Horowitz Center Playbills and Programs

C is for Cantabile

Sunday, April 12, 2026

4 p.m.

Monteabaro Recital Hall

PROGRAM

ARTIST BIOS

Cellist Katy I-Hsuan Chiang began her musical journey in Taiwan, starting piano at the age of six and cello at eight. She quickly showed a talent for the cello, becoming a prizewinner in several competitions in Taiwan. Ms. Chiang earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from the University of Maryland College Park, where she received a full merit-based scholarship. She continued her studies there, completing her Master of Music degree under the guidance of Dr. Eric Kutz. Her previous private teachers include David Teie (National Symphony Orchestra), Peter Wiley (Guarneri Quartet), Evelyn Elsing, and Ben Myers. She has participated in masterclasses led by renowned cellists and ensembles, including Peter Wiley and Michael Tree (members of the Guarneri Quartet), Darrett Adkins (the Juilliard School), Amit Peled (Peabody Institute), Kenneth Slowik (Smithsonian Chamber Music Society), the Tempest Trio, Miami Quartet, and Quatuor Danel.

Ms. Chiang is a passionate cello teacher, an active freelance musician, and the cellist in the Fairmount String Quartet. Her recent performances include concerts with Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Chorus, American Guild of Organists, Movement In Music Ensemble, Young Victorian Theatre Company, and Wye Oak Chamber Players. She has also performed in Taiwan, Italy and Slovenia. She serves on the cello faculty at Howard Community College, where she maintains a full studio. Her current concert project, The Letter Series Concerts, features repertoire organized by the first letter of the composers’ last names. The project aims to explore a wider range of cello repertoire and spotlight works by lesser-known composers.

Pianist Sangmi Yoon started learning the piano at age seven in Korea. By age ten, she won second place in both the State Arts Festival Competition and the Seoul Competition. This marked the true beginning of her musical life. After moving to the United States, she continued her studies with Ji Eun Lee, building a career that led to numerous awards and performance opportunities.

Sangmi began her studies with Dr. Hsiu-Hui Wang at Howard Community College, and finished her BA at Goucher College, also studying with Dr. Wang. During her college years, Sangmi won competitions such as the E.R. Davis Collegiate Piano Competition in Maryland, and the third prize and Best Required Piece in the 14th International Young Artists Piano Competition, in Washington D.C. The Washington Competition resulted in an invitation to perform at the State of the Arts Cultural Series and the U.S. State Department. She also premiered a composition by Li-Ly Chang, Capriccio for piano solo at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.   

While in college, Sangmi was the recipient of the HCC Rose Buck-Lew Family Piano Endowment Scholarship at HCC and the Fine and Art Performing Arts (FAPA) Scholarship at Goucher. She earned her Master of Music degree and Graduate Performance Diploma in Piano Performance from Longy School of Music, where she studied with the Conservatory’s Dean, Wayman Chin, and was selected to perform in the master classes of Peter Serkin.  

Sangmi has collaborated and performed in numerous chamber groups. She is also active in accompanying various types of solo instruments and for choirs. She started to expand her teaching experiences while she was in graduate school in Boston. After a long journey, Sangmi returned- now as a faculty member- to Howard Community College, her ‘home school’ to share her story and passion for music with her students and community through her teaching and performances. She also teaches students at Mighty Worshipers Academy, a Christian Homeschool Co-op in Columbia, and actively maintains a private studio in Howard County, Maryland, where she resides. 

Kyle Coughlin is a versatile musician who is proficient in many styles of music. He earned both his Master's and Doctorate degrees in clarinet performance from the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Loren Kitt, and he received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland as a student of Ed Walters. An active recitalist, he has performed throughout the United States, France, and Italy. Honors include awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, first prize in the Professional Division of the Baltimore Music Club, and finalist in the Buffet North American Clarinet Competition.

As a freelance musician, Dr. Coughlin has worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles in the area. He has performed with Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Seth MacFarlane, Manhattan Transfer, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Ben Folds, and many others. He is also a member of the band Junkyard Saints.

Dr. Coughlin has released two jazz CDs, When Afternoons Return, and In the Shadow of Palms. He has won several honors for his compositions, and his music has been heard in broadcasts around the world.

An active and enthusiastic educator, Dr. Coughlin has written more than twenty educational books, and has created numerous educational websites which can be accessed from www.KyleCoughlinMusic.com and www.MusicAllTheTime.com.

PROGRAM NOTES

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Cello Sonatina, Op. 130

Italian-American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco wrote his Sonatina, Op. 130 in 1946 after emigrating to the United States during World War II. Known for his lyrical style and gift for melody, Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed extensively for chamber ensembles, often blending traditional forms with colorful harmonic language. Although the work was originally written for bassoon and piano, it has become a favorite among cellists as well. The Sonatina reflects the composer’s characteristic clarity and elegance. Lighthearted and expressive by turns, the piece balances lyrical melodies with playful rhythmic passages. Its charm lies in its graceful dialogue between the cello and piano, allowing both instruments to share in moments of lyricism and brilliance while maintaining an intimate chamber-music character.

Alexis de Castillon, Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 4
(Movements III & IV)

French composer Alexis de Castillon was an important figure in the mid-nineteenth-century Parisian musical scene and a founding member of the Société Nationale de Musique, which promoted new French chamber music. His Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 4, written early in his career, reflects the elegant lyricism and structural clarity of the Romantic chamber tradition. The third movement provides a lyrical and reflective contrast within the trio, allowing the instruments to share expressive melodic lines in a gentle, conversational texture. The final movement brings renewed energy and brilliance, with lively rhythms and sparkling interplay among the three instruments. Together, these movements highlight Castillon’s gift for melody and his skill in balancing warmth, clarity, and vitality within the chamber ensemble.

Frédéric Chopin, Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65 

The Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65, was the last work by Frédéric Chopin to be published during his lifetime and stands as a significant contribution to the cello repertoire. Written in the mid-1840s and dedicated to the renowned French cellist Auguste Franchomme, the sonata reflects the close musical partnership between the two musicians. The music combines Chopin’s unmistakable lyrical style with a depth and complexity characteristic of his later works. Throughout the sonata, flowing melodies, subtle harmonic shifts, and intricate interplay between cello and piano create a deeply expressive and intimate sound world. The result is a work of remarkable emotional breadth, blending poetic lyricism with moments of dramatic intensity.

HCC CONCERT SERIES
Hsien-Ann Meng, Director, HCC Concert Series
Bill Gillett, Chair, Performing Arts

HOROWITZ CENTER STAFF 
Janelle Broderick - Director
Jessica Chaney - Content Coordinator
A. Lorraine Robinson - Production Manager
John Elder - Technical Director
Darius McKeiver - Business Associate
Linwood Milan – Technical Coordinator
Eric Moore - Production Electrician
Mark Smedley - Associate Technical Director
Julie Via - Audience Services Manager
Bill Watson – Gallery Manager and Curator

SPECIAL THANKS

This performance is made possible through generous support from the Galbraith-Winer Family Trust Fund and the Maryland State Arts Council.