[Updated June 24, 2024 with PARKING & other information. See below.]
Through its enduring collaboration with the Yale School of Music, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to present the Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Young Artist Chamber Concert featuring Boston-based, award winning RAI TRIO will now take place on Sunday June 30th at 4 pm at Walker Hall of TAFT School in Watertown.
It's a concert that will be known as the one that was most definitely worth waiting for! Originally scheduled in January of this year, the weather had other plans.
As 2023 Yale School of Music Chamber Music Fellows, the Rai Trio were a natural choice for WSO’s Young Artist Chamber Concert. The series is part of the fulfillment of the vision of WSO Board Vice Chair Mr. Thomas C. Clark and the WSO – to showcase some of the best rising musical talent from YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC and give young artists an important credential. “This wonderful initiative furthers the WSO’s goal of cultivating the next generation of artists while also broadening the Symphony’s programming. I am so grateful to Tom Clark for his support and dedication to the arts and to promoting fantastic young musicians. The young musicians featured as performers in the Chamber Series are at the forefront of classical music’s exciting future.” says WSO Executive Director, Doug Donato.
As 2023 Yale School of Music Chamber Music Fellows, the Rai Trio were a natural choice for WSO’s Young Artist Chamber Concert. The series is part of the fulfillment of the vision of WSO Board Vice Chair Mr. Thomas C. Clark and the WSO – to showcase some of the best rising musical talent and give young artists an important credential. “This wonderful initiative furthers the WSO’s goal of cultivating the next generation of artists while also broadening the Symphony’s programming. I am so grateful to Tom Clark for his support and dedication to the arts and to promoting fantastic young musicians. The young musicians featured as performers in the Chamber Series are at the forefront of classical music’s exciting future.” says WSO Executive Director, Doug Donato.
Rai Trio’s three young musicians bring superlative talents to the stage and include Tiffany Chang [Violin], Leland Ko [Cellist] and Mott Fang-Bentov [Piano]. Violinist Tiffany Chang’s numerous awards include the Brevard Concerto Competition, Interlochen Concerto Competition, and the Dorothy Bales Violin Competition in which she was awarded a Guarnerius violin (1716) and Benoit Rolland bow for a year. Tiffany also has served as concertmaster of the New England Conservatory Philharmonia.
Born in Beijing, China and raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel, pianist Motti Fang-Bentov hails from a multicultural, east-west background. Including appearances as a soloist for New England Conservatory Philharmonia, Jordan Hall, Boston; Sala dei Notari, Perugia; and the Rose Theatre at the Lincoln Center, New York, Motti is also the winner of numerous prizes and competitions including the NEC Concerto & Honors Competition, the Pnina Zaltsman Piano and the Ashdod Piano Competition.
About Leland Philip Ko, cellist for the Rai Trio, violinist Itzhak Perlman described Leland as someone that “plays with the beauty of sound and subtlety that we don’t often encounter in a cellist of his age,” someone who is “a musician who willingly considers all aspects of music.” Leland was also named a recipient of the Presidential Scholar Award at New England Conservatory for 2022-2024.
The concert will be held on Sunday, June 30th, 2024, at 4 p.m. General admission tickets are $30, available online via the WSO website at www.waterburysymphony.org, or by phone, by calling WSO’s box office partner, The Palace Theater Box Office at (203) 346-2000 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Calendar Listing:
Sunday, June 30th, 4 pm WSO’s Clark Chamber Concert, The RAI TRIO
CLARK CHAMBER CONCERT: RAI TRIO PERFORMING HAYDN, FRANK & DVORAK
Sunday, June 30th, 4 p.m.
Walker Hall, The Taft School
50 Deforest Street, Watertown, CT 06795
Doors Open 3:15 p.m.
Free accessible parking in adjacent lot
More information can be found here.
Tickets $30; $10 for students with ID - Call box office
For tickets online, visit: waterburysymphony.org
For ticketing by phone: 203-346-2000*
*Via box office partner
Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Telephone: 203-574-4283
Leif Bjaland, Music Director
Featuring: Boston based Rai Trio, Tiffany Chang [Violin], Leland Ko [Cellist] and Mott Fang-Bentov [Piano]
Program:
Haydn: Piano Trio in A major, H.XV No. 18 (15')
Gabriela Lena Frank: Four Folk Songs (15')
Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 'Dumky' (33')
Haydn: Piano Trio in D major, H.deest (6')
Parking & Venue Information
A Richardsonian Romanesque structure at 50 DeForest Street, Walker Hall was built in 1883, originally as the Watertown Library. It is now a stunning performance space that is part of the TAFT Campus. We are grateful to TAFT for the use of this space.
Ample Parking is available at the neighboring First Congregational Church of Watertown located at 40 Deforest Street, Watertown. Turn off the main Watertown Deforest Street and drive up and to the right of the Church, where you will find ample parking to the right of and/or behind the church. [Please do not park in the small lot behind Trumbull House].
And...for a 2nd view of parking [we like to please!] See this view above.
About Rai Trio:
As 2023 Yale School of Music Chamber Music Fellows, the Rai TrioFounded in 2019, Trio Rai is a Boston based piano trio. Its members include violinist Tiffany Chang, cellist Leland Ko, and pianist Motti Fang-Bentov. Originally formed with cellist Mari Nagahara at the New England Conservatory, the trio was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 2021. In 2022, Trio Rai served as ensemble in residence at Ravinia’s prestigious Steans Music Institute.
In the fall of 2023, after a tour of the Northeast that included performances at the Perlman Chamber Workshop and Norfolk Festivals, the trio added Leland Ko as their cellist. Trio Rai has studied extensively under the guidance of Miriam Fried, Itzhak Perlman, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein, Areta Zhulla, Ayano Ninomiya, Lucy Chapman, Vivian Weilerstein and Merry Peckham.
Named after the Japanese kanji for “trust and reliance,” Trio Rai seeks to build meaningful relationships with audience members and the music they perform, while enjoying the process of exploring the great works of the piano trio repertoire.
About WSO's Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Initiative
Each year, the Waterbury Symphony hosts an event for emerging instrumentalists as part of its new Young Artist Chamber Series and the Young Artist Concerto Competition - two treasured parts of the Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Initiative.
Mr. Clark, current Board Vice Chair, endowed these programs in 2019. With many years of experience serving on the boards of orchestras and performing arts organizations, Mr. Clark knows well the significance of this type of opportunity for young musicians for its performance, monetary, and credential values. “Having been involved for a long time with emerging musicians, I know how important it is for them to demonstrate their prowess in a performance with a symphony orchestra. The prize fund is a named endowment with real and enduring value for the winners and the Symphony. I’m happy that the Prize will advance these young artists throughout their musical careers,” Mr. Clark explains.
About Waterbury Symphony Orchestra: Creating music since 1938, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra’s core belief is that music, music education and shared cultural experiences are essential for humanity.
Three primary strands of the WSO include its MasterWorks Classical Concerts including its annual Symphony & Cinema Concert, its prodigious satellite performances including its Music in Great Spaces series of innovative concerts and smaller ensembles, and finally their celebrated educational programs for libraries, schools, and underserved communities.
Led by Leif Bjaland for the past twenty-eight seasons, WSO draws over one hundred talented professional musicians from across New England.
As orchestra in residence of the Fine Arts Center, Naugatuck Valley Community College, the Waterbury Symphony wishes to acknowledge the partnership of NVCC and the enduring legacy of the generosity and vision of Ruth Ann Leever.
For more information by telephone, call 203-574-4283 For tickets online, visit: waterburysymphony.org For ticketing by phone: 203-346-2000*
*Via box office partner, Palace Theater Ticketing Office