Tian Ying & Ning An, duo piano

Mozart: Sonata for two pianos k. 448 D Major
Schubert: Fantasia for 4 hands in f minor
Rachmaninoff: Suite no. 2 for two pianos

Praised by the Boston Globe as “one of the finest pianists active in America”, Tian Ying, winner of many prestigious awards, including high honors at the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1989, has become well known for his eloquent, poetic, dramatically intense performances. With his reputation for unusually searching and profound interpretations played at the highest level of virtuoso accomplishment, Ying has earned a distinguished place among today’s most exciting, original and accomplished artists of his generation.

Tian Ying has appeared with numerous orchestras, such as the Rochester Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta at Orchestra Hall, symphonies of Atlanta, Fort Worth, Toledo, Columbus, Colorado, Hartford, Jacksonville, Spokane, Oakland, Madison, Wichita, Ann Arbor, Shanghai, and Hong Kong Philharmonic, among others. Solo recitals have taken Tian Ying across North America, Europe, and from Casablanca to Seoul, and he frequently conducts master classes in universities and colleges around the country.

Ning An is that rare pianist – musician who “combines flawless technique and mastery of the instrument with an expressive power that is fueled by profound and insightful understanding” (New York Concert Review). His top prizes from the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, Cleveland International, William Kapell, and the National Chopin Piano competitions led to performances on three continents at prestigious venues such as Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Salle Verdi (Milan), and the Great Hall of the People (Beijing).  He has been invited to perform at numerous festivals including the International Chopin Festival in Duszinski, Poland, the Gina Bachauer Piano Festival in Salt Lake City, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Music Festival, the Bourglinster Festival in Luxembourg, and the Interlaken Music Festival in Switzerland.  A passionate chamber musician as well as soloist, Mr. An has performed with such ensembles as the Ysaÿe, Daedalus, and Takács Quartets, and with such instrumentalists as James Buswell, Paul Neubauer, Andres Diaz and James Ehnes.

Since making his orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. An has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, the Belgian National Symphony, the Flemish Radio Symphony, and many more, under the batons of conductors such as Vladimir Fedoseyev, Jörg-Peter Weigle, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.  As well, Mr. An was a featured soloist during the Warsaw Philharmonic’s 100th Anniversary American Tour under Maestro Kazimierz Kord.

Ning An’s additional accolades have included top prizes in the Paloma O’Shea Santander Competition, the Tivoli International Piano Competition, the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, the American Pianists Association as well as receiving the Alfred Cortot Prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition.

Mr. An began his musical studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Olga Radosavljevich and Sergei Babayan.  Subsequently, Mr. An continued his studies under the tutelage of Russell Sherman at the New England Conservatory of Music.

A frequent guest lecturer, Mr. An has given masterclasses throughout the United States and Asia.  Currently he serves as the Artist-Teacher on the piano faculty of California State University, Fullerton as well as a visiting artist at Lee University in Tennessee.