Clara Yang :: 88+ Piano Series
January 30, 2027 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Clara Yang’s concert is the second in our new “88+” series, which focuses on 20th- and 21st-century piano repertoire and world premieres, and is supported by the Amphion Foundation and individual donors.
Ex Machina (piano and projected media) by Clara Yang was presented on May 11, 2026 as part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival!
Centered around the piano—a machine of sound and expression—it reflects on how technology shapes both artistic experience and human identity. The project invites audiences to rethink the boundaries between human and machine, using music to explore the machine as both an artistic medium and a philosophical idea.
Clara Yang brings several generations of living composers into conversation, pairing Philip Glass’s Étude No. 11 and Allen Anderson’s Think that’s you with works by a younger generation, including Reena Esmail, Christopher Cerrone, and Liliya Ugay.
Throughout the evening, the sound of the piano keeps changing, from the repeating figures of Glass’s étude to the interplay of piano and electronics in Lee Weisert’s Clinamina. With Nebula, Yang brings her own voice as a composer to the 88+ Contemporary Piano Series
Visual art for Ex Machina was created by acclaimed new media artist Xuan.
Reena Esmail — Crystal Preludes, I. Oscillating Figures (2020)
Lee Weisert — Clinamina (2019)
Philip Glass — Étude No. 11 (2005)
Liliya Ugay — Hammers Over the Moon (2024)
Phil Young — RoboDream (revised 2024)
Clara Yang — Nebula (2024)
Allen Anderson — Think that’s you (2019)
Stephen Anderson — Drones (2018)
Christopher Cerrone — Hoyt-Schermerhorn (2010)
Steinway pianist Clara Yang has been praised for her “breathtaking technical prowess” and “probing emotional depth.” She has performed at leading venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, and Madrid’s National Auditorium. She has appeared on major series such as Carolina Performing Arts and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts.
She has performed as a soloist with conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy and Long Yu, and with orchestras such as the European Union Youth Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, and the North Carolina Symphony.
Equally at home in classical, contemporary, and interdisciplinary work, Yang has collaborated with artists across genres and premiered Chen Yi’s Piano Concerto Four Spirits, written for her. She has also performed in The Complete Philip Glass Piano Etudes and developed interdisciplinary projects, including Ex Machina.
Her recordings have received international acclaim, including a Global Music Awards Gold Medal for her album Folding Time. She has been featured in major media outlets and served as a reviewer for YoungArts and a panelist for New Music USA.
Yang is Head of Keyboard Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds degrees from Eastman, Yale, and USC Thornton.
88+ Contemporary Piano Series.
From December through May, seven pianists present five programs exploring what one or two pianos can do. The series focuses on contemporary American music, with room for two-piano duets, the percussive sounds of John Cage’s prepared piano, and works in which the pianist’s playing shapes the images on screen. Our intimate studio, home to Bösendorfer and Baldwin concert grands, lets you experience it all up close.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, 2026 — Cahill-Myers Duo
Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers open the series with the world premiere of Theresa Wong’s Bodywork (2026), alongside works by Meredith Monk, Juan Sebastián Cardona-Ospina, Eleanor Alberga, and David Borden.
Saturday, January 30, 2027 — Clara Yang
Clara Yang pairs her own music with works by Reena Esmail, Lee Weisert, Stephen Anderson, Liliya Ugay, Philip Glass, Allen Anderson, and Christopher Cerrone.
Saturday, March 20 & Sunday, March 21, 2027 — Hadley McCarroll
Hadley McCarroll performs John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano (1946–1948). Choose either evening to hear the complete work.
Saturday, April 24, 2027 — Vicki Ray & Aron Kallay
Vicki Ray and Aron Kallay share a duo program featuring works by Dylan Mattingly, Paul Dresher, and John Luther Adams.
Saturday, May 22, 2027 — Keisuke Nakagoshi
Keisuke Nakagoshi closes the series with a solo recital of works by Mason Bates, Morton Feldman, Samuel Adams, and Samuel Barber.
Ticket Options:
Choose an individual performance or a discounted series pass at checkout. The five-concert pass includes December 5, January 30, one Hadley McCarroll performance of your choice (March 20 or 21), April 24, and May 22. Select the March date when choosing your pass.
Individual tickets are available for all six performances, including separate tickets for Hadley McCarroll’s March 20 and March 21 concerts.
Location: Dresher Ensemble Studio, 2201 Poplar Street Oakland, CA United States
