KCA welcomes virtuoso newlywed pianists

A pair of award-winning virtuoso pianists will open the season for the Kauai Concert Association at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center.

“It is the kickoff concert of the year, which is always a big deal,” said KCA Secretary Jason Blake.

Soyeon “Kate” Lee and Ran Dank were the first- and second-place winners of the 2010 Naumburg Piano Competition in New York City.

This is Lee’s second chance to perform on Kauai. Now, she brings a fellow performer and new husband as a duo performance group.  The two are being touted for performing solo works but also several four-hand piano pieces together on the same Steinway piano. The pieces are considered difficult and composed specifically for four-hand performances, including “The Right of Spring,” composed in 1913 by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971).

“That is considered a big deal and rarely gets played,” Blake said. “They are now newlyweds.”

Korean-American pianist Soyeon Kate Lee earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and the artist diploma from The Juilliard School. As a student, she won every award granted to a student pianist including the Rachmaninoff Concerto Competition.

Ran Dank (pronounced Rahn Dahnk) is a native of Israel, and earned his bachelor’s degree from the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University and received his master’s degree from The Juilliard School.

The concert is, in part, to acknowledge the support of the classical supporters by bringing in two world-class artists, Blake said.

“It helped to create a coalition of multi-island tours for certain levels of talent and makes it more affordable,” Blake said.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for students. Visit http://kauai-concert.org for information.