Southeastern Piano Festival: SEPF on the Road

Pianists Rieko Tsuchida, Kevin Ahfat, Dong Yeon Kim play on the concert.

Dr. Yoheved (Veda) Kaplinsky is currently the chairperson of the piano department at the Juilliard School in New York as well as professor of piano at TCU. She began her musical career as a prizewinner in the J.S. Bach International Competition in Washington, D.C. A native of Israel, she studied with Ilona Vincze at the Tel Aviv Music Academy before entering the Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Irwin Freundlich. She holds a Master's and Doctoral degrees from Juilliard, as well as awards for scholastic and pianistic achievements. She continued her studies with Dorothy Taubman in New York.

Acclaimed as a pianist of "exceptional breadth" whose "spirited, flawless performance stemmed from the very depth of his soul" (Estes Park News), Canadian-born pianist Kevin Ahfat is an artist recognized for his deeply passionate and highly compelling performances, possessing "a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity" (Musical America).  He has performed both as solo and chamber artist in numerous venues across the United States, including the Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center in Arizona, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York and Boettcher Concert Hall and Newman Center in Colorado.

At the age of 20, Dong Yeon Kim has established himself as one of the leading young artists of his generation. His daring musicality that "took the audience by storm with an incredibly virtuosic performance" (Columbia Free Times) has garnered first prizes in numerous competitions.