Join us for an immersive musical experience that places you in the heart of the performance. Taking place in our intimate Studio space, The Sound Studio series brings you up close and personal with emerging classical performing artists.
The October show features award-winning violinist Eric Tsai and pianist, Lohan Park. The program includes Ysaye’s Solo Violin Sonata No. 5, Op. 27; Mozart’s Violin Sonata in G Major, K. 379; Shih-Ching Ju’s Three Taiwanese Songs; and Debussy’s Violin Sonata in G minor, L. 140.
About the Artists
Eric Tsai is an up-and-coming Taiwanese-American violinist whose playing has been described as both “dashing” and “heart-wrenching” (The New Zealand Herald). His thoughtful approach to old and new works alike has earned him a place on stages across the globe. The 2nd prize winner of the 2019 Michael Hill International Violin competition, Tsai has garnered critical acclaim as a soloist and chamber player, as well as a champion of music from his home country of Taiwan. Tsai is a committed educator, passionate about raising the next generation of young musicians and maintaining a highly successful private pre-college studio.
Performing as a featured artist throughout the United States, Europe, Taiwan, and New Zealand, Tsai is deeply committed to spreading hope and light to audiences around the world through his art. In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, his quartet partnered with Taiwan Connection’s education outreach program and traveled to elementary schools situated in under-reached communities across the country. Other past community engagement projects include performances at homeless shelters, hospitals, and veteran homes across New York and Philadelphia. Highlights of the 2024-25 season include the inaugural season of his summer festival, SPIRITUS, continued residencies with Callis Ensemble, and a new music video series exploring the themes of grief and hope.
Tsai’s mentors include Catherine Cho, Ida Kavafian, and Shmuel Ashkenasi, and he has also worked closely with renowned artists such as Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley, Joseph Lin, Ralph Kirshbaum, and Joseph Silverstein. Recent awards include the semifinals at the Premio Paganini competition in Genoa, Italy; bronze medal at the Fischoff Competition with his piano trio; the prestigious Chimei Arts Award; and his quartet, Quatuor Cael, being selected as an Honors ensemble at Juilliard for the 2022-23 season. Tsai received his B.M. from the Curtis Institute of Music and his M.M. from the Juilliard School, and is currently a doctoral candidate at StonyBrook University as a Staller Fellow.
Pianist Lohan Park made his debut with Sir Andre Previn and appeared as a soloist with many orchestras. Park’s performances have taken him to many renowned concert halls and festivals around the world, including the Kennedy Center, Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Stravinski Auditorium, Salle Gaveau, Theatro Municipal, Lincoln Center, and Seoul Arts Center. He is a laureate of Concours Clara Haskil and top prizewinner of the Concours Long-Thibaud, BNDES Rio de Janeiro, Concours International de Piano de l’Orchestre Philharmonique du Maroc, Stiftung Animato, Rotary Germany and Mozarteum Mozart Prize. Park is a graduate of Yale University and Musikhochschule Hannover under the guidance of Hung-Kuan Chen, Claude Frank, and Arie Vardi. He has served as a staff accompanist at Yale University and is currently a collaborative pianist at The Juilliard School.