Sunday,  August  22^nd @ 3:00 p.m.  Ann Yu, violinist and April Sun, pianist are going to return to open our concert series.  More concerts are in the works.  Please check the concert series page on our parish website for details.  Brochures will be available by summer’s end.

Praised for her “full-bodied, rich and warm tone” (Cleveland.com), twenty-four year old violinist (and sometimes violist) Ann Yu has captivated audiences with her beautiful sound, sensitive musicality, and engaging performances, drawing inspiration from her faith and her surroundings. A native of Hudson, Ohio, her diverse musical presence is widely recognized throughout the community as she performs in solo and chamber recitals, with local orchestras, and teaches. Ann is the 1st prize winner of the 26th Annual Darius Milhaud Competition and has soloed with the CIM Orchestra twice, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra, among others. 

An avid chamber musician, Ann has collaborated with some of the world’s leading artists such as Janine Jansen, Franklin Cohen, Mate Szucs, and Peter Slowik, attended top programs such as the Thy Festival in Denmark, Kneisel Hall, Perlman Music Program Workshop, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and studied with members of the Cleveland, Cavani, Juilliard, Mendelssohn, Emerson, and Orion Quartets, among other great masters. She is currently on faculty at the Credo Chamber Music Festival, which she attended as a student for four summers. 

Ann’s biggest passion lies in creatively using music to serve the community. She has received grants from the Cuyahoga Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Center for Performance and Civic Practice to create unique, community-centered, storytelling projects. She served as the Co-Artistic Director and Communications Director of Renovare Music, a nonprofit string ensemble that uses music to unify Cleveland’s diverse city, performing concerts in diverse settings to honor the marginalized of society through storytelling and non-traditional programming. Currently Ms. Yu is partnered with the Foluké Cultural Arts Center in Cleveland's Central neighborhood to create non-verbal, inter-disciplinary vignettes of the Anansi folktale.

Ms. Yu is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, receiving her master’s and bachelor’s degree in violin performance studying with Jaime Laredo, Jan Sloman, and William Preucil. She maintains a private studio of violin, viola, and elementary piano students. When not engrossed in musical activities, Ann enjoys exploring the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the surrounding Metroparks, working on home DIY projects, and falling asleep to a good book. 

Boston-based pianist April Sun enjoys a vibrant and fun musical life as a performer, educator, and arts organizer. She co-founded the Meadowlark Piano Trio and frequently plays in chamber music ensembles, including the Phoenix and Cape Cod Chamber Orchestras; additionally, she has collaborated with members of the Chiara Quartet, Escher Quartet, Cleveland Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. 
 
April is deeply invested in helping diverse communities forge meaningful connections with music. She has served as both an artist fellow and a general manager at Music for Food--an organization that uses music to generate funds for food pantries. April was an Artist-in-Residence at Judson Park, as part of an intergenerational living initiative that brings concerts to seniors. She teaches piano and chamber music at the Brookline Music School and serves as a staff pianist at New England Conservatory and Boston University.
 
April holds a DMA in collaborative piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), where she also received a MM in piano performance, a certificate in pedagogy, and the Bennett Levine Chamber Music Award. She completed her B.A. in music, with minors in English and Art History, at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln. Her incredible mentors have included Daniel Shapiro, Anita Pontremoli, Paul Barnes, Kim Kashkashian, Peter Salaff, and Susan McClary. Away from the piano,
April enjoys stories, bikes, strong beverages, and hikes