Jason Moy & Kangwon Kim

If you think Bach is all stiff and academic, think again. Join violinist Kangwon Kim and harpsichordist Jason Moy for a lively journey through Bach’s six violin sonatas (BWV 1014–1019), known as “clavier trios.” These works twist and turn with interwoven lines that inspired later masters like Mozart and Beethoven. With Bach’s ever-evolving touch, this performance for the annual Mark Rosa Harpsichord Recital will be anything but predictable.

media release: Jason Moy (harpsichord) and Kangwon Kim (violin) will play the complete Bach violin sonatas on FUS's French Double harpsichord in the historic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Landmark Auditorium. Suggested donation: $20 at the door.

THE SIX SONATAS FOR HARPSICHORD AND VIOLIN, BWV 1014-1019, are among J.S. Bach’s most innovative works. Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, called them the “six Clavier Trios”—though written for two instruments, the term ‘trio’ is appropriate here, as these works comprise three independent musical lines played by the violinist, and the harpsichordist’s right and left hands. This was a remarkable departure from the typical role of the harpsichord in Baroque-era chamber music, an innovation that directly influenced sonatas for piano and one other instrument by Mozart, Beethoven, and others in the Classical era and beyond. These sonatas provided fertile ground for Bach to indulge his compositional creativity. Bach clearly held these sonatas in high esteem as he returned to them time and time again throughout his life to make revisions and improvements. Decades after his father's death, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote of the timelessness of his father’s “six clavier trios…[which] still sound very good now, and give me much pleasure, despite the fact that they are over fifty years old. There are a few Adagios in them that to this day are unmatched in their cantabile qualities.” Come hear this remarkable music rendered by world-class performers!

KANGWON LEE KIM (violin) is Concertmaster and Assistant Artistic Director of Madison Bach Musicians, and a versatile solo performer whose repertoire spans from the 17th to the 21st century. Equally skilled on both baroque and modern violins, she has performed extensively across the United States as well as in Korea, Canada, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Norway, and the Czech Republic. As a baroque violinist, Ms. Kim has performed with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Brandywine Baroque, the BPI Faculty Ensemble at Oberlin, Lyra Baroque, and Philharmonie Austin. Ms. Kim also serves as Music Director of Love in Music, a nonprofit organization that supports underserved communities in the Los Angeles area.

JASON J. MOY (harpsichord) is Artistic Director of Ars Musica Chicago and one of the most sought-after Early Keyboard specialists in the Midwest. Jason teaches at DePaul University, where he was named the Monsignor Kenneth J. Velo Distinguished Professor in 2022, and at Roosevelt University, where he was recently appointed Artist-Faculty in Early Keyboards in the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Jason is a founding member of the award-winning period instrument ensemble Trio Speranza, and principal keyboardist of the Bach Week Festival Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist and continuo player throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, with notable appearances at the Boston Early Music Festival, the York Early Music Festival (UK), and the acclaimed Dame Myra Hess and Rush Hour Concert Series in Chicago. He frequently performs with such esteemed ensembles as the Newberry Consort, Haymarket Opera Company, Bella Voce, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, and Bella Voce.

The Mark Rosa Harpsichord Recital at FUS is sponsored by Sue Rosa.

We thank her for her continued generosity and support!