Mira Kardan, cello

This concert showcases cellist Mira Kardan in a one-hour program featuring works by Beethoven, Schumann, Dvořák, and Rossini, highlighting the cello’s lyrical voice across four distinctive musical worlds.

PROGRAM
BEETHOVEN: Cello Sonata No. 3
SCHUMANN: Adagio & Allegro, Op. 70
DVORAK: Silent Woods
ROSSINI: Barber of Seville (arr. by Tedesco)

Mira Kardan, cello
Cellist Mira Kardan is an emerging artist recognized for her expressive musicianship and accomplishments as a soloist and chamber musician. She attends the Glenn Gould School as a recipient of the Renette and David Berman Scholarships, studying with Hans Jørgen Jensen and Andrés Díaz. Previously, she was a member of the Colburn Music Academy, where she studied with Clive Greensmith and served as principal cellist of the Colburn Academy Virtuosi chamber orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, Mira performed as a member of the Olive Piano Trio, which won the Gold Medal at the 2022 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and First Grand Prize at the 2022 Chicago International Music Competition. In 2023, the trio participated in an international exchange with the Sibelius Academy in Finland. Her current string trio won first prize in the 2025 Glenn Gould School Chamber Competition, and she is an Artist-in-Residence at Off Centre Music Salon in Toronto.

As a soloist, Mira won first prize in the 2025 Shean Strings Competition and will appear with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Additional honors include prizes at the International Young Artist Concerto Competition, Bellflower Symphony Competition, and Sound Espressivo Competition. She has been featured twice on NPR’s From the Top.

Mira has participated in master classes with Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, the Calidore Quartet, and the Takács Quartet, and has attended the Heifetz Institute, Meadowmount, and Yellowbarn. She performs on a Grubaugh & Seifert Montagnana-model cello (2019).

Micah Yui, piano
Canadian pianist Micah Yui enjoys an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist, with appearances on three continents. She has performed for dignitaries of Japan and Canada and is the recipient of three Canada Council Grants, the Edmonton Civic Award, and the Alberta Achievement Award. A prizewinner in numerous competitions, her acclaimed recording of Bloch’s Concerto Symphonique with the London Symphony Orchestra was named Record of the Year by Stereophile magazine.

Ms. Yui has presented recitals in major cities including Zurich, Tokyo, New York, and Copenhagen, and has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Matt Haimovitz, Daniel Heifetz, James Buswell, Paul Coletti, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. She has also appeared frequently in piano trio performances with Haimovitz and violinist Andy Simionescu, including presentations of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto.

Ms. Yui earned her Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Bella Davidovich, and completed advanced studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the University of Toronto, and the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Leon Fleisher. Her early training included work with Boris and Inna Zarankin, Marietta Orlov, Giovanni Valentini, and Menahem Pressler.

A dedicated educator, Ms. Yui has served on the faculties of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Peabody Preparatory, the Heifetz Institute, and the Music Institute of Chicago. She currently teaches at the Colburn School’s Community School of Performing Arts and Music Academy.