Commissioned Composer ~ Liliya Ugay
Described as "particularly evocative," "fluid and theatrical... the music [that] makes its case with immediacy" as well as both "assertive and steely," and "lovely, supple writing", music by Liliya Ugay has been performed by the Washington National Opera, Nashville Symphony, Albany Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, New England Philharmonic, Yale Philharmonia, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Norfolk Festival Choir, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Molinari Quartet, Victory Players, ensemble vim, Andrea Lam, and Paul Neubauer among others. Her compositions have been featured at the Aspen, Norfolk, Cultivate, MIFA, American Composers, Chelsea, New York Electroacoustic Music, June in Buffalo, and Darmstadt New Music festivals, as well as the 52nd Venice Biennale. She has received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP, Yale University; she was also a finalist for the Rome Prize. Originally from Uzbekistan, Liliya serves on composition faculty at Florida State University, where she directs FSU New Music Ensemble Polymorphia. Ugay holds master and doctorate degrees from Yale, where she studied with Aaron Kernis, Martin Bresnick, and David Lang.
Lauded as “a huge talent [with] hidden power and amazing maturity” (Bart van Oort), Taiwanese-American harpist Noël Wan(1994) made her international debut with the Utrecht Symphony Orchestra in 2010. An acclaimed soloist, she has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia and has been featured at Carnegie Hall, het Muziekgebouw, Eslite Hall, and the Yellow Barn Summer Festival. Her 2023-24 engagements include a Debut Atlantic Concert Tour and concerts presented by the Virginia Harp Center Festival, Taiwan Harp Festival, Music at Evergreen, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, and St. John’s Elora Recital Series. Noël is a winner of the 2023 Astral Artists National Competition, the first Taiwanese harpist to win Gold Medal in the USA International Harp Competition–one of the world’s most prestigious harp competitions–and the youngest First Prize winner in the history of the World Harp Competition. Other distinctions include top prizes in the Carmel Music Society Competition, Nippon International Harp Competition, Korea International Harp Competition, and Prix Orford Musique. Additionally, she has been supported by the Chimei Arts Foundation, the Presser Foundation, and the Ontario Arts Council. Also active as a scholar and educator, Noël has been on faculty at the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, and Western University; she currently serves as Assistant Professor of Harp and Entrepreneurship at Florida State University. Born in the California Bay Area, Noël and her husband, Canadian choral conductor Patrick Murray, now divide their time between Toronto, Ontario and Tallahassee, Florida, where they live with their tuxedo cats Georgina and Simone.