Renowned internationally as one of America’s greatest concert pianists, Byron Janis has made seminal records for RCA Victor and Mercury Records, later published in two volumes of the Philips Great Pianists series. Byron Janis’ brilliant career was interrupted by the onset of psoriatic arthritis in his hands and wrists, a painful and crippling condition that led to a series of surgeries and other treatments to restore movement. In an interview with ABC, he explained, “Arthritis has taught me to look inside myself for new sources of strength and creativity. It has given my life a new intensity. I have arthritis, but it does not have me.”
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Devoted to musical and humanitarian concerns, Byron Janis is making a rare appearance, and his first at LPR, in support of The Pro Musicis Foundation.

Since her Lincoln Center recital debut and her nomination as Pro Musicis International Award winner, J.Y. Song has been noted for her varied programming and idiosyncratic musical tastes. Her recordings on the Pro Piano label have received rave reviews in international publications. “Debussy Etudes” received a Diapason d’Or, and was designated a ‘Desert Island Selection’ by Gramophone’s International Piano Quarterly. Her recording of works by Jiang Wen Ye was the inspiration for Café Lumière, a film by Hou Hsiao-Hsien nominated for a Lion d’Or at the Venice Film Festival. The recipient of Juilliard’s Petscheck Award and the American Pianists Association’s Fellowship Award, J.Y. Song is currently on the piano faculty of Mannes College of Music. She holds a B.A. and B.S. from Stanford University, and a D.M.A. from The Juilliard School.

The most recent winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, Alexandria Le enjoys a multi-faceted career as soloist, chamber musician and teaching artist. As a member of Ensemble ACJW (the 20-member collective run by Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Institute, in partnership with the New York Department of Education), she performs regularly in traditional and non-traditional venues, from Carnegie Hall to Riker’s Island. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Le’s collaborative highlights include performances with Frank Morelli, Pedro Diaz, Øystein Baadvsvik, and American Brass Quintet members. Ms. Le is currently completing her Doctorate of Musical Arts under full scholarship at S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook.

Carmit Zori is an international soloist and prominent chamber music performer who has collaborated with many of the world’s finest musicians. Winner of the Leventritt and Pro Musicis Awards, she has toured internationally with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and with Musicians from Marlboro. Ms. Zori has participated in music festivals on three continents, and can be heard in recordings on Arabesque, Koch International, and Nonesuch. As artistic director of BCMS, she presents an extraordinary roster of performers in Brooklyn.

Julia Lichten enjoys a varied career as soloist, chamber musician and teacher in the New York area. She received degrees from Harvard-Radcliffe and the New England Conservatory, where her principal teachers were Mischa Nieland and Paul Tobias. A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra from 1995-2014, Ms. Lichten has toured as soloist with Orpheus, as well as with Musicians from Marlboro and the American Chamber Players. Festival engagements have included Marlboro, Tanglewood, Taos, Library of Congress, Caramoor, Rockport, Chesapeake Chamber Music, and Evian. Ms. Lichten is a frequent guest with the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, and has served as artist/faculty at Kneisel Hall, Mannes Beethoven Institute, and Perlman Music Program. She has recorded for Marlboro Recording Society, Arabesque, Koch International Classics, Music Masters, Sony Classical, and Deutsche Gramaphon. She is a faculty member at Manhattan School of Music and the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College.