A Night of Virtuosity
Get ready for a night of musical fireworks with the Dorothy Gerber Youth Orchestra.
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DateNovember 9, 2026
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Event Starts7:00 PM
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Doors OpenTheater Doors 6:30PM
- Mon / November 9, 2026 7:00pm Add to Calendar
Event Details
Get ready for a night of musical fireworks. Guest pianist Ya-Ju Chuang joins the Dorothy Gerber Youth Orchestra for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, bringing its dazzling piano passages to life. Then the orchestra’s own musicians step into the spotlight for the dramatic solos and Spanish-inspired rhythms of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. The evening opens with familiar favorites from The Little Mermaid. All are welcome to attend this free concert filled with musical excellence.
About Ya-Ju
Ya-Ju Chuang is an active performer, appearing as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist, and music educator. As a performer, Chuang has been awarded numerous prizes and scholarships in Taiwan and the United States. She was a National Finalist at The American Prize in Piano Performance (concerto)- The Lorin Hollander Award, first prize winner at the Golden Classical Music Awards, Brussels Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, American Protégé International Competition, Concerto Competition at Michigan State University, and Tuesday Musical Association scholarship competition. She was also a top prize winner in the National Taiwan Piano Competition. As a collaborative pianist, she has performed with many artists such as Martin Chalifour, Elaine Douvas, Leelanee Sterrett, Bing Wang, Yevgeny Kutik, Scott Dixon, Patrick Williams, Richard Sherman, Jane Bunnell, Marc Embree, and Robert Spring. Chuang’s performances have been featured on Traverse Symphony Orchestra’s Maestro Series, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra’s Sunday Series, Alluvion Concert Series, Absolute Music Chamber Series, NPR's From the Top, WKAR Public Media, and Interlochen Public Radio. As a pedagogue, Chuang presented in the MMTA State Conference, the MTNA Collegiate Chapter Piano Pedagogy Symposium, and MTNA Conference.
Chuang received her D.M.A. in Piano Performance and M.M. in Piano Pedagogy from Michigan State University, M.M. in Piano Performance from Kent State University, and B.M. in Piano Performance from University of Taipei. Her primary teachers include Panayis Lyras, Derek Polischuk, Jerry Wong, Lin-Ju Ou, Juanelva Rose, and Ming-Jen Chuang. Chuang is a Collaborative Pianist at Interlochen Arts Academy and Camp.