Thomas Yee

Pianist Thomas Yee from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada has won First Prizes in over 20 national and international competitions. Most recently, he earned an unprecedented distinction from his alma mater, Memorial University of Newfoundland. In October 2005, Dr. Yee was presented with the Horizon Award for Lifetime Achievement under the age of 35 for excellence in performance, teaching and community service. Highlights of his career include winning top prizes at the Josef Hofmann International Piano Competition where he was also awarded a special prize for the best performance of the imposed piece, Ludmilla Kneskova International Piano Competition where he also won a special prize for best etude, Le Tremplin International where he also won a special prize for best contemporary work, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association Schubert Recital Competition, Concours de Musique du Canada, Young Artists Concert Tour Series Competition and the Eastman-Hamamatsu Piano Competition among others.

Dr. Yee earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland where he studied with Maureen Volk and received the University Medal for Academic Excellence. He received his Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder studying with Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with and was teaching assistant of Nelita True. He has also studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Currently, he is enjoying his fourth year as Assistant Professor and Chair of Piano at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has also served on the faculty at the State University of New York at Buffalo. As a chamber musician he is a member of a faculty trio, Trio Xia, with flutist Dr. Frederick Lau and cellist Dr. I-Bei Lin. Within the past year, Trio Xia completed two concert tours of Taiwan. He is also a member of Trio Benetri with violinist Lynn Kuo and cellist Rafael Hoekman.

Dr. Yee has performed as guest soloist with orchestras throughout Canada and the United States and has performed extensively as soloist, chamber musician and collaborative artist. He was Guest Artist and Juror at the Besparmak International Piano Competition and Festival in Cyprus. Notable past engagements included a performance of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Honolulu Symphony, Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 with the UH Symphony Orchestra, Liszt Totentanz with the UH Wind Ensemble, Grieg Concerto with the Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and chamber music concerts in Japan with Trio Xia. Dr. Yee has received generous financial assistance from the Liberace Foundation, Canada Council, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and University of Hawaii Research Council.

Darel Stark

Darel Stark started playing the violin at age six. Since his debut at age seven, he performed in over a dozen countries on three continents including performances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Weill Recital Hall. He is presently associate principal violin of the Honolulu Symphony and concertmaster of the Bach Chamber Orchestra. At age nineteen he joined the Tchaikovsky Chamber Orchestra as its youngest member. An active chamber musician, recitalist, and soloist with many orchestras, he has recorded for LCH Records, Concord Records, and CBS Masterworks.

Born in New York City, Mr. Stark studied violin with Nicole DiCecco, Lazar Gosman and Berl Senofsky. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. His many accolades include prizes at the Michelangelo Abbado International Competition in Italy and the Tibor Varga International Competition in Switzerland, a TIME Magazine College Achievement Award and two Friedberg Prizes in chamber music from Peabody.

From a New York critic, "Stark played Beethoven’s Concerto flawlessly, beautifully and passionately."..."an excellent violinist who displayed thorough technical mastery and a persuasive sensitivity to detail." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "commands extraordinary virtuosity"…"his technique was rock-solid"…"bolstered by a thorough understanding of the music’s style." On his return to St. Louis, "He attacked head-on Ernst’s Variations on ‘The Last Rose of Summer’...it is hard to imagine anyone handling the triple stops, double harmonics and simultaneously bowed and pizzicato passages any more accurately...he was always on pitch." From a performance in Denmark, "Particularly noteworthy was Stark’s gripping performance of Coble’s Soliloquy (1985) for solo violin...played with the greatest conviction and flair."-The Strad Magazine

From the local papers after a performance with the Honolulu Symphony, "William Schuman's violin concerto displayed Stark’s impressive technique. He ripped through multiple stops and sailed through lyric passages. His rhythmic precision and accuracy of intonation carried the day."

Trio Xia

Trio Xia, whose name is derived from the Chinese words for summer and Hawai`i, was founded in March 2002. All three musicians are established soloists and have international origins and connections. Trio Xia draws on its international roots, and musical expertise to present an innovative repertoire of contemporary Asian and Western music and provide opportunities for contemporary composers of new music. Trio Xia moves beyond the artificial gap between Asian and Western and challenges musical stereotypes that relegate Asian music to the past. The trio performs extant compositions and showcases original compositions by local, national, and Asia/Pacific composers. Aside from the Chinese ethnicity of the three performers, there are other unique elements to this trio that enter into its repertoire and distinguish it from more conventional ensembles. Trio Xia is committed to promoting traditional repertory, new compositions for this ensemble, music for youth, and outreach to the community. All three members of the trio are professors of music at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa.