Global Souvenirs: A Musical Journey Across Time and Borders

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Program Type:

Music, Arts & Culture

Age Group:

Adults, Everyone
  • Registration is required for this event.
  • Registration will close on August 18, 2025 @ 6:00pm.

Program Description

Event Details

Join cellist William Suh and pianist Kyunga Lee for an evening of music, featuring the following pieces:

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Cello Sonata in D minor, L. 135 (1915)
I. Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto
II. Sérénade: Modérément animé
III. Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux

Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
Cello Sonata, FP 143
I. Allegro – Tempo di Marcia
II. Cavatine
III. Ballabile
IV. Finale

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38 (1866)
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto quasi Menuetto
III. Allegro


Music has the remarkable ability to capture the essence of place, history, and cultural identity, much like souvenirs collected from travels around the world. Global Souvenirs presents a program that traverses different eras and musical landscapes, showcasing works that reflect distinct national styles, personal narratives, and cross-cultural influences.


Debussy’s Cello Sonata, composed in 1915, is one of his final works and the first in a projected set of six sonatas for different instruments (only three were completed). This sonata is a masterful condensation of form and color—equal parts elegant and eccentric. Drawing from the fluidity of French Baroque dance and infused with modern harmonic nuance, the sonata moves through contrasting moods: a noble and contemplative Prologue, a playful and exotic Sérénade, and a fiery, mercurial Finale. It is a perfect example of Debussy’s late style—witty, refined, and hauntingly atmospheric.


Composed between 1940 and 1948 and dedicated to the great cellist Pierre Fournier, Poulenc’s Cello Sonata is a striking example of his unique blend of clarity, wit, and lyricism. The opening Allegro (marked Tempo di Marcia) sets the tone with rhythmic vigor and bold contrasts. The Cavatine offers a moment of deep introspection and beauty, followed by the playful and rhythmically buoyant Ballabile. The Finale brings the work to a spirited conclusion, full of Poulenc’s signature energy and elegance. While Poulenc was known for his significant contributions to wind instrument repertoire, the sonata nonetheless stands as a testament to his voice—at once light-hearted, dramatic, and unmistakably French.


Johannes Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38 transports us to the Romantic era, where rich, sonorous melodies and intricate counterpoint recall the influence of J.S. Bach. This work, dedicated in part to Brahms’ close friend and cellist Josef Gänsbacher, is a powerful and introspective exploration of the instrument’s expressive potential.


Together, these works offer a collection of musical souvenirs, each a reflection of its time and place, yet universal in its emotional resonance.


About the Artists
Cellist William Suh has been recognized for his engaging musicianship, dynamic tonal color and artistic sincerity in concerts across the United States, Asia, and Europe. A recipient of the Aldo Parisot Prize and the Broadus Erle Prize from the Yale School of Music, Suh was awarded first prizes at the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artists Competition, the 57th Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards, the 50th Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition, the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition, New England Conservatory Concerto Competition and the Music Teachers National Association String Competition. Suh also holds top honors from the New York International Artists Association and Hellam Young Artist competitions. A recipient of the Young Artist Award from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Suh’s performances have been featured on WQXR, WMFT, and National Public Radio.


Recent and upcoming concerts include solo appearances with the Savannah Philharmonic and Lowell Chamber Orchestra, along with recital engagements presented by the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago, IL), the Friends of Classical Music series (Greenport, NY), and the St. Botolph Club Foundation (Boston, MA), where he was recognized with the 2025 Emerging Artist Award. Notable past performances include appearances at the Art Live Theater International Hall in Kyoto, Japan with the Kyoto International Music Festival Orchestra, the Paesaggi Musicali Toscani festival in Val d’Orcia, Italy, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Suh has also appeared as a soloist with the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, and the New England Conservatory Symphony at Jordan Hall under the direction of Hugh Wolff.


As a chamber musician, Suh has collaborated in performances with distinguished artists such as Augustin Hadelich, Inon Barnatan, Phillip Ying, and the late Roger Tapping. Appearances include the Norfolk and Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festivals, the Fellowship Program of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop; he has also worked with members of the Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard & Tokyo string quartets and the Weilerstein trio. Suh’s formative years of study were through the Summer Music School of the Perlman Music Program and its Suncoast Winter Residency, where he studied under Astrid Schween, Clara Kim and Zvi Plesser.


Suh is an Artist Diploma candidate at The Juilliard School, where he also serves as a teaching assistant to Astrid Schween. He holds degrees from the Yale School of Music (M.M., M.M.A.), New England Conservatory (B.M. with honors), and an Academy Diploma from the Colburn School. Suh’s current and former principal teachers include the late Joel Krosnick, Paul Watkins, Paul Katz and Clive Greensmith. He performs on a 1913 cello by Carl Becker Sr. on generous loan from the Colburn Collection.


South Korean pianist Kyunga Lee is widely admired for her refined artistry, sensitivity, and versatility as a collaborative musician. With a deep commitment to musical partnership, she has established herself as a sought-after chamber musician and collaborator across repertoire ranging from the classical canon to contemporary works. A former Collaborative Piano Fellow at the Yale School of Music, Kyunga has worked extensively with both instrumental and vocal studios and performed in masterclasses with renowned artists including Augustin Hadelich, Hilary Hahn, and Steven Isserlis. Her festival appearances include concerts at the Aspen Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Great Mountains International Music Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, and the Seoul Spring Chamber Music Festival.


Kyunga is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University, where she studies under the mentorship of Sheila Kibbe, supported by a full-tuition scholarship from the College of Fine Arts. She holds a Graduate Diploma and a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the New England Conservatory where she studied with Cameron Stowe and Vivian Weilerstein as a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship. Kyunga received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School with the support of the Susan W. Rose Piano Fellowship, studying under Matti Raekallio, Julian Martin, and Yoheved Kaplinsky.

 

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Sponsored by the David J. Hughes Memorial Fund.

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