Since joining forces as a professional duo in 2009,
internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria
Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi (ZOFO)
have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo, Japan,
with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic
programming for piano four-hands. This GRAMMY-nominated,
prize-winning Steinway Artist Ensemble—one of only a handful of
duos worldwide devoted exclusively to piano duets—is blazing a
bold new path for four-hands groups by focusing on twentieth- and
twenty-first-century repertoire and by commissioning new works
from noted composers each year.
Reviewer Lilly O’Brien of the San Francisco Classical Voice sat
down with pianists Keisuke Nakagoshi and Eva-Maria Zimmermann to
talk about their upcoming performance of their
Pictures-at-an-Exhibition-like performance project
called “Zofo-Moma,” which they will perform at UC Davis on
Friday, February 14.
Joseph Vasinda is a composer and music educator based in the
Sacramento area and is attending school to earn a PhD in
music composition and theory. As a composer, he is deeply
interested in creating works that resonate with performers.
Whether through performer input on the musical material,
performer feedback on the experience of playing through the
piece, or by using improvisational elements, Joseph writes pieces
that he hopes performers will find enjoyable or rewarding.
Addie Camsuzou is a composer and violinist from
the central coast of California. She holds a Bachelor of Music
degree in music theory/composition from Sacramento State
University, where she studied composition with Dr. Stephen
Blumberg, and violin with Ian Swensen and Anna Presler. She is
currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition.
Josiah Tayag Catalan is a Filipino-American born
in New York City and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He
holds a degree from the Sacramento State School of Music
where he studied composition with Stephen Blumberg and
Leo Eylar and violin with Anna Presler and Ian Swensen.
During his studies at the Sacramento State School of Music,
he was chosen to represent the music department for the
annual One World Initiative campaign to raise awareness
around current global issues.
Sarah Wald was born in Chicago. She
attended Columbia University in the City of New York for her
bachelor’s degree in music with a focus in
composition. While at Columbia, Sarah studied composition
with Tristan Murail and Arthur Kampela, as well as with Robert
Lombardo in Chicago. She also studied flute with Sue Ann
Kahn. Sarah then studied with Conrad Susa and David Garner
at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for her master’s
degree in composition. For her master’s thesis, she composed
and produced Elegy for a Lady: a Music Drama in One A
