March 19, 2020: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

International School of Amsterdam
Master Class

Sang Woo Kang will present a piano master class for students of the Diploma Music Programme at the International School of Amsterdam on Thursday, March 19, from 10:05 AM to 11:20 AM.

Review: Chaminade Songs

Sang Woo Kang’s recording of Cecile Chaminade’s songs, with soprano Sooah Park, has been released. The disc can be purchased here. A review by James Harrington from the American Record Guide can be found here.

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Sang Woo Kang’s recording of Cecile Chaminade’s songs, with soprano Sooah Park, has been released. The disc can be purchased here. A review by James Harrington from the American Record Guide can be found here.
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[American Record Guide] November/December 2019 issue

CHAMINADE: Songs Sooah Park, s ; Sang Woo Kang, p Albany 1778—49 minutes by James Harrington Cécil Chaminade (1857-1944) wrote approximately 400 compositions, including 125 songs. She was and is known for her solo piano pieces; her songs have been unjustly overlooked. They grow from the style of Saint-Saens and at their best bring Fauré to […]

CHAMINADE: Songs

Sooah Park, s ; Sang Woo Kang, p Albany 1778—49 minutes

by James Harrington

Cécil Chaminade (1857-1944) wrote approximately 400 compositions, including 125 songs. She was and is known for her solo piano pieces; her songs have been unjustly overlooked. They grow from the style of Saint-Saens and at their best bring Fauré to mind. Her piano accompaniments are complex and often quite difficult, as one might expect from a concert pianist.

I have accompanied a few Chaminade songs over the years and was pleased to see this release. Sang Woo Kang’s playing is quite good—beautiful phrasing, with a lot of nuance and expert accompanying. Unfortunately, Sooah Park has only a few notes here and there that I’d call OK. Her middle and lower registers are weak, and her upper range has a heavy vibrato that I found unacceptable. I also found the balance to be overly weighted to the voice, so the best part of the performance (piano) was mostly set in the background and sometimes buried.

The 18 songs here amount to less than 50 minutes, and my favorite recording of Chaminade songs is over 76 minutes. Anne Sofie von Otter’s marvelous disc (DG 471331, J/A 2002) has 25 songs plus three pieces for violin and piano and three for two pianos. Kang’s playing measures up to Bengt Forsberg and Peter Jablonski on DG, but Park’s singing is not in the same league.

Albany includes English translations and an enjoyable and interesting essay by Kang. DG has both the French lyrics and English translations and an equally good essay. The DG recording is still available (used). Get that and discover some great French melodies.

October 6, 2019: Providence, RI

Mary K. Hail Music Mansion
Chamber Recital

Chaminade Musicale (2)

Seung Hee Yang is a South Korean violinist and academic. She is a violin professor at Chugye University for the Arts and has performed internationally. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she initially learned to play the piano before taking up the violin at the age of 6. She graduated from the Yewon Art School, Seoul Arts High School, and achieved the Bachelor of Music at the Seoul National University studying with Jong-sook Lee. She studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum for the Master of Music with Ruggiero Ricci in 1995, at Amsterdam Conservatory for the professional Performance certificate with Victor Liberman in 1998 and at Rutgers University for the Doctor of Musical Arts with Arnold Steinhardt in 2002.

Sang Woo Kang is described as a “prodigiously talented” by the Los Angeles Times and praised by the New York Concert Review for his “atmospheric and poetic renditions.” As an active performer, pianist Sang Woo Kang has presented masterclasses and recitals over 25 countries, from Asia, Scandinavia, Europe, Central and South America. In addition, he directs the Piano Institute and Seminar at the Atlantic Music Festival over the summer. He successfully balances his performing career as a solo, orchestral, and chamber musician with teaching at Providence College, where he is Professor of the Department of Music. He is also on the teaching faculty of Brown University.

He is a graduate of Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music, where he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. His recording of Mozart’s piano pieces, including never-performed fragments, was released in December 2014 on the NAXOS Label. His Scarlatti Sonata recording will be available early 2019 (NAXOS). He has also previously recorded for the EMI-Korea label.

For more information, please visit www.sangwookang.com.

About the Meenan Fund:

Helena Belisle Meenan, soprano, was for many years soloist of St. Paul’s Church in Cranston and a member  of the Vocal Arts Society which toured all over New England. She was an active member of the Chopin Club since 1945. She had served on many of its committees as well as being its President from 1956-1958. Besides the Chopin Club, Mrs. Meenan was also an active member of the Chaminade Club of which she was President from 1973-1977, as well as MacDowell Club and the Sunshine Club of Rumford . She was the past President of Veridames at Providence College. Mrs. Meenan‘s husband James attended Providence College and was a prominent business man .  Mrs. Meenan was a generous philanthropist who had given generously toward the music education and artistic development of students in Rhode Island through the various music clubs of which she was a member. Some of these students went on to The Juilliard School of Music, New England Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, MIT , Brown , Providence College and the summer program at Tangelwood to name a few.  Mrs. Meenan has set up two music scholarships, one in her husband’s name at Providence college, as well as a scholarship at the URI Music Department and at the Rhode Island School of Design , her alma mater. Mrs. Meenan died at the age of 104 in 2003.

In April 1998, Mrs. James ( Helena) Meenan established a Fund for the Providence College Music Department in the name of Rosalind Y. Chua, Professor of Music, to be used as honoraria for guest musicians and designating Rosalind Y. Chua as the organizer as well as a participant.

Today, we have the honor of remembering Mrs. Helena Meenan for her kindness , generosity and love of music . We are  privileged to be her friends  and club members and  we thank her for  making this concert possible.

Article: 8 Focused Practice Strategies for Music Students (and Everyone Else)

Sang Woo Kang, DMA, developed a unique eight-step program for his increasingly distracted students—and the results are music to his ears. The Los Angeles Times has referred to him as a “prodigiously talented pianist with great technical virtuosity and interpretive gifts.” But to his students at Providence College in Rhode Island, Dr. Sang Woo Kang is simply known as […]

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Sang Woo Kang, DMA, developed a unique eight-step program for his increasingly distracted students—and the results are music to his ears.

The Los Angeles Times has referred to him as a “prodigiously talented pianist with great technical virtuosity and interpretive gifts.” But to his students at Providence College in Rhode Island, Dr. Sang Woo Kang is simply known as “Professor.”

Read more…

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