Elisabeth Tsai

Elisabeth Tsai – Piano Recital

Saturday 12 September | 7.30pm – 9.30pm - Doors Open 19:00

The Maldon Festival is delighted to welcome the internationally acclaimed pianist Elisabeth Tsai for an evening of exceptional music featuring some of the greatest works ever written for the piano.

Born into a musical family, Elisabeth began playing the piano at the age of seven. During her teenage years, she achieved top honours in numerous national and international competitions, leading to performances across the United States, including appearances at the world-famous Carnegie Hall and on the celebrated From the Top radio programme.

Now based in London, Elisabeth has rapidly established herself as one of the most exciting pianists of her generation. She is recognised for her insightful and expressive interpretations of the Austro-German Classical and Romantic repertoire and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the UK, Europe, the United States and Japan.

Her recent accolades include winning the Cambridge International Piano Competition and the BPSE Senior Intercollegiate Competition, as well as being awarded First Prize ex aequo at the prestigious 2024 Brahms Piano Competition in Detmold. Elisabeth has also performed with the Smithsonian Chamber Society on historical instruments and was a Fellow at the 2024 Norfolk/Yale Chamber Music Festival.

Elisabeth earned her Bachelor's degree from the Schwob School of Music before completing Master's degrees at the Yale School of Music under the guidance of renowned pianists Boris Berman and Boris Slutsky. She is currently studying with Ronan O'Hora as an Artist Diploma candidate at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Throughout her career she has received musical guidance from distinguished artists including Peter Serkin, Richard Goode, Robert Levin, Imogen Cooper, Paul Lewis and Till Fellner. She is currently undertaking the remarkable challenge of learning and performing all thirty-two of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

Alongside her flourishing international performing career, Elisabeth is deeply committed to music education, having worked as a Teaching Artist at the Neighborhood Music School in Connecticut and taught through the Through the Staff online music education programme.

This captivating recital showcases the depth and brilliance of Elisabeth's artistry, featuring Beethoven's monumental "Waldstein" Sonata, Schumann's imaginative Davidsbündlertänze, Bartók's vibrant Three Burlesques, Liszt's dazzling La leggierezza, and Schumann's youthful Abegg Variations. Whether you are a lifelong classical music enthusiast or discovering these masterpieces for the first time, this promises to be a memorable evening of virtuosity and musical expression.

Programme

• Robert Schumann – Variations on the Name "Abegg", Op. 1
• Béla Bartók – Three Burlesques, Op. 8
• Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 "Waldstein"

Interval (25 minutes)

• Franz Liszt – Étude de concert S.144 No. 2 "La leggierezza"
• Robert Schumann – Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6