An evening of classical repertoire, Chinese art song, and contemporary music celebrates artistic exchange.
The Bulgarian Music Society and the International Art Development and Promotion Association (IADPA) presented the 2026 Music Salon on October 9 at the Embassy of Bulgaria in Washington, D.C., concluding the fourth season of the Washington International Young Artists Music Series (WIYAMS). Bringing together piano, violin, voice, and chamber music, the evening placed Romantic repertoire, opera, Chinese art song, and contemporary composition in conversation within an intimate setting.
A program of IADPA, WIYAMS provides performance and artistic exchange opportunities for emerging musicians through artist selection, curated concerts, and institutional collaboration. The salon concluded a season that included performances at Georgetown University, Ascension Episcopal Church, National United Methodist Church, and Shenandoah Conservatory.
WIYAMS Artist and pianist Ethan Stahl performed “Prestissimo,” the second movement of Carter Pann’s Three Rhapsodies. Its energy and rhythmic drive introduced a contemporary voice to the evening, reflecting Stahl’s sustained engagement with living composers. A pianist, educator, scholar, and arts administrator, Stahl serves on the piano faculty at Metropolitan State University of Denver and previously taught collaborative piano at Missouri State University. His honors include the Grand Prize at the Concert Artists International Competition. Alongside his performing and teaching work, he has commissioned Nkeiru Okoye’s The Arboreous Tree and is collaborating with Pann on a commission and recording project. His appearance at the salon connected these interests with a program spanning several generations of musical expression.
WIYAMS Artist and pianist Huiping Cai presented Liszt’s Rigoletto Concert Paraphrase, S. 434, bringing together pianistic virtuosity and the expressive character of Verdi’s opera. The work calls for the pianist to distinguish multiple musical voices while sustaining a lyrical and dramatic narrative. Cai won First Prize and the Audience Award at the 2023 New York Franz Liszt International Piano Competition. That same year, she made her Carnegie Hall debut at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, performing Liszt’s First Piano Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Since her orchestral debut at fifteen with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, she has performed across North America, Asia, and beyond. Her selection for the salon drew on this experience to explore the piano’s capacity to convey an operatic story.
WIYAMS Artist and soprano Yingying Zong performed Bellini’s “Casta diva” from Norma and Huang Zi’s Three Wishes of a Rose. The pairing moved between the expansive lyricism of Italian bel canto and the concentrated poetry of Chinese art song, offering contrasting approaches to vocal expression, language, and character. Originally from Shanghai, Zong recently graduated from the Peabody Institute and has begun her Doctor of Musical Arts studies in Opera Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. She won First Prize at the 2025 Georges Enesco International Singing Competition in Paris. Her salon program brought together two traditions central to her artistic work, introducing audiences to both the grandeur of opera and the intimacy of Chinese musical poetry.
Violinist and WIYAMS Artist Xiang Fang returned to the Embassy of Bulgaria to perform with pianist Chenchun Ma in the world premiere of Wang Xinyang’s Two Chinese Folk Songs. The performance featured an excerpt from Dance of the Yao People, followed by Hunan Flower Drum, bringing Chinese folk traditions into a contemporary setting for violin and piano. Fang is a Doctor of Music candidate at Indiana University Bloomington, where she studies with Mark Kaplan, following earlier training at the Central Conservatory of Music’s affiliated middle school, Oberlin Conservatory, and Carnegie Mellon University. Her recent activities include a recital tour across China, a Silver Prize at the 2025 Manhattan International Music Competition, and festival appearances in Canada and Italy. Having performed at the embassy as a WIYAMS Artist in 2025, she returned with a new collaboration linking her international performance experience to music rooted in Chinese cultural traditions.
Reflecting on the evening, Yingjun Amy Chen, Operations Director of WIYAMS, emphasized the salon’s role in bringing artists and audiences together through a shared musical experience. She noted that the range of repertoire, from established works to a world premiere, reflected WIYAMS’s commitment to artistic exchange and to creating opportunities for different musical traditions to be heard alongside one another.
The Bulgarian Music Society and IADPA extended their sincere appreciation to the Embassy of Bulgaria for hosting the evening, and to the artists, educators, artistic partners, and supporting organizations whose contributions made it possible. As the closing event of the 2026 WIYAMS season, the salon brought its purpose into focus: to support emerging artists, bring audiences closer to their music, and create connections that extend beyond the concert stage.
