In the Face of Silence
Friday, May 2, 2025
7:30PM
Violinist Ann Yu, cellist Sarah Tindall, and pianist Irwin Shung present works by composers who witnessed the worst humanity had to offer and still found a way to sing beautifully. Featured are Prokofiev’s First Violin Sonata (1948), which reflects the introspective and melancholic mood of his personal struggles amid the pervasive atmosphere of fear during the Stalinist era, and Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor (1944), composed in the wake of Stalin’s purges, which powerfully conveys both grief and resilience.
"... like a wind blowing through a graveyard."
-Prokofiev, describing the First Violin Sonata
Piano Sonata no. 4 in C Minor, op. 29 Sergei Prokofiev
II. Andante Assai
Violin Sonata no. 1 in F Minor, op. 80 Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Trio no. 2 in E Minor, op. 67 Dimitri Shostakovich
Night, arr. for piano trio by Merz Trio Florence Price
Program
Artists
Sarah Tindall, Cello
Praised for her rich sound and ability to speak through her instrument (NPR’s From the Top), Sarah’s cello abilities shone forth from a young age, leading her to move from a small town in Nebraska to the Juilliard Pre-College Program in New York with Amy Barston. Sarah is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) with a degree in Cello Performance and Teaching Artistry, where she studied with Lluis Claret. Her rich time at NEC included advancement to the finals in the school's concerto competition twice, and field experience and mentorship through community outreach and teaching artistry fellowship in settings such as Public schools, retirement communities, immigration centers, and beyond. Her love for chamber music and drive for excellence has led to participation in Summer Festivals such as YellowBarn, Bowdoin, Credo, and Orford along with masterclasses under Natasha Brofsky, Michel Strauss, Zlatomir Fung, Sir Simon Rattle, and others. Sarah currently studies modern cello with Darrett Adkins and Dr. Melissa Kraut, and baroque cello with Rebecca Reed. When not performing, Sarah has served as a substitute teacher at the NEC’s Preparatory Department alongside her private students in the community and at Bridge Boston Charter School. She feels indebted to her students who help her grow daily and aims to provide joy and wonder through musical exploration in each lesson. Outside of music, Sarah loves her church family, running, hiking, and reading.
Ann Yu, Violin
Praised for her “full-bodied, rich and warm tone” (Cleveland.com), violinist Ann Yu is an accomplished soloist, chamber, orchestral, session musician and educator whose versatility, excellence in artistry, and collaborative spirit has secured her as one of the most coveted musicians throughout Northeast Ohio's artistic communities. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) studying with Jaime Laredo, Jan Sloman, and William Preucil, where she was the 1st prize winner of the 26th Annual Darius Milhaud Competition and Concerto Competition and the recipient of the Fortnightly Musical Award. She has soloed with the Cleveland, CIM, and National Repertory Orchestras and attended prestigious programs such as Thy Masterclass, Kneisel Hall, Perlman Music Program, New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Credo Festival, where she served as faculty for four summers. Locally, you can find her performing at the Candlelight Concerts, in Severance Hall with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and teaching through the Cleveland Orchestra’s Crescendo Program at the Cleveland and Dike School of the Arts. Ann finds great joy in exploring multiple genres and styles of playing the violin. Currently she studies Baroque violin with Julie Andrijeski, Old Time fiddle with Paul Kirk, and jams with local blues, bluegrass and old time musicians. Her greatest love is playing chamber music, as she is a founding member of the award-winning and acclaimed Poiema Trio. Outside of music, she enjoys dancing lindy hop and blues, hiking, and volunteering for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Irwin Shung, Piano
Dr. Irwin Shung, whose playing has been praised by State Magazine for its “ease, technique, and musicianship,” has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Shung teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, in addition to serving as Artistic Director of The Resonance Project ever since its roots were originally put down in Seattle. Shung maintains an active musical profile both on the West Coast and in Cleveland, where he was recently selected as Height Arts' Artist of the Month. Currently in his third year as President of the Northeast Ohio Music Teachers Association, Shung's leadership over the organization has seen the development of dynamic new programs for hundreds of regional precollegiate music students in Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lorain Counties. Shung received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in January, 2015, where he studied with Dr. Daniel Shapiro. He has also received instruction on piano from distinguished teachers such as Marian Hahn (Peabody Conservatory), Leon Fleisher (Peabody Conservatory), Herbert Stessin (Julliard School), Gabriel Chodos (New England Conservatory), and Victoria Bogdashevskaya (Moscow Conservatory). Awards received include the Pauline Favin Memorial Award from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and prizes in the Darius Milhaud Competition as well as the Young Artist International Piano Competition. Appearances in 2023-24 include workshops and concerts in Bellevue, WA; Victoria, British Columbia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore, and numerous cities in Ohio. His complete recording of the first book of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier is available online, with the second book and the Goldberg Variations currently in-progress. Current projects include the construction of a chamber recording studio at the Artist House in South Euclid, as well Crescendo Cleveland, a music program for pre-college musicians.