Katelyn Vahala
Praised as a “highly accomplished pianist….with wonderfully rhythmic and robust
playing” (New York Concert Review), Katelyn Vahala is a passionate soloist, chamber
musician, educator, and arts advocate in the Los Angeles area.
Katelyn was a finalist in the 2022 Leipzig International Bach Competition, where
she performed with the Mendelssohn Kammerorchester Leipzig. In addition to winning
the 2021 USC Thornton Concerto Competition, Katelyn is the first prize winner of the
2019 Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition, where she also won the
Contemporary Music Award.
As pianist of the Callisto Piano Trio, Katelyn was a prize winner at the 2016
Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, where the trio was the youngest
ensemble to ever compete in the senior division finals. Since then, the Callisto Trio has
toured throughout Holland and Slovakia as part of the International Holland Music
Sessions’ Masters on Tour and has served as Artist-in-Residence at the Da Camera
Society in Los Angeles.
Katelyn is the Artistic Director of the traveling outdoor concert series Insert Music
Here, which brings musical programs outside the concert hall and into nature. She is
also a member of the piano faculty at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. When not
teaching and performing, Katelyn is currently pursuing a DMA in Piano Performance at
USC’s Thornton School of Music with Dr. Lucinda Carver and Jeffrey Kahane.
Shaoai Ashley Zhang
A pianist with “impressive technical skill and innate musicality” (Unsuk Chin), Shaoai Ashley Zhang is an active solo and chamber musician. A champion of contemporary music, Ms. Zhang has premiered dozens of new works and collaborated closely with composers including Helmut Lachenmann, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Unsuk Chin. Ms. Zhang presents recitals featuring both new and old piano repertoire, which puts contemporary music in dialogue with the past. Recent engagements include appearances as a soloist in Unsuk Chin’s Double Concerto with the Palimpsest Ensemble, as well as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22, K. 482 with the UC San Diego Chamber Orchestra.
In addition to solo activities, Ms. Zhang has appeared at numerous contemporary music festivals, including Lucerne Festival Academy, Tanglewood Music Festival, Darmstädter Ferienkurse and the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice. A sought-after collaborator, Ms. Zhang regularly appears as part of Duo am Meer with saxophonist Andrew R. Steinberg, presenting concerts in Hong Kong, China, Russia, and Germany, as well as across the US. Ms. Zhang is also a member of Duo Refracta with percussionist Michael Jones, and their upcoming album release will feature music by Kevin Good, Aaron Wyanski, and David Macbride.
Shaoai Ashley Zhang holds a Doctorate in Contemporary Piano Performance from University of California San Diego, where she studied with Aleck Karis. Ms. Zhang is a graduate of New England Conservatory, where she received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees studying under Stephen Drury.
Upcoming concerts with 2023-24 Emerging Artists
Shaoai Ashley Zhang
A pianist with “impressive technical skill and innate musicality” (Unsuk Chin), Emerging Artist Ashley Zhang is an …
View Event - Shaoai Ashley Zhang
Katelyn Vahala
Praised as a “highly accomplished pianist….with wonderfully rhythmic and robust playing” (New York Concert Review), Emerging Artist …
View Event - Katelyn Vahala