The Liliane Questel Recital Series
Founded in 2003 by SCC board member and pianist, Liliane Questel.
New York-based pianist Yang (Jack) Gao is developing a rising career as a recitalist and orchestra soloist. In November 2023, he won the prestigious Naumburg International Piano Competition. He is also the winner of the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at The Juilliard School (2023) and the Second Prize at the Steinway Piano Competition (2019). He has performed recitals in China, the United States, and Canada. In February 2024, he gave a recital in Carnegie Hall and included a world-premiere of his newest work. As a winner of The Juilliard School’s Concerto Competition, he performed John Corigliano’s Piano Concerto in Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra and conductor Simone Young.
Born in China in 2003, he studied piano and composition at the Middle School attached to China Conservatory of Music, with teachers Tianhong Tan and Xin Xie. At age 17, he performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Symphonic Orchestra of China Conservatory under conductor En Shao.
Jack is also interested in chamber music, frequently collaborating with other musicians and performing in various venues. In April 2024, he was awarded the Best Collaborative Pianist Award in the Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards String Competition. He has also premiered many works by many composers.
He is currently a student of Jerome Lowenthal and Emanuel Ax at The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the Willard MacGregor Memorial Piano Scholarship and the Thoba Corporation Scholarship.
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About The Liliane Questel Recital Series
Founded in 2002 as “The Rising Stars Piano Series” by SCC board member and pianist Liliane Questel, a graduate of the Brussels Conservatory and Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of Leon Fleisher. The series’ mission focuses on performance opportunities primarily for participants and alumni of Pianofest of the Hamptons. These highly talented pianists attract a loyal following. The Tenth Anniversary Season celebrated some of those musicians who were not “Rising Stars” by then but celebrated performers. In 2024, the Series was renamed “The Liliane Questel Recital Series” in memory of its founder and to cement her legacy.
Konstantin Soukhovetski, an award-winning pianist, educator, and composer, is the Artistic Director of The Liliane Questel Recital Series.
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A Tribute to Liliane Questel
by Paul Schenly
Liliane Questel’s journey was not just about her own accomplishments as a concert pianist but about the many lives she touched, the music she brought to the world, and the legacy she leaves behind.
From her early days at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels to her studies at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore under the guidance of the legendary Leon Fleisher, Liliane’s musical journey was one of dedication and brilliance. Her performances, whether it was the Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue or the formidable Liszt Sonata, captivated audiences and left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of listening to her play.
But Liliane’s impact extended far beyond the concert stage. She was a mentor, a teacher, and a friend to countless young musicians. Her support and guidance helped shape the careers of many aspiring artists, and her commitment to nurturing talent through the Rising Stars Concert Series, which is now renamed The Liliane Questel Recital Series and will continue to inspire generations to come.
Those who knew Liliane remember not only her musical prowess but also her warmth, humor, and generosity of spirit. Whether it was hosting fabulous parties with her beloved husband Arthur or sharing her insights on music interpretation, Liliane brought joy and laughter wherever she went.
Her love for her family, her husband Arthur, their son Remy, and their beloved dogs Maya and Loki, was evident to all who knew her. They were her greatest treasures, and her devotion to them knew no bounds.
Let us celebrate the legacy she leaves behind. Let us carry forward her passion for music, her commitment to nurturing young talent, and her spirit of generosity and kindness. Her music will continue to echo in our hearts, reminding us of the beauty and joy she brought into the world.
In 2005 after a recital at the Southampton Cultural Center, Fred Volkmer in the Southampton Press reviewing the concert wrote: For those in the audience who know Liliane Questel only as a presenter the evening came as a delightful surprise. We heard a pianist of rare ability, not only someone with a razor-sharp technique, but plenty of temperament and interpretive acuity, someone with a profound commitment to the music about which she has thought so long and so deeply before it emerged from her fingers as they touched the keyboard.
We will always remember Liliane.