Classical KING and LMC Present: Kana Funayama and Sean Yang, 2024 Frances Walton Competition Winners

Listen to 2024 Frances Walton Competition Solo winners Kana Funayama, marimba, and Sean Yang, piano perform on Classical KING’s Northwest Focus Live.

LISTEN HERE online

Ladies Musical Club and Classical KING

present

Kana Funayama, Marimba

Sean Yang, Piano

for the 

2024 FRANCES WALTON COMPETITION Solo WINNERS’ TOUR

Kaze no Sobyō                                                                                                                            Sana Fujimori

Eye in the Sky                                                                                                                               Ennis Harris

Verano Porteno, arr. Pius Cheung                                                                                         Astor Piazzolla

Kana Funayama, Marimba

Etudes, Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor, No. 9 in F minor                                                           Frédéric Chopin

                        Musica Nara, Op. 25                                                                                                            Minako Tokuyama

Iberia Suite, Book 2, I. Rondena, III. Triana                                                                               Isaac Albéniz

Sean Yang, Piano

Concert Program PDF

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kana Funayama is a Japanese percussionist, marimbist, and arranger whose performance career sees her in a wide range of engagements as soloist, ensemble player, and collaborative artist. She has been featured as a soloist at numerous concerts including at La Folle Journée TOKYO, “Geisai” in Tokyo, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan, Walla Walla Symphony in Washington, and more. As an ensemble player, Funayama has performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia, film recordings at Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures Studio, John Williams Scoring Stage, and many more. Funayama holds her Bachelor of Music from Tokyo University of the Arts, and her Master of Music from Eastman School of Music with the esteemed Performance Certificate and Milton Schlesinger Percussion Prize. She is a candidate for Artist Diploma at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Sean Yang studies piano with Logan Skelton at the University of Michigan. Sean is a prizewinner at the Memphis International Piano Competition, MTNA National Round Young Artist Piano Competition, and the Blair School Concerto Competition. He made his solo debut in 2016 performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and subsequent engagements include the Nashville and Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra. Sean has an upcoming concerto engagement with the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra in July of 2024. Sean spent his recent summers at Bowdoin and Aspen with Anton Nel, Julian Martin, and Douglas Humpherys. He studied with Amy Dorfman at Vanderbilt while earning a double major in Neuroscience and Piano. His research background includes redesigning ICU alarm monitors and investigating the benefits of listening to live classical music in the ICU. His research has been shared in major scientific journals such as Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the International Journal of Critical Care.

Special thanks to:

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