Acclaimed Korean pianists Lee Jin-ah and Cho Sang-eun will give their first recital as a duo on June 30 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The two long-time friends have named their team “Duo Charis,” meaning “God’s grace” in Latin, as a way to express gratitude for having the opportunity to be musicians.

Lee, a professor at the State University of New York at Binghamton, and Cho, a professor at Baekseok Arts University in Korea, have been exchanging their musical talents and building a strong friendship over many years. The two met while studying in an undergraduate course at the music college of Seoul National University under professor Kim Jeong-kyu, and continued to build their relationship in New York while attending graduate school. 

The two will play works by Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saens, Bach and Bennett. Starting with “The Swan” from the Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens arranged for two pianos by Anderson & Roe, the duo will perform Mozart Sonata C Major for two pianos arranged by Edvard Grieg and “Erbarme Dich” from Bach’s The Saint Matthew Passion arranged for two pianos by Greg Anderson.

“Greg Anderson, who also performs as a member of Duo Anderson and Roe, has interpreted ‘The Swan’ and ‘Erbarme Dich’ with a sense of modernity. I think the repertoire will offer the audience a chance to understand music both from the past and today, and how the two communicate beyond the time barrier,” said Lee.

The recital is a part of their project “Four Hands: A Musical Journey.”

Tickets are 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 391-9631 or visit www.buamart.co.kr.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)