Valentin Kovalev, saxophone
Amy Yang, piano

Saxophonist, educator, and content creator Valentin Kovalev is an ebullient and highly eclectic performer whose unique style was developed after studying in Russia, France, and the US. Hailing from Siberia, he strives to demonstrate how passion and perseverance can transcend geographical boundaries, using his music to inspire and empower others in the pursuit of their dreams. His work is driven by his passion for fostering connections, offering support to Ukrainian saxophonists, and amplifying marginalized voices in the classical music world.

A passionate and dedicated classical saxophonist, Kovalev is seeking to explore the possibility of positioning the saxophone at the heart of classical music. He won the esteemed Naumburg Foundation 2022 Saxophone Competition and made his Carnegie Hall Debut recital during the 2023-24 season. In addition, he is the winner of several international competitions including the Manhattan International Music Competition (U.S.), MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Competition (U.S.), Classic Winds Competition (Israel), AndorraSaxFest (Andorra), Anches Simples de Toulouse (France), EkaterinburgSaxFest (Russia), GoldenSax (Ukraine), and is a recipient of the 2023 Career Advancement Award from the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia. One of Valentin’s most significant achievements has been cultivating an engaged community of over 55,000 subscribers across his social media platforms. He is a Henri Selmer, Paris artist, and a winner of the 2021 Astral National Competition.

A “jaw-dropping pianist who steals the show…with effortless finesse” (Washington Post), pianist Amy Yang aspires to affirm connections between the arts and our inner humanity through her committed expressions of music and leadership on and off stage.

Her recent appearances include solo and chamber recitals at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall,Santa Fe Music Festival, Wigmore Hall, Gardner Museum, and soloing with Curtis Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä playing Schumann’s Piano Concerto at Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center. She serves as the Associate Dean of Piano Studies and Artistic Initiatives at the Curtis Institute of Music.

In 2020, she was invited by Anne-Marie McDermott to share a unique summer of 41 concerts with Yefim Bronfman, Paul Neubauer, and the Dover Quartet at Bravo! Vail. Additionally, she gave her debut solo recital as well as joined forces with the Jasper String Quartet in piano quintets by Tania Léon and Joan Tower for Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. She was also featured in a full episode with Emmy® Award-winning producer Jim Cotter of Articulate.

She is a member of the Merz Trio. Additionally, she has toured with Patricia Kopatchinskaya, Tito Muñoz and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and played with Richard Goode, Hsin-Yun Huang, Anne-Marie McDermott, Ida and Ani Kavafian, Miriam Fried, Alexi Kenney, Bomsori Kim, Tessa Lark, Roberto Díaz, Kim Kashkashian, Valentin Kovalev, Paul Neubauer, Tara Helen O’Conor, David Shifrin, Joseph Silverstein, members of Guarneri String Quartet, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Dover Quartet, Aizuri String Quartet, Jasper String Quartet and A Far Cry. In addition to working with Dame Mitsuko Uchida at Marlboro School of Music, she was chosen to participate in her Carnegie Hall Workshop on Mozart’s Piano Concerti.

She has given world premieres of music by Caroline Shaw, Richard Danielpour, Avner Dorman, Michael Hersch, Ezra Laderman, Paul Wianko, and  Hua Yang. Festival experiences include Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Prussia Cove, Verbier Academy, Bravo! Vail, Chamber Music Northwest, Caramoor, Ojai, Spoleto, Chamberfest Cleveland, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.

(When not serving the various keyboards related to her roles, her intentionally incognito presence may be revealed by a quivering Micron pen as she sketches from the back of concert halls. www.amyjyang.com)