Musicians Unleashed Series Continues Saturday with “Spring Awakenings” in Manchester

This weekend, the Cape Ann Symphony’s popular intimate classical music series, “Musicians Unleashed,” is coming to Manchester’s Crowell Chapel.  The Saturday concert, “Spring Awakening,” takes place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 15.

This year’s edition of the Musicians Unleashed series will feature a special guest artist pianist—Tianhong Yang—and Cape Ann Symphony musicians Bill Kirkley, clarinet; Seth MacLeod, Cello; Scott Moore, violin; Erica Pisaturo, violin; Richey Tally, string bass; and Brandon White, viola; playing nine compositions from nine composers of varying styles ranging from Gershwin to Liszt.

According to Cape Ann Symphony Conductor and Music Director Yoichi Udagawa, "The final Musicians Unleashed concert of the season is going to be a great one. Fantastic musicians from the Cape Ann Symphony will be playing a varied program written by a wide range of composers with a lot of different combinations of players. Plus, our special guest, the enormously talented pianist Tianhong Yang!"

The concert program includes: Beethoven's Spring Sonata 4th Movement; Bach's Cello Suite No 1, Prelude; Saint-Saens' The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals (Le Carnaval des animaux); Mozart's Clarinet Quintet 1st Movement which is Mozart's only completed clarinet quintet, and is one of the earliest and best-known works written especially for the clarinet; George Gershwin's Promenade; Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 for solo piano; Trenet-Weisenberg's En Avril à Paris; Koussevitsky's Valse Minature; and  Dvorák's String Quintet No. 2, 1st Movement.

Based in Boston, Chinese-born pianist Tianhong Yang has made solo appearances in prestigious festivals and venues across Europe, Asia, and the USA. She made her UK debut in 2010 at the St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, Op.37, under the direction of Maestro David Jones.  Yang has participated and won numerous top prizes in international piano competitions such as Liege International Piano Competition and Andree Charlier International Piano Competition. 

At the age of four, Yang started her piano lessons and continued her studies in the Middle School program at Wuhan Conservatoire of Music, then later was admitted to the High School of Central Conservatoire of Music in Beijing, China.   She then trained at China’s most prestigious conservatories she was awarded the inaugural Steinway Full Scholarship in 2009 to further her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music under the tutelage of Richard McMahon.

Launched in 2019, the Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed program has become a popular series with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response. 

Spring Awakening is Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m. at the Crowell Chapel, 3 Rosedale Avenue, Manchester-by-the-Sea.  Tickets are $40 for adults, $15 for youth.  Info at (978) 281-0543 and at capeannsymphony.org.