Two winners of the 2019 Frances Walton Competition will give a free concert at the historic Raymond Theatre this weekend to open the new season of Sunday Afternoon Live.
Named after the founding director of the Ladies Musical Club in Seattle, the competition supports emerging professional musicians ages 20-35 who live or study in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Montana or Alaska. During the month of September, the winners present free public recitals and visit schools that rarely experience classical music throughout Washington state.
Born in Kyoto, Japan, piano soloist Yukino Miyake received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Kyoto City University of Arts, as well as advanced studies at the University of North Florida and the University of Houston. She has received numerous awards, including first place at the Los Angeles Liszt International Competition. She is currently serving as a principal accompanist for the Colorado Children’s Chorale, and will start her DMA study at the University of Colorado-Boulder in the fall.
Born in Uzbekistan, cellist Diana Yusupov moved to Australia, where she later pursued a degree in cello performance in the studio of Markus Stocker. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including first prize in Piatti Competition. In 2016, she moved to Tucson to pursue her master’s degree at the University of Arizona. As a member of the Graduate String Quartet at the university, she has traveled to China, Canada and all around the U.S. to perform at concerts, competitions and festivals.
Yusupov will be accompanied by collaborative pianist Evangeliya Delizonas-Khukhua, who has studied at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the International Center for Music at Park University, Parkville, Missouri. She has performed worldwide and worked as collaborative pianist at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, commonly known as the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.
The Ladies Musical Club was founded in Seattle in 1891 by a group of 22 women musicians. Its original mission was to foster an appreciation of classical music in the cultural life of a city that was just starting to find its identity.
The concert begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Raymond Theatre, 323 Third St.
For more about the new season of Sunday Afternoon Live, 360-836-4419 or visit www.sundayafternoonlive.org.