Violist Emad Zolfaghari and pianist Vivian Fan present an evening of music for viola and piano centered on the work of York Bowen, tracing a path from late Romantic intensity to lyrical reflection and formal innovation. The program opens with Bowen’s Viola Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 18 (1905), moving between expressive lyricism and virtuosic drive across its three movements, before continuing after intermission with the Phantasy in F Major, Op. 54 (1918), a single-movement work that blends structural invention with a rich, singing line for the viola.

The program will be followed by a complimentary reception.

Emad Zolfaghari came to international attention after winning first prize and the audience prize at the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he will attend the Juilliard School in fall 2026 as a Kovner Fellow. His honors include top prizes at the Klein, ArsClassica, Morningside Music Bridge, Johansen, Tokyo, and OSM international competitions, as well as the Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant and the Nobuko Imai Förderpreis at the Kronberg Academy. He has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras including the Tokyo Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly at leading festivals.

Vivian Fan is Director of Collaborative Piano at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. An accomplished chamber musician and recording artist, she has performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Brahms Unbound series and recorded extensively, with releases on Bridge Records and Soundset Records. She has served as an accompanist at major international competitions and festivals, and her performances have been broadcast on television and radio including KTLA, KNBC, KUSC, and Performance Today.

As the museum will be closed during this program, please enter through the garden side gate, which will open 30 minutes before the start time. Theater doors open 15 minutes before the start time. Seating is first come, first served. An RSVP does not guarantee admission once capacity is reached. No late entry.