the late Romantic period thanks to his rich melodies, lush harmonies, and powerful sense of drama.

PATRICK HARLIN Selections from Wilderness Anthology
EDVARD GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor
featuring Joyce Yang, piano
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43

Learn More with Program Notes

Approximate Runtime: 1 hour and 45 minutes (including intermission)

Sponsored by
THE SAM AND RIE BLOOMFIELD FOUNDATION
THE JAYNE AND GLENN MILBURN FUND AT THE WICHITA FOUNDATION
LISA AND JIM VAYDA

Laura Jackson

About Conductor Laura Jackson

Laura Jackson serves as the music director and conductor of the Reno Phil and continues to win praise for her artistry, leadership, and creative community engagement.  In addition to concerts with the Reno Phil, Ms. Jackson guest conducts nationally and internationally. She has performed with the symphonies of Alabama, Atlanta, Baltimore, Berkeley, Charlottesville, Detroit, Hartford, Hawaii, Orlando, the Philippines, Phoenix, Richmond, San Antonio, Toledo, Toronto, Windsor, and Winnipeg in addition to concerts with the Philly POPS and L’Orchestre symphonique de Bretagne in France.

Jackson recorded Michael Daugherty’s Time Cycle on Naxos with the Bournemouth Symphony in partnership with Marin Alsop, and served as the first American to guest conduct the Algerian National Orchestra in 2013.

Jackson served as the first female assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 2004-2007. Prior to her appointment in Atlanta, she studied conducting at the University of Michigan and spent summers as the Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellow at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Music Center in 2002 and 2003.

Joyce Yang

About Pianist Joyce Yang

The Wichita Symphony is proud to welcome back Joyce Yang for her fourth appearance with our Orchestra! Born in 1986 in Seoul, South Korea, Yang received her first piano lesson from her aunt at the age of four. She first came to international attention in 2005 when she won the silver medal at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Blessed with "poetic and sensitive pianism" (Washington Post) and a "wondrous sense of color" (San Francisco Classical Voice), pianist Joyce Yang captivates audiences with her virtuosity, lyricism, and interpretive sensitivity. Yang showcases her colorful musical personality in solo recitals and collaborations with the world's top orchestras and chamber musicians. In 2017, Yang received her first Grammy nomination (Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) for her recording of Franck, Kurtág, Previn & Schumann with violinist Augustin Hadelich. To learn more about Joyce Yang, visit pianistjoyceyang.com.


Arrive Early for Concert Talks

If you’d like to learn more about the music in our concert programs, Concert Talks are just what you need! Before every Masterworks Concert, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra will present pre-concert talks which help prepare you and deepen your understanding of the music to be performed in the program. Sometimes our guest soloists even join Maestro Hege for a discussion of their concerto collaboration! Free to all ticket holders, Concert Talks take place in the Concert Hall one hour prior to each Masterworks performance.

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