Sirena Huang, Caeli Smith, Joshua Halpern, Min Young Kang: The Open Door

7 PM Doors & Pre-Reception
8 PM Recital
9:30 PM Post-Reception

Sirena Huang, Caeli Smith, Joshua Halpern, Min Young Kang: The Open Door

Gotham Arts in collaboration with Kallos Chamber Music Series and Groupmuse is delighted to present an intimate private chamber music performance by violinist Sirena Huang, violist Caeli Smith, cellist Joshua Halpern, and pianist Min Young Kang.

The Open Door traces the first steps of an inward journey — through reflection, awakening, and new beginnings. From Reena Esmail’s meditative Saans to Ravel’s luminous Sonata Posthume and Turina’s lyrical Piano Quartet, the evening culminates in Walton’s bold, expressive Piano Quartet — a celebration of emerging voice and momentum.

Wine will be served.

Program

REENA ESMAIL Saans for Piano Trio

RAVEL Sonata No. 1 (Sonata posthume) for Violin & Piano

Intermission

JOAQUÍN TURINA Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 67

WILLIAM WALTON Piano Quartet in d minor (1921)

About the Artists

Watch a performance of Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 3 in c minor from last season's Kallos Chamber Music Series at the New Haven Lawn Club

Sirena Huang, violin

Praised by The Baltimore Sun for her "impeccable technique... deeply expressive phrasing... and poetic weight," Sirena Huang is one of her generation’s most celebrated violinists. She brings not only technical brilliance and powerful artistry to the stage, but also a profound sense of connection to her audience.

Highlights of the 2024-25 season include a recital tour of Taiwan with performances at the National Concert Hall in Taipei and the Weiwuying Recital Hall in Kaohsiung. Multiple recitals in the United States will culminate in her Carnegie Hall debut recital in Zankel Hall in April 2025 and a debut recording on the Azica label as part of her Gold Medal prize at The Indianapolis. Sirena will appear in concerto engagements with the Hartford, Santa Fe and Southeast Missouri symphonies, the Louisiana Philharmonic and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Passionate about chamber music, Sirena will also perform chamber music concerts in Dallas and Montreal.

Sirena made her solo debut with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in 2004 at the age of nine, and, since then, has performed in seventeen countries across three continents. She has been featured as a soloist with more than fifty prestigious ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestras of Cleveland, Baltimore, Shanghai, Russia, Evergreen and Singapore, and the Staatskapelle Weimar in Germany. She has appeared as a guest artist at the Verbier Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Sarasota Arts Series, Albuquerque Chamber Music Festival, "The Great Music for a Great City" series in New York City, and many others.

Motivated by a deep wish to inspire peace and harmony with her music, Sirena has performed before world leaders, thinkers and humanitarians. At age eleven, she gave a TED talk that garnered more than 2.5 million views. In 2006, she received the honor of playing for thirty Nobel Prize Laureates at the World Peace Conference held in Petra. In 2007, she played in the Opening Ceremony of the "Forum 2000 World Conference" in Prague. In 2008, she was invited to perform during the ceremony in which the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity presented its Humanitarian Award to President Sarkozy of France.

Caeli Smith, viola

Called "intense, precise, and full of personality" after appearing as concerto soloist with The Juilliard Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall (OperaClick), Caeli Smith is an award-winning chamber musician, educator, and facilitator. She has performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Knights, Sejong Soloists, Jordi Savall, and the Verbier Chamber Orchestra. Caeli is an alum of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, the post-graduate performance, education, and leadership program of Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School. She is a founding member of Frisson and a member of the dynamic, eclectic chamber group, Sybarite5.

A curious and enthusiastic educator, Caeli is on the faculty of the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Kinhaven Music School, and the New York Philharmonic Teaching Artists. She is a Teaching Assistant and Technique Instructor for the ACHT Viola Studio at The Juilliard School. She has led educational workshops for the fellows of Ensemble Connect and the music teachers of Musical Mentors Collaborative. In 2022-2023 she is the visiting professor of viola, teaching the viola studio at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

Caeli holds two degrees from The Juilliard School: a bachelor's degree in violin performance and a master's degree in viola performance. Upon graduating, she received the William Schuman Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. Caeli also holds a Master's in Education, Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship; with a concentration in Arts and Learning from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Caeli has written for radio, TV, and print, and her articles have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as Strings, Teen Strings, and Symphony magazines.

Joshua Halpern, cello

Joshua Halpern has appeared on stages around the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal cellist. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists including Jonathan Biss, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Roberto Díaz, Viviane Hagner, Gary Hoffman, Kim Kashkashian, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Anthony McGill, Olli Mustonen, and Itzhak Perlman, and appeared at music festivals including the Ravinia Steans Institute, Music@Menlo, the Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, the Taos School of Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Musikiwest, and Krzyzowa-Music, with whom he has also toured extensively. An eager advocate of contemporary music, he has worked personally with composers such as Richard Danielpour, Scott Ordway, Kevin Puts, Dai Wei, Nick DiBerardino, and Kaija Saariaho. During the 2019 season he served as guest principal cello of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, including on tours to Germany, Taiwan, and China, and in 2020 served as cellist with the Banff Competition-winning Rolston Quartet. In 2023, he appeared numerous times as guest principal cello with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, as well as guest with the Varian Fry Quartet; the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic; and in Greece, Spain, and Germany with Curtis On Tour.

Josh completed his Artist Diploma at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he performed throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America with Curtis On Tour, and served as principal cello of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra during the 2016/17 season. At Curtis he studied with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley. As an undergraduate at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, he studied with Desmond Hoebig and won the school's concerto competition. From 2021 until 2023, he was a member of the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, in which he played as a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker and was mentored by Ludwig Quandt.

In 2018, Josh curated a solo tour across Colorado to bring classical music to unexpected places, including the state penitentiary, small-town saloons, bicycle shops, and more. Since then, he has continued bringing music to unique spaces, fostering connection and conversation with all types of people along the way. In 2021, he founded the Cultural Caravan, a Colorado-based organization operating at the intersection of small businesses, social-service nonprofits, municipal organizations, and local artists. The Cultural Caravan has since presented over 80 artists with backgrounds ranging from Zimbabwean Afropop to Venezuelan jazz to Classical Music in concerts in coordination with over 60 local businesses and community organizations, reinvesting over $500,000 into the community to date.

As a teacher, Josh has presented master classes throughout the United States and South America and has taught at Curtis Summerfest, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and on faculty at the Brooklyn School of Music. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Min Young Kang, piano

Korean-born pianist and artistic curator Dr. Min Young Kang has earned acclaim for both her captivating stage presence and innovative concert experiences alike. Dubbed "an absolute gem" by the Montecito Journal, her performances span the United States, France, and South Korea, gracing renowned venues such as Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Château de Fontainebleau, the Sejong Center M Theater, and the Astral Concert Series. Her 2021 debut album, Remembering Russia, featured her electric collaboration with Spanish violist Jesús Rodolfo on the prestigious PENTATONE label. The album debuted with great acclaim for its sensitive and nuanced interpretations, with Tarraco Culture Club noting Min Young’s lyrical touch and expressive depth.

Raised in Seoul, Min Young's performance career has seen her at concert series and festivals across the United States, including the Lyric Chamber Music Society, Shandelee Music Festival, Arazzo Music Festival, Young Musicians Forum Recital, and NV Virtuoso Concert Series. In addition, she has enjoyed numerous international accolades since making her home in the United States in 2008, including prizes from the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition, Artur Balsam Duo Competition, and Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, as well as the Talisman Energy Emerging Artist Award (Canada), Kraeuter Musical Foundation Award (USA), and the Special Director’s Award and Chamber Music Excellence award from Ecoles D’Art Americaines de Fontainbleau (France).

Among the region's most sought after collaborators, Min Young’s experience spans performances with the world's best musicians, including Ani Kavafian, Robert Langevin, members of the New York Philharmonic, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; as a vocal pianist, she has worked with the Aspen School of Music and Songfest. Adding to her individual brilliance is her work as the Founder and Artistic Director of the Kallos Chamber Music Series in New Haven, CT. Now in its seventh season, Kallos has enjoyed significant local acclaim — the New Haven Independent praised Kallos as "resonant with the time," while an audience member describes the experience as "impeccably performed, with witty commentary and swoon-worthy music."

In addition to her global performance schedule, Min Young Kang serves as the staff pianist at Mannes School of Music and Montclair State University. She received a Master of Music (M.M.) from the Eastman School of Music, a Collaborative Piano Fellowship from the Yale School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the Manhattan School of Music, from whom she received the Kraeuter Musical Foundation Award. Her latest endeavor, the summer concert series Listeners Club, continues her passion for making chamber music accessible through offering a unique, up-close-and-personal concert experience in Bergen County, NJ. She makes her home near New York City.

What's the music?

Min Young Kang

Caeli Smith Viola

Sirena Huang Violin

Min Young Kang Piano

Joshua Halpern Cello

Attendees

Jennifer J.

Alexandra R. (she/her)

Francesco C. Groupmuse Superhost

Sophia (.

Yitong Z.

Genny S.

Hailey Y.

+1

Elizabeth L.

Alain R.

+1

Robin S.

+1

Edward Klaynberg A.

Siyi F.

Hojun C.