SIMON , IVES , AND RACHMANINOFF
Maximilian Franz
Yunchan ’ s prize-winning performance of Liszt ’ s Transcendental Études from the Van Cliburn competition was released in July 2023 , debuting at number five on Billboard ’ s Traditional Classical Albums chart . Yunchan has also recorded Beethoven ’ s ‘ Emperor ’ Piano Concerto , released in 2022 on the Deutsche Grammophon label , and has featured on KBS ’ s “ 2020 Young Musicians of Korea ” performing a selection of Beethoven and Lizst .
Born in Siheung , Korea , Yunchan Lim began piano lessons at age seven , when it was time to choose an afterschool activity ; he entered the Music Academy of the Seoul Arts Center the next year and quickly became immersed in his musical studies . He auditioned for and was accepted into the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts at age 13 , where he met his teacher and mentor , Minsoo Sohn . Yunchan entered the international music stage a year later , in 2018 , winning second prize and the Chopin Special Award in his first ever competition , the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists . Also that year , he stood out as the youngest participant in the Cooper International Competition , where he won both third prize and the audience prize , and was provided the opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra . The next year , 2019 , brought more accolades , when , at the age of 15 , he was the youngest to win Korea ’ s IsangYun International Competition , also taking home two special prizes .
Yunchan has recently completed two years at the Korea National University of Arts , and is currently studying at the New England Conservatoire with his teacher Minsoo Sohn .
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
By James M . Keller
Carlos Simon
Born April 13 , 1986 in Washington , D . C . Residing in Washington , D . C .
AMEN ! [ 2017 ]
The son of a minister , Carlos Simon began playing the organ at the age of 12 in his father ’ s church . “ That ’ s where my interest in music was born , and I decided to keep pursuing it through high school and into college ,” he explained in an interview carried out at Georgetown University , where he teaches . “ I noticed that there is something that music can say that words cannot , and I wanted to continue exploring that medium .” What he wants to say in music often has to do with social justice , with recent examples including his Requiem for the Enslaved , a multi-genre “ rap opera ” that was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition , and his brea ( d ) th , an orchestral cantata memorializing George Floyd , who was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 . “ The projects I have been drawn to ,” he said , “ have always been about telling the stories of people who aren ’ t often heard or are misrepresented or marginalized .”
In 2021 , he was awarded the Sphinx Medal of Excellence , which — as the Sphinx Organization describes it — recognizes “ extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians … who , early in their career , demonstrate artistic excellence , outstanding work ethic , a spirit of
determination , and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities .” He is currently composer in residence of the Kennedy Center , in which capacity he is producing compositions for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera .
He composed AMEN ! in 2017 as a work for wind ensemble and then recast it for symphony orchestra in 2019 . “ My intent is to re-create the musical experience of an African American Pentecostal church service that I enjoyed being a part of while growing up in this denomination ,” he explains . “ The three movements in AMEN ! are performed without break to depict how the different parts of a worship service flow into the next . In the first movement , I ’ ve imagined the sound of an exuberant choir and congregation singing harmoniously together in a call-and-response fashion . The soulful second movement quotes a gospel song ‘ I ’ ll Take Jesus for Mine ’ …. The title , AMEN ! refers to the plagal cadence , or ‘ Amen ’ cadence ( IV-I ), which is the focal point of the climax in the final movement . Along with heavily syncopated rhythms and interjecting contrapuntal lines , this cadence modulates up by half-step until we reach a frenzied state , emulating a spiritually heightened state of worship .”
Instrumentation Two flutes , one piccolo , two oboes , one English horn , two clarinets , one bass clarinet , two bassoon , one contrabassoon , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , one tuba , one timpani , three percussion , one piano , bass drum ,
Maximilian Franz
48 OVERTURE / BSOmusic . org