Horowitz Center Playbills and Programs

Reimagined Clarinet

Sunday, November 16, 2025

4 p.m.

Monteabaro Recital Hall

FEATURING

Kyle Coughlin, clarinet

Kuei-I Wu, piano

Katy I-Hsuan Chiang, cello

PROGRAM

ARTIST BIOS

Kyle Coughlin is a versatile musician who is proficient in many styles of music. He earned both his Masters and Doctorate degrees in clarinet performance from the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Loren Kitt, and he received his Bachelors 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. 

Kuei-I Wu, who began earning national accolades at the age of nine, is regarded as one of most promising pianists from Taiwan. Dr. Wu, known for her elegant style and exuberant technique, made her concerto debut at the National Dr. Sun Yet-Sen Memorial Hall with the National Taiwan Academy of Arts Symphony Orchestra before moving to the United States.

Highly sought after as both a soloist and a chamber musician, Dr. Wu has collaborated with members from BSO, NSO and Colorado Symphony, and has performed at numerous festivals in Taiwan, Spain, Austria and here in the United States. Her concerto appearances include Liszt Concerto No.2 at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Saint-Saëns Carneval of Animals in Gijón, Spain and Mozart Concerto "Coronation" in Horowitz Performing Arts Center. She most recently performed the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and The Frederick Chorale at Coffman Chapel in Frederick. Dr. Wu has won awards in multiple international competitions, including the Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition, New York's Five Towns Music and Arts Foundation International Piano Competition, and the Promising Artist Award from the National Society of Arts and Letters Competition.

Dr. Wu received a bachelor's degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied with Mach McCray and was named "Outstanding Pianist" at graduation. During her studies at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Boris Slutsky, Dr. Wu served as an accompanying assistant and collaborated with distinguished artists Leon Fleisher and John Shirley-Quirk. Dr. Wu received a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland at College Park and studied under Santiago Rodriguez.

Dr. Wu demonstrates both exceptional proficiency and enthusiasm for teaching and is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) as well as the American College of Musicians. She has successfully mentored many students who have achieved competition awards and performed at esteemed venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, and on WETA radio's "From the Top" program. Her students have achieved recognition as prize winners in both national and international piano competitions. Dr. Wu currently teaches at Howard Community College and Hood College while maintaining an active private studio in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

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 chamber music concerts in 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 Concert, 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.

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.