Historical
Piano Concerts Series
About
the Musicians
Gwendolyn Mok
|
Born in New York City, Gwendolyn Mok
has appeared in many of the world's leading concert halls including The
Barbican, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice
Tully Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, and The Hong Kong Performing Arts
Center. She is also frequently invited to play and record with major
international orchestras most notably the London Symphony, the
Philharmonia, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Beijing
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Residency Orchestra of The Hague.
In
1996, Ms. Mok made her official London debut in two concerts of Ravel
in Somerset House, on a restored 1868 Erard grand piano in the Great
Room of the Courtauld Galleries. Citibank UK sponsored Mok’s
production, ‘Ravel and the Post Impressionists’. She was also featured
in broadcasts of Ravel on BBC ‘Radio 3’, ‘Music Matters’, ‘Woman's
Hour’ and the World Service. Two additional productions were sponsored
by Citibank UK, in 1997 and 1998: ‘Mendelssohn in London, Letters Home’
was presented in the Raphael Gallery of the Victoria and Albert Museum,
and ‘A Gershwin Showcase’ --a re-creation of a 1930's radio showcase
featuring a 27 piece jazz band and soloists-- was held in the sumptuous
deco-period ballroom of London’s Mayfair Hotel.
Ms. Mok is
a recording artist for Nonesuch/Elektra, Musical Heritage Society,
Musician Showcase Recordings, Cala Records, and EMI. Her highly
acclaimed debut CD with The Philharmonia of Ravel's ‘Piano Concerto in
G Major’ (released on the Cala label) was nominated for an Alternative
Edison award in the concerto category. A second CD on Cala of Saint
Saen's ‘Africa-Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra’ with the London
Philharmonic has been equally applauded. Her two solo CDs of Ravel’s
piano works, ‘Ravel Revealed’ and Brahms Late Piano works were recorded
on historic pianos for the Musicians Showcase Recording label. Both CDs
have received outstanding reviews and are broadcast frequently locally
and around the world.
Currently the Coordinator of Keyboard
Studies at San Jose State University School of Music and Dance, Ms. Mok
began her studies at the Juilliard School of Music. She attended Yale
University, where she completed her undergraduate studies, and State
University of New York at Stony Brook, where she earned her Masters and
Doctorate degrees. Publications include 'Reflections on Ravel' in The
Pianist's Craft published by Scarecrow Press as well as an article in
Clavier Magazine that will be published in 2014-2015. She was also a
featured speaker in the 2013 MTAC Convention in Santa Clara.
We welcome Gwendolyn Mok to her first performance on the Historical Piano
Concerts Series.
Please visit the artist's web site, gwendolynmok.com/ .