First Parish UU Church - Piano and Cello Concert

Songs and Dances from Faraway Lands

Featuring 4-hands piano and pieces from Georgia, Turkey and Japan.

Sponsored by the First Parish UU Music Committee

Three musicians hailing from Juilliard School of Music bring songs and dances from faraway lands to Kennebunk Friday Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. This splendid concert will take place at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 114 Main St. Kennebunk, and opens the 250th anniversary year of the historic building.

Chris Staknys, pianist and Music Director of First Parish has invited two inspiring musicians to perform: pianist Anna Han and cellist Leland Ko. The program includes songs and dances from Georgia, Turkey and Japan played by Han and Ko. The show stopper is an exciting four-hands piano Sonata by Mozart played by Han and Staknys. The concert will be seen both in-person at the Church and on-line via a Zoom session.

“Our guest musicians have full schedules this year,” Staknys said, “We are so lucky to have them in Kennebunk.”

A donation of $15 is suggested at the door that night or pre-register on-line to attain the Link for viewing by ZOOM at home.

CONCERT PIANIST: Anna Han

Hailed by the Washington Post as “prodigiously gifted [displaying] imagination, taste and pianistic firepower far beyond her years,” Han is a laureate of many international competitions. She has performed with orchestras across the United States and England and has recorded on the Steinway and Sons label. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she won the Sterndale Bennett Prize. Currently living in Berlin, she is pursuing an Artist Diploma under the tutelage of Sir András Schiff and will perform this year in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Han is also producing a documentary about the effect that Covid had on a handful of classical musicians from around the world.

CONCERT CELLIST: Leland Ko

Violinist Itzhak Perlman described Ko as playing “with the beauty of sound and subtlety that we don’t often encounter in a cellist of his age … who willingly considers all aspects of music.” Ko has won many awards including first prize at the 2021 Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition. Before earning a master’s at Juilliard, he directed Opus 21, a chamber music collective at Princeton. He has performed in many renowned orchestras and venues across America’s east coast and Europe. Ko has a strong desire to connect with his audience every time he walks out on stage. 

CONCERT PIANIST: Christopher Staknys

Staknys of Falmouth also a Juilliard graduate was praised by Allan Kozinn of the New York Times, for his dexterity and dynamic phrase shaping. Staknys has appeared in major American and European cities including venues such as Carnegie Hall. He has won numerous competitions including first prize at the Steinway Society of Massachusetts Piano Competition. He has also been a vocal coach and has played for Opera Maine and the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory. He currently serves as music director for First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Kennebunk.

LOGISTICS: 

The program starts at 7 pm and the ZOOM session will be open at 6:45 pm so we can start promptly. Please arrive at the Church early so the program can begin on time.

Registration is required only for those who wish to view the concert via Zoom. All registered participants (whether Zoom or in-person) will receive a link "by-invitation-only.”

Those who arrive in person may give their donation at the door.

ADMISSION: 

• Families or friends viewing on 1 screen: $20
• Individual adults on 1 Zoom screen: $15 

PROCESS: 

1. Select the button above or below to register.
2. Purchase your registered Zoom Link for on-line viewing
3. It is not necessary to preregister if you are attending in person!