Strums of violin strings and the pressings of piano keys could be heard outside the McKay Auditorium on Jan. 22 as BYU—Hawaii was treated with a husband and wife piano-violin duo. The pair called themselves the Formosan Violin-Piano Duo.
Dr. Yu-Jane Yang and Dr. Shi-Hwa Wang are both professors at Weber State University (WSU) in Ogden, Utah.
Explaining the origin of the name they’ve chosen for their duo, Wang shared how Formosan is an island in Taiwan and how they decided to form a duo named Formosan after that island.
“We want to be seen as a chamber music group,” Wang said. “As you watch us play, you will see how we react to each other. We are excited to be here to present our favorite music together.”
Students, faculty, and community members gathered together to witness the performance of these two artists who have been playing as a duo since 1986. Audience members commented on how throughout the performance they could listen and see how the way the couple reacted to each other playing.
Gaoyang Yang, a sophomore from China studying English, said, “I could really see their chemistry in tonight’s performance. Even if I did not know they were married and had been doing this since the ‘80s, I could have easily been aware of their chemistry. They really did react to each other well.”
During intermission, Yu-Jane Yang said, “We are playing music that expands from early 19th century to late 20th century to give us an example of what the piano-violin duet can do.”
Sariah Taylor, a senior from Florida studying education and world music studies, was in attendance at this concert out of pure love for music. Taylor said, “I really enjoyed the concert. It was absolutely amazing. I don’t know much about classical music, but just by watching this concert I can see the passion and love for classical music these performers have. It has been so fun to watch.”
The couple concluded their show with a special number for the community of BYUH to express their gratitude for being invited to perform. The piece is called “Salut d’Amour,” written by the composer, Edward Elgar, and the titile means “love’s greeting.”
Yu-Jane Yang concluded by saying, “We are very fortunate to have been lucky enough to escape the Utah snow for a few days and come out here and perform for you all tonight.”
Yang is the director and professor of keyboard studies while Wang is a professor of violin/ viola. Both professors are known internationally for teaching masters classes in their discipline, says event information.
Yang has also appeared as an adjudicator in the Gina Bachauer International Competition Preliminary Auditions in 1997, 2006, 2008, and 2016.
The Piano-Violin duo was the third performance by the BYUH Music and Theatre department so far in 2019.
The BYU-Hawaii has several upcoming musical performances during Winter Semester:
Thursday- Saturday, March 7-9
Thursday- Saturday, March 14-16
Musical “The Pirates of the Penzance” will be held in the McKay Auditorium
Thursday March 28:
Shaka Steel concert in the McKay Auditorium
Writer: Mackenzie Beaver