Walk Deep A world premiere concert-length song cycle by Forrest Pierce Poetry by Abigail Morgan Prout Dr. Suna Avci Gunther, soprano (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) Dr. Brianna Matzke, piano (Wilmington College)

Described by The New York Times as “a genuine artist with a thoughtfully conceived and poetic interpretation,” Minsoo Sohn is a Korean American pianist known for his musical intelligence and masterful virtuosity. Sohn has toured extensively throughout North and South America, Europe and Korea. As a soloist, he has performed alongside leading orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Jerusalem Camerata, Holland Symfonia, National Orchestra of Belgium, Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Korean National Orchestra and the KBS Symphony, among others. He has collaborated with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Pietari Inkinen and Sasha Goetzel. 2024–25 season highlights included a duo tour with fellow pianist Yunchan Lim across Korea; at the Verbier, Gstaad Menuhin and La Roque d’Antheron festivals in Europe; and a series of recitals playing Beethoven’s Sonatas across Europe—which continued in the 2025–26 season with recitals in Korea, Japan and North America. Sohn is the teacher and mentor of Yunchan Lim, the youngest person to ever win gold at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at the age of 18 in 2022.

Emmet Cohen is widely regarded as a leading jazz pianist of his generation and a defining force in the evolution of the art form. A virtuoso musician, producer and bandleader, he combines deep respect for jazz tradition with a singular ability to create connection, community and momentum in the modem era. Cohen has released 12 albums as a leader and is the producer and creative force behind Live From Emmet’s Place, a landmark series comprising over 140 two-hour livestream performances, featuring hundreds of musicians spanning generations and reaching more than 100 million views worldwide. The series continues from Power Station NYC, having grown from an intimate broadcast into a global cultural platform. A Mack Avenue recording artist, Cohen has performed in over 40 countries, serves as host of The Jazz Cruise and a member of its programming team, and he has been chosen as artistic partner of the 2027 American Piano Awards. He was named DownBeat Readers Poll Pianist of the Year (2025) and, in 2023, received both Pianist of the Year and Livestream Producer of the Year honors from the Jazz Journalists Association.

Winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, New York-born and Connecticut-raised Chelsea Guo is equally acclaimed as a pianist and soprano. A recent graduate of The Juilliard School, she has quickly established an international presence with performances across North America, Europe and Asia. She has appeared at Italy’s Fazioli Piano Festival, Spain’s Sociedad Filarmónica de A Coruña, Germany’s Moritzburg Festival, and in leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Wigmore Hall. At San Diego’s 2023 Mainly Mozart Festival, she drew praise for her versatility, appearing as soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 under Michael Francis and, two nights later, as pianist in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2. She has also performed with such orchestras as the New Jersey Symphony and Fort Worth Symphony, collaborating with conductors including Barry Douglas, Xian Zhang, Michael Stern and Michael Francis. Since her historic YCA win—the first artist honored as both pianist and vocalist—Chelsea has made recital debuts at New York’s Merkin Hall and Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. Recent highlights include the gala opening of The Florida Orchestra, a duo recital with baritone Joseph Parrish at Kansas City’s Harriman-Jewell Series and Handel’s Messiah with the Richmond Symphony.