[music]

Lee Koonce: Hello, everyone. I'm Lee Koonce, and today we're continuing our series showcasing talented musicians from the renowned Oberlin Conservatory of Music on this edition of the Young Artists Showcase. Since 1978, the Harold W. McGraw Jr. Family Foundation has generously supported the Young Artists Showcase. In this episode, we'll feature students of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. Founded in 1865, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music is the oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States.

The school aspires to ''provide its students with a transformative educational experience that expands their intellectual and artistic capacities and fosters individual growth. This is the second in a series of shows featuring students and alumni from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, my alma mater. I am excited to continue showcasing these incredibly talented musicians and performances that feature a wide range of styles, periods, and instrumentation. We'll begin our show with Ysaÿe's Sonata for a Solo Violin in E Major, Opus 27 Number 6 performed by violinist and Montreal native Benjamin Seah. This recording comes from the Danenberg Honors Recital on February 16th, 2024, in the Warner Concert Hall at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

[MUSIC - Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonata for Solo Violin in E Major Opus 27, Number 6]

[applause]

Lee Koonce: That was Ysaÿe's Sonata for Solo Violin in E Major, Opus 27, Number 6, performed by Benjamin Seah. Next, we'll hear Oh, I Feel It from Mozart's The Magic Flute performed by soprano Athena Woodfin, a recent graduate of Oberlin. On piano is Daniel Michalak, an Oberlin vocal coach and collaborative pianist.

[MUSIC - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ach, ich fühl's [Oh, I feel it] from The Magic Flute]

[applause]

Lee Koonce: That was Oh, I Feel It from Mozart's The Magic Flute, performed by soprano Athena Woodfin and Daniel Michalak on piano. It's time for a quick break, and then we'll be back with a Rachmaninoff piano concerto here on the Young Artists Showcase. Thank you for rejoining us. I'm Lee Koonce, and this is the Young Artists Showcase. Next, we'll hear Concerto Number 2 in C Minor, Opus 18 by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It's performed by Annie Qin on piano, along with the Oberlin Orchestra conducted by Rafael Jimenez.

[MUSIC - Sergei Rachmaninoff: Concerto Number 2 in C Minor, Opus 18]

[applause]

Lee Koonce: That was Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto, performed by Annie Qin, and the Oberlin Orchestra, conducted by Raphael Jimenez. Thank you for joining us on this edition of the Young Artists Showcase, which is generously underwritten on WQXR by the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. Here are a few words from Terry McGraw.

Terry McGraw: Good evening, everyone. It's great to be with you and it's always great being with the Young Artists Showcase and to hear these really wonderful and inspiring musicians as they continue to share their incredible gifts with us every week. I can't wait to hear the fabulous talent coming up on the showcase. I am so pleased to be able to support the series all through its well over four decades on WQXR. There's so much more to come.

Lee Koonce: Thank you, Terry. Next week, we'll continue our Oberlin marathon with some Buxtehude, Ravel, and a violin concerto by Shulamit Ran. Many thanks to WQXR program producer Laura Boiman. Our generous program underwriter is The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. I'm Lee Koonce. Until next time. Goodnight.

[music]

 

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