Taiwanese pianist Jenny Lin (林佳靜) was invited by Washington Performing Arts Association to hold a virtual performance on their platform, which will be pre-recorded at National Kaohsiung Center of the Arts (Weiwuying) and available from Jan. 29 through Feb. 4, 2021.
Titled "A Brief and Modern History of the Études," Lin will explore and contrast études by a swath of composers including Debussy, Chopin, Liszt, Ligeti, Kapustin, and America's living composers Philip Glass and William Bolcom.
Lin takes a fascinating and revealing look at the form of études, introducing each set with a pre-recorded video story or composer interview before performing a selection of études.
Lin remarked that études, originally a piece of music for practice or technique exercise, is an unavoidable pain for every music student, because even though it should be for technique practicing, instructors will request no mistakes. She seeks to inspire the audience to recognize the artistic value of études, the sophistication hidden within the form, and beyond a technique practice for competitions.
Most importantly, she also wants to introduce Taiwan's Weiwuying to the international audience.
The emerging pianist explained that the concert was originally scheduled to be performed at the Kennedy Center Terrance Theater back in April 2020. However, due to the pandemic, it had to be cancelled. Afterwards, the organizers invited her to record the concert in Taiwan for an online performance.
Lin is an outstanding young pianist, admired for her charismatic stage presence and adventurous programming. She was born in Kaohsiung City and grew up in Austria. She studied with Noel Flores at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, and holds an artist diploma from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, U.S.A., in addition to a bachelor’s degree in German Literature from The John Hopkins University. She currently resides in New York City.
Lin's performance is part of the "Home Delivery Plus 2021 Series" by Washington Performing Arts Association to introduce captivating performances, conversations, and behind-the-scenes footage for fans to enjoy the arts online. Also holding headline artist performances are master pianist Sir Andras Schiff, emerging German pianist Schaghajegh Nosrati, and many more.
There are subscription packages and single-event admission pricing, more information can be found here.