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Casella Sinfonietta

September 4 @ 7:30 pm 9:00 pm

Program

Jonathan Caldwell, conductor
Annie Jeng, piano

Faculty and Student Side-by-Side Concert
WEILL Kleine Dreigroschenmusik (Little Threepenny Music) 
MINGUS Adagio ma non troppo
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue (100th Anniversary)

Casella Sinfonietta was created as an enhancement to the large ensemble offerings in the UNCG School of Music. Performing a range of works for 6 to 18 players, from the Renaissance period through world premieres, the ensemble functions on a professional model and performs one concert each semester. The personnel for each semester is determined by the repertoire, allowing the finest performers on wind, brass, string, percussion, and keyboard instruments the highest-level experience possible. Faculty and guest soloists and composers frequently collaborate with the ensemble.

Hailed for her “brilliant pianism” (Gramophone) and “acrobatic” performances (Take Effect), Taiwanese-American pianist Annie Jeng has performed widely as a solo and chamber musician at the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Italy, the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain, the Kennedy Center, New York City, China, and at numerous academic institutions as a guest artist. As an advocate for pushing the boundaries of traditional performances, Annie has performed and curated concerts at breweries, parking deck rooftops, intimate living room settings, and other unconventional spaces, all with the aim of making the arts more accessible and interdisciplinary. Annie has presented at Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) conferences at collegiate, state, and national levels, The National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), and College Music Society (CMS) conferences. She is the current President of Greensboro Music Teachers Association (GMTA) and serves on the board for the North Carolina Music Teachers Association (NCMTA). Annie is also the Assistant Director of Piano for the Brancaleoni International Music Festival (brancaleonifestival.com) in Piobbico, Italy.

Annie has commissioned and premiered dozens of new works. She is the pianist of Khemia Ensemble (khemiaensemble.com), a contemporary chamber ensemble that is dedicated to promoting contemporary classical music by cultivating inclusive place-making, collaborative mentorships, and authentic storytelling through immersive, multimedia performances. She also released the album “World Map” with Parma Recordings as the former pianist of Four Corner’s Ensemble. Her latest commissioning project, Circles and Lines, consists of new pedagogical works by women composers that introduces contemporary piano techniques to intermediate pianists. As a strong believer in creating a better and more equitable “normal” in the piano community, she also founded A Seat at the Piano (ASAP)  in the summer of 2020 (aseatatthepiano.com). ASAP is a 501(c)(3) that is dedicated to the promotion of inclusion in the performance and study of solo piano repertoire. In collaboration with the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, she has co-created an online course on women composers, been invited to speak on panels, present workshops, and serves on the Career Develop and Innovation subcommittee chair for NCKP. 

Annie received her DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Michigan, where she also received her MM. She earned her BM in Piano Performance with a minor in Public Health from New York University. Her primary teachers have included Logan Skelton, José Ramón Mendez, Miyoko Lotto, Anne-Marie McDermott, and Faye Bonner. She is currently Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Free
100 McIver St
Greensboro, 27412 United States
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