Loft

Annette Jakovčić & Nan Ni: Beethoven, Schumann, Falla, Fujiie

Flatiron, New York

Sun, August 9, 2026, at 5:00 PM, EDT

: Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks provided
Wheelchair access: Wheelchair Accessible

This is a groupmuse

A live concert in a living room, backyard, or another intimate space. They're casual and friendly, hosted by community members.

Host

Jonathan D. Superhost

5 PM Doors & Pre-Reception
6 PM Recital
7:30 PM Post-Reception

Annette Jakovčić & Nan Ni: Beethoven, Schumann, Falla, Fujiie

Gotham Arts in collaboration with Groupmuse is excited to present an intimate duo recital by cellist Annette Jakovčić and pianist Nan Ni featuring works by Beethoven, Schumann, Falla, and Fujiie.

Wine will be served.

Program

BEETHOVEN Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Major, Op. 102 No. 2

KEIKO FUJIE (b. 1963) Sonata for Cello and Piano, "Be It Dream Or Reality" (US premiere)

Intermission

DE FALLA Seven Spanish Popular Songs (arranged for cello and piano)

SCHUMANN Five Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102

About the Artists

Watch Annette perform Clara Schumann's Three Romances, Op. 22

About Annette Jakovčić

Third-generation cellist Annette Jakovčić performs internationally across Europe, the United States, and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. Recent and upcoming highlights include solo appearances at the Salzburg Festspielhaus with the Universität Mozarteum Orchestra and at the KKL Luzern with the Neues Orchester Basel; concerto premieres by Keiko Fujiie and Christopher Tyler Nickel; Weinberg’s Cello Concertino with the Beyond Modern Orchestra in Switzerland; a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations in Honduras; and Brahms’ Double Concerto with Gérard Poulet in the MUZA Kawasaki hall in Japan.

Passionate about cultural exchange and the social impact of music, she is committed to bringing high-level performance beyond traditional concert halls and into communities around the world. From 2024 to 2026, she tours Nepal, Cambodia, and Japan as a string quartet with Midori for the ICEP “Music Sharing” program, engaging in outreach, education, and cross-cultural dialogue through music.

She is the winner of the Fritz Leitermeyer Competition of the Vienna Philharmonic’s academy, through which she performed with the orchestra for two years under conductors including Christian Thielemann, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, and Zubin Mehta, in major venues such as the Musikverein, Berliner Philharmonie, Suntory Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Prague Rudolfinum, Concertgebouw, and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. During this period, she also appeared in chamber performances alongside members of the orchestra in the United States, Austria, and Japan.

During her bachelor’s studies with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory in Boston, she was mentored by members of the Cleveland and Juilliard Quartets. With her string quartet, she received top prizes at the Plowman and Fischoff International Chamber Music Competitions.

Annette later continued her studies in Salzburg with Clemens Hagen and in Berlin with Nicolas Altstaedt. Her artistic development has been further shaped by masterclasses with Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, Ivan Monighetti, Philippe Muller, and Maxim Vengerov, and she has performed at renowned festivals such as the Ravel Festival, Pau Casals Festival in Catalonia, Lavaux Classic, and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.

She plays on a 1740 cello made in Perugia by Giacomo Gavelli.

About Nan Ni

Born in Anhui, China, Nan Ni began studying piano at the age of five and has captivated audiences with performances that combine intellectual depth and genuine expression. Described by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as “a confident, accurate, powerful, and articulate interpreter” with "limpid refinement", the Boston Globe commended her playing “with authority and delicate rubato".

Her accolades include First Prize at the 2022 Fou Ts’ong International Concerto Competition, First Prize at the Los Angeles Young Musician International Piano Competition, Third Prize at the Conero International Piano Competition, and Second Prize at the Shenzhen Piano Open Competition. She is also a three-time winner of the Piano Department Honors Competition at the New England Conservatory (NEC). Her achievements have also been recognized with prestigious awards such as the St.Botolph Club Foundation 2025 Emerging Artist Award, the Tan Family Grant Scholarship, the Shanghai Government Scholarship, the Niu Ende Piano Music Scholarship, and the Audience Award at the winners' concert.

As a soloist and avid chamber musician, Nan has performed widely throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. She has appeared at distinguished music festivals including Music@Menlo, the Ravinia Steans Institute, the Summer Academy Mozarteum in Salzburg, and the Music Academy of the West. In addition, she has collaborated with the Boston Ballet as guest solo pianist in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, an hour-long ballet set to the music of Chopin.

Nan’s musical journey began at the Music Middle School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory, where she studied for nine years under Natalia Filippova. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in 2021 and her Master’s degree in 2023 from NEC, studying with Bruce Brubaker. Currently, she is pursuing the highly competitive Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree at NEC under the guidance of Bruce Brubaker and Alessio Bax.

In addition to her achievements as a pianist, Nan is an accomplished organist, studying with Thomas Handel at NEC. She has performed as a solo organist at the Church of the Covenant in Boston and collaborated with the NEC Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.

Beyond her musical pursuits, Nan is deeply passionate about ancient Chinese poetry and Pre-Raphaelite paintings. She is always intrigued to explore the intersections of art forms, as she believes in their profound interconnections that infuse music-making with additional layers of meaning and resonance.