- PROGRAMME -
Hosted by:
Ken Hsieh
(Music Director)
PERFORMERS:
PAUL HUNG (Flute)
JOY YEH (Harp)
TAWNYA POPOFF (Viola)
PROGRAMME:
(No intermission)
Bax: Trio
Debussy: Sonata for Trio
Aidan Mulldoon Wong: Supernova (Live Performance Premiere)
- Paul Hung (FLUTE) -
Born in Taiwan, Paul Hung entered the Langley Fine Arts School at the age of 13 and made his first concerto debut at the age of 16 at the Whistler Music Festival. He was then featured several times as the winner of the Vancouver Kiwanis competition and awarded the Tom Lee Music Scholarship for Excellence in Music Performance. He was a recipient of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Galaxie Rising Stars Award” and placed second in National Music Competitions 2008. Paul performed with the Vancouver Youth Orchestra as a result of attaining first place in the concerto competition in 2009. Soon after, he performed as a soloist with the Abbotsford Symphony and New Westminster Symphony as well as winning second place at UBC’s concerto competition. In May of 2011, Paul won a spot in the YouTube Symphony and performed with 100 other musicians around the world at the Sydney Opera House.
As an active soloist and chamber musician, Paul performed in music festivals such as the Banff music festival, Domaine Forget, MusicFest Canada, Performing Arts BC, Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival, Music on Main, New Music Festival Vancouver, Sonic Boom Festival, VSO New Music Festival, Talis Chamber Music Festival, Redshift Music Society, Health Arts Society and so on. Paul is also the founder of Vancouver based ensembles – Fireside Quintet and Elysian Trio. Paul plays frequently with Vancouver Symphony, Okanagan Symphony, and Kamloops Symphony and other professional chamber ensembles. He was also the acting principal flute at many of these orchestras/ensembles. In 2018, Paul was the featured soloist with the UBC Symphonic Wind Ensemble performing Joel Puckett’s Shadow of Sirius at the Chan Center for the Performing Arts.
Paul was a student of Lorna McGhee, the principal flutist of Pittsburgh Symphony. He has also studied under Brenda Fedoruk, and then Christie Reside during his Master’s degree at UBC School of Music. He is currently a faculty of Vancouver Academy of Music.
- Joy Yeh (HARP) -
Taiwanese-Canadian harpist Dr. Joy Yeh is one of the rare harpists in Canada who successfully pursued a doctoral degree in harp. After graduating from UBC with a bachelor degree, she continued her master degree at Yale University with full scholarship, and became the assistant instructor at Indiana University, one of the world’s best music graduate institutes, while obtained her doctoral degree.
Dr. Joy Yeh is a frequent judge at international music competitions and festivals including the Canadian Music Competition and the Camac Prize International Harp Competition, and has taught masterclasses in Asia and North America. Students from different countries were inspired by her passion to study with her, including France, Germany, Turkey, Iran, USA, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. As a result, Dr. Yeh was awarded Teacher’s Certificate of Recognition by the RCM for having her students score the highest marks in their examinations. To complete their training and résumés, her students are well-connected and active in performing with local art organizations like the Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, Sunshine Coast Symphony Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra.
Efficiency, Passion and Precision are the three major components to Dr. Yeh’s teaching. Her students have won medals at several international music competitions having just studied with her for 1-2 years with no previous musical background. Some parents described that being in her studio has been a “life transforming” experience for their children, as the kids grew dramatically in their confidence, artistry and concentration. Her students continue to amaze judges at RCM examinations as well; one of her 7 year pupil just scored 96% in her RCM gr. 2 exam – having 2/3 of her repertoire marked perfect score.
Dr. Yeh believes in “leading by example”. Therefore, despite her busy teaching schedule, she insists on having an active performing career. She has been featured numerous times as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, Prince George Symphony Orchestra, Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and the UBC Symphony Orchestra. She has played at Carnegie Hall, Kozertberlin, World Harp Congress (Canada and Hong Kong) and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany. Her recordings can be heard on CBC Radio2, and she was interviewed by medias such as the Fairchild Radio FM96.1, CFJC Midday TV, Talentivision TV and their Evening News, Richmond Review and Taste of Life Magazine. In the earlier years, Dr. Yeh was awarded the Canada Arts Council Grant for professional musician, twice by the British Columbia Arts Council and the Grand Prize winner of the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society Scholarship Competition, the UBC Concerto Competition, and First Place of the Burnaby Clef Concerto Competition, in which it was the only time a harpist was chosen as 1st Prize Winner in the Burnaby Clef Society’s 25 year history.
Fun Facts: Her students have had unique experiences due to their talent in harp, including winning the first place of Miss Little Sunshine Vancouver and be featured at TV commercials playing their harps!
- Tawnya Popoff (VIOLA) -
Canadian violist Tawnya Popoff enjoys an exciting and versatile international career. In addition to being principal violist with the Vancouver Opera (BC) since 2007, she is a member of ROCO, the Walden School Players (NH) and a founding member of Microcosmos string quartet (BC). Ms. Popoff has given solo and chamber music recitals throughout North America and Europe, was a prizewinner in the 2000 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, and a recipient of two consecutive Canada Council Individual Grants. Valuing education immensely, she has served on the faculties of the Perlman Music Program, University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, SUNY Buffalo, Brandeis and Dobbs Ferry High Schools, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, The Walden School, Artes no Camiño (Spain), and in her private studio.
Ms. Popoff has a keen interest in inter-disciplinary projects and has worked and toured internationally with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance in New York City, Marta Marta in Vancouver, BC and the trans-media New York-based group, Vision Into Art. She is passionately devoted to developing and performing music by living composers (including membership with the Cassatt Quartet until 2006), especially those under the age of eighteen at The Walden School! She has recorded for the Koch, Albany, Nonsuch, CRI, SHSK’H (web label), Columbia Composers, and other independent labels as have been heard on air on WNYC, CBC, WGBH (Boston) and KUHF (Houston).
She studied with Gerald Stanick (Fine Arts Quartet) in Vancouver, BC and Martha Katz (Cleveland Quaret) at Rice University in Houston, TX, and was based out of NYC before relocating to Vancouver in 2014.
Aside from musical pursuits, Ms. Popoff has a cycling tour company offering guided, private, and personalized cycling adventures, designs games and toys for her little friends, volunteers regularly, and passionately enjoys the great outdoors in all seasons!
ABOUT THE NEW MUSIC SALON SERIES:
The Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra Society continues to believe in the making and performances of new music. The New Music Salon Series is led by Board of Director: Van Doren Chan, Creative Director: Trevor Hoffmann, and Composer-in-Residence: Aidan Mulldoon Wong. The purpose of this concert is to create a relaxing and intimate atmosphere where audience members will be treated with the sounds of the 20th and 21st century. Music Director Ken Hsieh believes and hopes this concert will become an important platform to showcase Chamber Music in a intimate setting that will resonate well with audiences of all ages.