Music Program
Fei-Fei Dong, piano
Claude Debussy
Suite bergamasque, L. 75
Sergej Rachmaninoff
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
Nadia Boulanger
Vers la vie nouvelle ("Towards New Life")
Franz Liszt
Sonata in B Minor, S. 178
Suite bergamasque, L. 75
Sergej Rachmaninoff
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
Nadia Boulanger
Vers la vie nouvelle ("Towards New Life")
Franz Liszt
Sonata in B Minor, S. 178
Music Program
Inna Faliks, piano
Symphonic Etudes, Op.13 by Robert Schumann
Variations and Fugue in E-flat major, Op.35 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Variations and Fugue in E-flat major, Op.35 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Music Program
Simon Bürki & Jialin Yao, piano
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Franz Schubert Fantasia for piano, 4 hands in F minor, D. 940
Allegro molto moderato — Largo — Allegro vivace — Tempo I Alexander Scriabin Fantasy in B minor, Op. 28 Franz Liszt Liebestraum (Love Dream) |
Sergej Rachmaninoff 6 Morceaux, Op.11, 4 hands
Barcarolle Moderato Scherzo Allegro Thème russe Andantino cantabile Valse Tempo di Valse Romance Andante con anima Glory Allegro moderato |
The Musicians
Fei-Fei Dong, piano
Infusing “intoxicating grace” with “exceptional musicality” and “inconceivable virtuosity,” pianist Fei-Fei Dong conjures a special and undeniable connectivity with her audiences that brings joy, passion, and deep musical understanding (Badische Neueste Nachrichten). Her engaging and endearing personality shines through in every note, word, and expression—whether performing as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician on world stages or as an advocate for community engagement.
“Sporting a naturally gracious charm and stage presence,” Fei-Fei has “shared her musical passions unstintingly” around the globe (Peninsula Review). Recent projects include her role as artist-in-residence with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic touring in Germany, a Carnegie Hall performance and tour of Spain with the New York Youth Symphony, a cross-disciplinary collaboration with Ballet Arkansas, a performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at Lincoln Center with the Pegasus Symphony, a 19-city tour of China with the Aletheia Piano Trio (of which she is a founding member), and performances of lesser-represented repertoire, including concertos by Leroy Anderson, Florence Price, Clara Schumann, and Xiaogang Ye.
Additional concerto highlights include performances with the Fort Worth Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic, Spokane Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, Austin Symphony, Denver Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, and the Juilliard Orchestra. Internationally, she has performed with Canada’s Calgary Philharmonic, Germany’s Rostock and Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestras, and in China with the Shenzhen Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and China National Symphony Orchestras.
Fei-Fei was featured prominently as a Cliburn finalist in the documentary film, Virtuosity, about the 2013 Cliburn Competition, which premiered on PBS in August 2015. Deeply committed to sharing her joy for music and connecting with communities, Fei-Fei frequently engages students and community audiences through school and outreach concerts and masterclasses.
Born in Shenzhen, Fei-Fei began piano lessons at the age of 5. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she studied with Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky and is currently pursing Doctoral of Musical Arts degree with pianist Yefim Bronfman at Manhattan School of Music. Fei-Fei is also a member of the piano faculty at John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University and teaching associate to Yefim Bronfman at Manhattan School of Music.
“Sporting a naturally gracious charm and stage presence,” Fei-Fei has “shared her musical passions unstintingly” around the globe (Peninsula Review). Recent projects include her role as artist-in-residence with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic touring in Germany, a Carnegie Hall performance and tour of Spain with the New York Youth Symphony, a cross-disciplinary collaboration with Ballet Arkansas, a performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at Lincoln Center with the Pegasus Symphony, a 19-city tour of China with the Aletheia Piano Trio (of which she is a founding member), and performances of lesser-represented repertoire, including concertos by Leroy Anderson, Florence Price, Clara Schumann, and Xiaogang Ye.
Additional concerto highlights include performances with the Fort Worth Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic, Spokane Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, Austin Symphony, Denver Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, and the Juilliard Orchestra. Internationally, she has performed with Canada’s Calgary Philharmonic, Germany’s Rostock and Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestras, and in China with the Shenzhen Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and China National Symphony Orchestras.
Fei-Fei was featured prominently as a Cliburn finalist in the documentary film, Virtuosity, about the 2013 Cliburn Competition, which premiered on PBS in August 2015. Deeply committed to sharing her joy for music and connecting with communities, Fei-Fei frequently engages students and community audiences through school and outreach concerts and masterclasses.
Born in Shenzhen, Fei-Fei began piano lessons at the age of 5. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she studied with Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky and is currently pursing Doctoral of Musical Arts degree with pianist Yefim Bronfman at Manhattan School of Music. Fei-Fei is also a member of the piano faculty at John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University and teaching associate to Yefim Bronfman at Manhattan School of Music.
Inna Faliks, piano
Described by The New Yorker as “adventurous and passionate,” Ukrainian-born pianist Inna Faliks is recognized as one of the most poetic and versatile artists of her generation. Known for commanding performances of the standard repertoire, as well as innovative interdisciplinary projects, she has built a music life defined by passion, sincerity, intellectual depth and creative curiosity.
Faliks has performed thousands of recitals throughout the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She has appeared at many of the world’s leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, National Gallery of Art, Salle Cortot in Paris, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, Beijing Center for the Performing Arts and other major halls across China, Oji Hall in Japan and major festivals such as Ravinia, Verbier, Gilmore, Newport Classical.
Since her acclaimed debut with the Chicago Symphony, Faliks has remained a sought-after concerto soloist with leading orchestras in the US and abroad in a variety of works spanning from Beethoven’s complete piano concerti to Clara Schumann, Florence Price, Paul Schoenfield, and Rachmaninoff.
Her interdisciplinary performances include her one-woman show, the monologue-recital “Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist” and her long-running poetry and music project, Music/Words, which features living poets. She is a committed chamber musician, collaborating with major artists such as Rachel Barton Pine, Gilles Apap, Wendy Warner, Hila Plitmann and many others.
A defining element in her artistry is her commitment to contemporary music. Numerous composers have written works specifically for her, and she has given many world premieres. In 2024, she premiered Clarice Assad’s “Lilith” Concerto, which Assad wrote for her. In the 2025-26 season, she gave the world premiere of Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Minimoog Synthesizer and Orchestra with Orquestra Sinfonica do Porto Casa da Musica – the first and only concert pianist in the world to appear on stage as a virtuoso of the Minimoog Synthesizer in a concerto format.
She is a prolific recording artist, with albums ranging from Schumann, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff to innovative projects such as Reimagine Beethoven and Ravel, 9 premieres and the most recent Manuscripts Don’t Burn, featured on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Faliks is an acclaimed author, with a recently published memoir “Weight in the Fingertips: A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage” (Bloomsbury, 2023) and articles in The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.
She serves as Professor of Piano and Head of Piano at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, mentoring the next generation of artists. A Yamaha Artist and internationally respected performer, Inna Faliks continues to shape today’s piano landscape with vision, depth and expressive power.
Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist. www.innafaliks.com
Faliks has performed thousands of recitals throughout the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She has appeared at many of the world’s leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, National Gallery of Art, Salle Cortot in Paris, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, Beijing Center for the Performing Arts and other major halls across China, Oji Hall in Japan and major festivals such as Ravinia, Verbier, Gilmore, Newport Classical.
Since her acclaimed debut with the Chicago Symphony, Faliks has remained a sought-after concerto soloist with leading orchestras in the US and abroad in a variety of works spanning from Beethoven’s complete piano concerti to Clara Schumann, Florence Price, Paul Schoenfield, and Rachmaninoff.
Her interdisciplinary performances include her one-woman show, the monologue-recital “Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist” and her long-running poetry and music project, Music/Words, which features living poets. She is a committed chamber musician, collaborating with major artists such as Rachel Barton Pine, Gilles Apap, Wendy Warner, Hila Plitmann and many others.
A defining element in her artistry is her commitment to contemporary music. Numerous composers have written works specifically for her, and she has given many world premieres. In 2024, she premiered Clarice Assad’s “Lilith” Concerto, which Assad wrote for her. In the 2025-26 season, she gave the world premiere of Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Minimoog Synthesizer and Orchestra with Orquestra Sinfonica do Porto Casa da Musica – the first and only concert pianist in the world to appear on stage as a virtuoso of the Minimoog Synthesizer in a concerto format.
She is a prolific recording artist, with albums ranging from Schumann, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff to innovative projects such as Reimagine Beethoven and Ravel, 9 premieres and the most recent Manuscripts Don’t Burn, featured on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Faliks is an acclaimed author, with a recently published memoir “Weight in the Fingertips: A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage” (Bloomsbury, 2023) and articles in The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.
She serves as Professor of Piano and Head of Piano at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, mentoring the next generation of artists. A Yamaha Artist and internationally respected performer, Inna Faliks continues to shape today’s piano landscape with vision, depth and expressive power.
Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist. www.innafaliks.com
Simon Bürki, pianist
Simon Bürki was born in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and was encouraged to make music by his grandmother, who served as the catalyst for the thirst for knowledge that sustained his continued musical development.
He began piano lessons at the age of five at the Classic and Jazz Music School in Kiev with Rada Zagorskaya, where he studied parallel to his education in a state school in Switzerland. After some years of studies, his progress was accelerated by regular masterclasses with Boris Fedorov, a professor at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev. In 2011, Simon’s gifts were recognized at the Horowitz International Competition for Young Pianists, where he successfully achieved three laureate prizes in all three age categories. By the age of 12, he was invited to perform the 20th Mozart Concerto in D minor, with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra at the Tonhalle Zürich in Switzerland.
In 2013, his career got a real kick-start as he became a laureate of the music competition for young pianists in Kiev under the patronage of Denis Matsuev and was invited to perform at the Annecy Classic Festival in France. 2015 Simon entered the Central Music School in Moscow and where he studied in the class of Farida Nurizade.
In 2017 Simon entered the new stage in his career, when he won the first place in several competitions in a row, including the 5th International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar (Germany), A Step Towards Mastery in St.Petersburg (Russia), as well as the second place in the 1st Ricard Viñes International Piano Youth Competition in Lleida (Spain) and the 3rd place in the 1st International Piano Competition Kyiv (Ukraine, age category under 32). He also competed as the semi-finalist in several competitions in France and Spain for musicians under 36. He has been invited to perform in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, France and Austria.
Simon currently studies at the Juilliard School in New York with Sergei Babayan.
He began piano lessons at the age of five at the Classic and Jazz Music School in Kiev with Rada Zagorskaya, where he studied parallel to his education in a state school in Switzerland. After some years of studies, his progress was accelerated by regular masterclasses with Boris Fedorov, a professor at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev. In 2011, Simon’s gifts were recognized at the Horowitz International Competition for Young Pianists, where he successfully achieved three laureate prizes in all three age categories. By the age of 12, he was invited to perform the 20th Mozart Concerto in D minor, with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra at the Tonhalle Zürich in Switzerland.
In 2013, his career got a real kick-start as he became a laureate of the music competition for young pianists in Kiev under the patronage of Denis Matsuev and was invited to perform at the Annecy Classic Festival in France. 2015 Simon entered the Central Music School in Moscow and where he studied in the class of Farida Nurizade.
In 2017 Simon entered the new stage in his career, when he won the first place in several competitions in a row, including the 5th International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar (Germany), A Step Towards Mastery in St.Petersburg (Russia), as well as the second place in the 1st Ricard Viñes International Piano Youth Competition in Lleida (Spain) and the 3rd place in the 1st International Piano Competition Kyiv (Ukraine, age category under 32). He also competed as the semi-finalist in several competitions in France and Spain for musicians under 36. He has been invited to perform in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, France and Austria.
Simon currently studies at the Juilliard School in New York with Sergei Babayan.
Jialin Yao, pianist
Chinese award-winning pianist Jialin Yao has captivated audiences worldwide with his “exquisite melody and profound understanding” and “supreme touch control” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer). He is a multifaceted artist who brings warmth, passion, and magic to all his appearances in solo, chamber music, and teaching.
Jialin is a firm believer that the most moving music can only come from the most open-hearted and truthful human beings. As a global artist, he carries the responsibility to bring his music to a wide array of audiences and cultural landmarks, striving to create meaningful, transcendent experiences with every performance. He has performed at the Verbier Festival, PianoFest in the Hamptons, Aspen Music Festival, Gilmore Festival, and Ravinia Festival. He has also performed in major concert venues such as Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, Klavierhaus (New York), Jordan Hall (Boston), Seattle Symphony Benaroya Hall, Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Concert Hall, Hamamatsu ACT CITY Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Beijing Forbidden City Hall, and Shenzhen Concert Hall.
As a featured soloist, Jialin has appeared with leading orchestras such as the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, New York International Symphony Orchestra, Friuli Venezia Giulia Orchestra, Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, Anderson Symphony Orchestra, Boulder Symphony, Mercury Orchestra, Miami Chamber Orchestra, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestra Academia China, among others. He has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Zoe Zeniodi, Devin Patrick Hughes, Lihua Tan, Channing Yu, Salvador Vázquez, Paolo Paroni, En Shao, and Yue Bao.
His 2024-2025 season highlights include performances of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (Boulder Symphony, Mercury Orchestra, Anderson Symphony); Yellow River Concerto with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lihua Tan; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor, Op.11 with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Salvador Vázquez; He will also perform solo recitals at the Liliane Questel Recital Series (Rising Stars Series), the recital series of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, and the Dallas Chamber Music Society “Van Sickle” Recital Series. His chamber music performance highlights include the collaboration with renowned violinist Midori at the Ravinia Festival.
Jialin has garnered top honors at numerous competitions including the 65th Ferruccio Busoni Competition(2025), Frechilla-Zuloaga International Piano Prize(2025), the Wideman International Piano Competition(2025), the Fou T’song International Piano Competition (2024), Málaga City International Piano Competition (2024), Seattle International Piano Competition (2024), Teresa Carreño Master Piano Competition (2023), IKOF International Piano Competition (2023), Friuli Venezia Giulia International Piano Competition (2022), Singapore International Piano Competition (2021), Steinway Piano Competition (2019), and Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition (2018).
A sensitive and keen chamber musician, Jialin has a wide chamber music repertoire. He has collaborated with Midori Goto, Aaron Boyd, Tarn Travers, Stephanie Huang, Jaewon Wee, Jack Kessler, Muyan Yang, the Amernet String Quartet, Quarteto Carmen Thyssen, and Quartets Academia China. In 2022, he was selected for the Juilliard Honors Chamber Music program with his VIA piano trio, performing works by Mozart, Dvořák, and Ravel.
His music mentors include some of the most renowned musicians, such as Emanuel Ax, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert Levin, Dina Yoffe, Joseph Lin, Midori Goto, Augustin Dumay, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Marc-André Hamelin, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Kirill Gerstein, Kim Kashkashian, Ingrid Fliter, Dmitri Alexeev, Paul Schenly, and Lang Lang.
Jialin Yao began playing the piano at age 4 and studied with Hong Fu at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He also received guidance from pianist Ruoyu Huang in China. At the age of 22, Jialin Yao moved to the United States to earn his Master’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Maestro Sergei Babayan. He is now continuing his studies with Maestro Babayan at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, pursuing an Artist Diploma.
Jialin is a firm believer that the most moving music can only come from the most open-hearted and truthful human beings. As a global artist, he carries the responsibility to bring his music to a wide array of audiences and cultural landmarks, striving to create meaningful, transcendent experiences with every performance. He has performed at the Verbier Festival, PianoFest in the Hamptons, Aspen Music Festival, Gilmore Festival, and Ravinia Festival. He has also performed in major concert venues such as Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, Klavierhaus (New York), Jordan Hall (Boston), Seattle Symphony Benaroya Hall, Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Concert Hall, Hamamatsu ACT CITY Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Beijing Forbidden City Hall, and Shenzhen Concert Hall.
As a featured soloist, Jialin has appeared with leading orchestras such as the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, New York International Symphony Orchestra, Friuli Venezia Giulia Orchestra, Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, Anderson Symphony Orchestra, Boulder Symphony, Mercury Orchestra, Miami Chamber Orchestra, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestra Academia China, among others. He has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Zoe Zeniodi, Devin Patrick Hughes, Lihua Tan, Channing Yu, Salvador Vázquez, Paolo Paroni, En Shao, and Yue Bao.
His 2024-2025 season highlights include performances of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (Boulder Symphony, Mercury Orchestra, Anderson Symphony); Yellow River Concerto with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lihua Tan; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor, Op.11 with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Salvador Vázquez; He will also perform solo recitals at the Liliane Questel Recital Series (Rising Stars Series), the recital series of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, and the Dallas Chamber Music Society “Van Sickle” Recital Series. His chamber music performance highlights include the collaboration with renowned violinist Midori at the Ravinia Festival.
Jialin has garnered top honors at numerous competitions including the 65th Ferruccio Busoni Competition(2025), Frechilla-Zuloaga International Piano Prize(2025), the Wideman International Piano Competition(2025), the Fou T’song International Piano Competition (2024), Málaga City International Piano Competition (2024), Seattle International Piano Competition (2024), Teresa Carreño Master Piano Competition (2023), IKOF International Piano Competition (2023), Friuli Venezia Giulia International Piano Competition (2022), Singapore International Piano Competition (2021), Steinway Piano Competition (2019), and Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition (2018).
A sensitive and keen chamber musician, Jialin has a wide chamber music repertoire. He has collaborated with Midori Goto, Aaron Boyd, Tarn Travers, Stephanie Huang, Jaewon Wee, Jack Kessler, Muyan Yang, the Amernet String Quartet, Quarteto Carmen Thyssen, and Quartets Academia China. In 2022, he was selected for the Juilliard Honors Chamber Music program with his VIA piano trio, performing works by Mozart, Dvořák, and Ravel.
His music mentors include some of the most renowned musicians, such as Emanuel Ax, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert Levin, Dina Yoffe, Joseph Lin, Midori Goto, Augustin Dumay, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Marc-André Hamelin, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Kirill Gerstein, Kim Kashkashian, Ingrid Fliter, Dmitri Alexeev, Paul Schenly, and Lang Lang.
Jialin Yao began playing the piano at age 4 and studied with Hong Fu at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He also received guidance from pianist Ruoyu Huang in China. At the age of 22, Jialin Yao moved to the United States to earn his Master’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Maestro Sergei Babayan. He is now continuing his studies with Maestro Babayan at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, pursuing an Artist Diploma.
