Grand Piano Series presents Water or Steel —
Contradictions of Piano Sound
Quang Vo, piano Duy Vu, piano Milana Strezeva, artistic director Konstantin Soukhovetski, program curator
Chopin — Barcarolle, Op. 60
Price — Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E Minor
Kapustin — Toccatina, Op. 40, No. 3
Prokofiev— Toccata in D Minor, Op. 11
Ravel — Scarbo from Gaspard de la nuit
Khachaturian — Sabre Dance
With spirituals, jazz improvisation, percussive virtuosity and voice-like melodies, we explore the universe of different piano sounds.
Presented by the Grand Piano Series and curated by Konstantin Soukhhovetski, this program invites the audience to enjoy an inspiring musical performance featuring talented young pianists Quang Vo and Duy Vu. Accompanying commentary provides insights into the composers’ personal lives and includes anecdotal stories that illuminate the historical context of the music.
Quang Vo is an 18-year-old pianist from Vietnam and is currently a piano performance major at Florida Gulf Coast University, for which he received a full scholarship. Most recently, Vo won the Tampa Bay Symphony Competition and first place at Florida’s MTNA Competition. While studying at the National Academy of Music in Hanoi, Vo won several prestigious awards, including the Autumn Music Competition and first prize in the Young Talent Artist Bios.
Vo was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the prime minister of Vietnam and was honored as “The Promising New Face in Culture and Arts of Vietnam.” As the winner of the Kayserburg International Piano Competition, Vo was given a piano as part of his award. He has won more than 40 domestic and international piano awards. First Prize highlights include The 6th Steinway Youth Piano Competition in Vietnam, The Wonder Keys Competition of Russia, the Chicago International Music Competition, the Atlanta Festival Academy Competition, the Asia & Oceania International Competition in London and others.
Vo is also an accomplished violinist and cellist, and he has studied five languages. He is recognized for his strong musical personality and brilliant intellect.
Duy Vu
Duy Vu
Duy Vu is 18 years old and is a native of Hanoi, Vietnam. A musician of great talent, Vu received the Weksler and Nisita Scholarships at Florida Gulf Coast University. He previously studied at the Vietnam National Academy of Music with Prof. Trinh Huong Nguyen in Hanoi.
He is a prizewinner of multiple competitions, including the Gold Prize in the Asian International Piano Festival in Seoul, South Korea and prizes in competitions in Vietnam, Thailand and China. Vu has also been soloist with orchestra and has played multiple solo concerts. Vu was also a championship karate practitioner with several gold medals. He was recently chosen for the special Chopin Award as the finest performance of Chopin in the state of Florida during the annual Music Teachers National Association Competition. With Quong Vo, Du won both the state and regional (winner of eight states) in the MTNA piano duet competition.
Grand Piano Series
Grand Piano Series
Founded in 2016 by Milana Strezeva and Raniero Tazzi, Grand Piano Series is a nonprofit concert and education organization that seeks to enrich the cultural life of the Southwest Florida community with memorable concerts by international artists of the highest caliber, along with a dynamic program of community outreach for all ages, including programs for over 6,000 students each year in Collier and Lee County schools.
Konstantin Soukhovetski is a pianist, composer and educator who is the winner of 17 awards from prestigious international piano competitions. Soukhovetski has performed to critical acclaim at leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall (London) and the Louvre (Paris).
As the newly appointed director of education and community engagement at Grand Piano Series in Naples, Soukhovetski brings his dynamic combination of performance and audience interaction honed through his acclaimed presentations on music at the Curtis Institute of Music, Northwestern University, Singapore’s Academy of Music, Latvia’s Jelgava Music School and as an adjunct faculty member at his alma mater, The Juilliard School. Born in Moscow to a family of artists, Soukhovetski studied at the Moscow Central Music School, where he double majored in piano and composition.
Soukhovetski’s Pride Suite for piano is enjoying world premieres this season, and his first symphonic work, Once Upon the Spring, will be performed with the Auburn Symphony in California and the Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras. He now resides in Naples, where he enjoys the rich cultural offerings, beautiful weather and the thriving artistic community.
Program Book
Program Book
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