Cello & Piano Recital featuring Christoph Wagner and Joanne Kong

Please join us on the evening of December 1 at 7 pm for a very special performance of works by Debussy, Dvorak, Schumann and Martinu by the acclaimed cellist Christoph Wagner and renowned pianist and harpsichordist Joanne Kong.

Both musicians have received praise for performances around the world, and we are thrilled they have decided to delight us with this recital.

Click here to listen to an interview on VPM with Dr. Wagner and Dr. Kong.

To know more about Christoph and Joanne, read on:

Dr. Christoph Wagner is a prize-winning cellist, sought-after pedagogue and lecturer whose mission is to transform the world through music. He received first prizes at the German Youth Competition Jugend Musiziert, Ribalta Mozart Italia in Italy, and the Peter Pirazzi Competition in Germany. Wagner has performed in major concert halls in Europe such as the Berlin Philharmonie and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and appeared at festivals throughout Europe and the US. His international career has spanned four continents, including appearances in Switzerland, Croatia, France, Italy, South Africa, South America, China, South Korea and the US. Wagner has been a passionate music ambassador as fellowship holder from Live Music Now – Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in Germany and as a musician in Classical Connections in Bloomington where he played numerous concerts in underserved areas. Active in expanding the role of the arts in community outreach, Wagner participated in a summer residency with LA Street Symphony in Los Angeles in 2018, working with homeless and prison communities, and was a Young Artist Fellow with DA CAMERA Houston from 2018 – 2020.

Wagner received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Music in Frankfurt, a Master of Music at Indiana University, and received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. As a graduate research fellow at Houston Methodist Research Institute he conducted research focusing on injuries and injury prevention in orchestral musicians. He regularly gives masterclasses and lectures throughout the US and South America, and is currently Assistant Professor of Cello at the University of New Mexico.

Pianist and harpsichordist Joanne Kong captures the attention of audiences in compelling performances that celebrate the vibrancy and eloquence of musical expression. Her performances have been praised for “great finesse and flexibility” (The Washington Post), “superb” playing (The Boston Globe) and “superb artistry” (San Antonio Express-News) for works “sensitively played” (The New York Times). Her versatility includes the distinction of being the first artist to release a harpsichord-piano recording of the Goldberg and Diabelli Variations, on the BRIOSO label.

Dr. Kong has performed to critical acclaim in numerous appearances including the Los Angeles and Oregon Bach Festivals, Memphis Chamber Music Society, San Antonio Festival, Los Angeles Monday Evening Concert Series, Virginia Waterfront International Festival of the Arts, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, National Gallery of Art Concert Series in Washington, D.C., Strathmore Hall’s “Music in the Mansion” series, Columbia University, Harvard University, the Conservatorio Dall’Abaco in Verona, Italy, the Melk Abbey Summer Concert Series and Baden’s Haus der Kunst in Austria, and the International Festival of Orchestras and Youth in Cartagena, Colombia. She concertized throughout India in a 10-city tour in 2018, and performed in Brazil in 2015 under the auspices of the Partners of the Americas. Kong is in frequent demand as a keyboard, vocal and chamber coach, and has been guest teacher at New York University, New England Conservatory of Music, and Yale University, among others. She currently directs the accompanying and chamber music programs at the University of Richmond.

Website: joannekongmusic.com