The first to show what the piano could really do
One of the few compositions that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote for two pianos, the Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448. He composed it in sonata-allegro form, with three movements in the galant style, with interlocking melodies and simultaneous cadences.

Written when he was 25, Mozart composed the sonata for a performance he would give with fellow pianist Josepha Auernhammer. about whome Mozart once wrote: “Almost every day after dinner I am at H: v: Auernhammer’s - The Miss is a monster! - plays delightfully though, however, she lacks the genuine fine and lilting quality of cantabile; she plucks too much.” 

As his Requiem, Mozart’s Fantasia in D minor, K. 397 was completed by another composer. The original manuscript has not survived, and its final 10 measures were either never completed by Mozart or lost. Despite this, it remains one of Mozart’s most popular piano compositions.

Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 18 in D Major, K. 576 is the only one completed of an intended set of what Mozart called “six easy piano sonatas,” to be composed for for Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia. It is the last piano sonata he composed and is often nicknamed “The Hunt” or “The Trumpet Sonata,” for its hornlike opening.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne has been arranged for nearly every instrument, including, of course, piano. Johannes Brahms in a letter to Clara Schumann described the piece as thus: “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man [Bach] writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings.” Violinist Joshua Bell calls it “a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect.

Presented by Steinway Piano Gallery

FESTIVAL EVENTS

Visit the festival home page >

• The Complete Brandenburg Concertos
• Jerrick Cavagnaro: Organ Recital
• Threads: Pius Cheung, Goldberg Variations
• All in the Familie: JS Bach & Sons Chamber Music
• Artist Spotlight: Gene Stenger
• Tuning In: JS Bach's Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61
• Follia & Fantasy: The Art of the Trio Sonata
• Tuning In: JS Bach's Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10
• Mozart at the Keyboard: The Virtuoso Genius
• Mozart Requiem

Cristian Makhuli

Cristian Makhuli, 20, is studying at Yale University, pursuing degrees in music and physics. His musical journey began at the age of nine and at 13 years old, Cristian made his orchestral debut with the Winston-Salem Symphony. Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, Cristian is the pianist and founding member of the Charlotte Piano Trio, a 501(c) organization committed to providing professional-level community concerts throughout the Carolinas. He has been recognized as a National YoungArts winner and a National MTNA Competition Finalist.  

Last summer, Cristian attended Les Écoles d’Art Américaines de Fontainebleau as the Robert Casadesus fellow where he studied with Robert Levin. While in France, he was a prizewinner in the Prix Ravel alongside his Curtis classmates Anaïs Feller and Carson Ling-Efird who together form the Orbit Trio. He also was a fellow at the 2024 Gilmore Festival where he studied with Piotr Anderszewski and Kirill Gerstein. In 2023, he received the Ronit Amir Lowenthal Scholarship to study as a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA, where he studied with Jeremy Denk and Conor Hanick. At Music Academy, he was involved in the World Premier of Samuel Carl Adams’ Études in Hahn Hall. He has spent previous summers at the Aspen Music Festival and the SouthEastern Piano Festival.

​He is currently a student of Professor Wei-Yi Yang at the Yale School of Music. Prior to his studies at Yale, Cristian studied at the Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of Mr. Robert McDonald where he was named the William A. Horn M.D. fellow. He went to high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied with Dr. Dmitri Vorobiev. His childhood mentor was Dr. Paul Nitsch from Queens University of Charlotte who sowed the seeds for his artistic curiosity.  ​

Esther Jeehae Ahn

Lauded by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her interpretive coherence and graceful realization, pianist Esther Jeehae Ahn has captivated international audiences with her rare blend of musical brilliance, sensitivity, and emotional depth. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in major venues, series and festivals throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, among them Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Flynn Performing Arts Center, Jordan Hall, Calderwood Hall at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Mozart Hall, Moscow Conservatory, University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Busan Music Festival, Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice, International Liszt Symposium, Korean-American Cultural Foundation, and MusicFest Canada.

Esther earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from Eastman School of Music, with a minor degree in Accompanying and Chamber Music. Her teachers have included the late Russell Sherman, Wha Kyung Byun, Meng-Chieh Liu, Rebecca Penneys, Douglas Humpherys, Paul Biss, Gabriel Chodos, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein, and Jean Barr. She won numerous prizes and awards, including first prizes in Junior Chopin Competition, Harvard Musical Association Competition, Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Busan Music Festival Competition, Ye-Eum Piano Festival, Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Frances B. Lanier Award from New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, and Arnold C. Taylor Award from Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she graduated summa cum laude and was inducted to the National Society of High School Scholars. She was a guest artist at the South Korean launch of Steinway & Sons, the Ministry of National Defense in South Korea, and at the US-Korea Conference in New York City. Her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s From the Top and WSMR Classical.