A degree recital by Hannah Chou, DMA Violin Performance, a student of Ron Patterson, and Alex Fang, DMA Piano Performance, a student of Craig Sheppard. With Ryan Farris, cello.
View a livestream of the recital
Program
II. Allegro con brio
III. Largo
IV. Allegretto — Adagio
II. Adagio con molta espressione
III. Rondo: Allegro molto
Café Music
III. Presto
Biography
American violinist Hannah Chou has forged a career path as a passionate soloist, collaborator, and educator. A graduate of Northwestern University, she received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and Music Cognition and went on to receive her Master of Music in Violin Performance at UCLA on a full scholarship. Chou is currently a doctoral student and serves as a teaching assistant at the University of Washington where she most recently won the UW 2022 Concerto Competition. Notable mentors include Ronald Patterson, Varty Manouelian, Yuan-Qing Yu, Mikhail Kopelman, and John Chisholm.
In her orchestral career, Chou has served principal positions and performed in various ensembles such as the Sarasota Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and New World Symphony. As an enthusiastic chamber musician, Chou joined the VEM Quartet, UCLA’s graduate string quartet in residence, for the 2019-2021 season and was featured in a series of mini documentaries. Along with performing, she shares a passion for teaching and enjoys teaching students of all ages.
Alex Fang is dedicated to sharing music and creating personal connections with his audience members, collaborators, and students. He is currently pursuing his doctorate under the guidance of Craig Sheppard at the University of Washington, where he is also a Teaching Assistant for the Modern Music Ensemble, directed by Cristina Valdés. He received his masters from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under Sharon Mann and Yoshikazu Nagai, and his bachelors from Northwestern University under Alan Chow and James Giles, where he additionally completed a combined bachelors/masters in computer science. His studies have included pedagogy training under Marcia Bosits and Iris Hsu Shiotsuki. Notable performances include Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra as the 2022 winner of the piano concerto competition, chamber performances alongside faculty members at Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival in Leavenworth, and a 2023 world premiere of a double harpsichord concerto with Harmonia.
Alex’s approach to music and teaching offers a holistic combination of the mind and the heart. Through music, he strives to inspire a lifelong joy in learning and respect for the arts. He enjoys helping students analyze and understand the musical language in order to develop their independence and artistic individuality. Since 2015, he has engaged with a wide range of students through private teaching as well as after-school programs, including Bridge to Arts and Music at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education at Northwestern University. Locally, Alex is active as a soloist, orchestral keyboardist, teacher at Cascade Piano Studio, and collaborative pianist for the Seattle Jewish Chorale. In his free time, Alex enjoys playing badminton and Tetris, and exploring hikes and food in the Seattle area.