2024 Frances Walton Competition Winners Outreach Tour

On September 10, 2024 at Chelan High School Performing Arts Center (215 W Webster Ave, Chelan) enjoy a free concert from the Winners of the Frances Walton Competition, Kana Funayama and Sean Yang.

Named after its founding director, the Frances Walton Competition supports emerging professional musicians by holding solo and ensemble competitions for classical musicians, ages 20-35, who live or study in the United States, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. Territory. During the month of September, the winners present free public recitals and visit schools that have limited access to classical music throughout Washington State.

Kana Funayama:

Kana Funayama is a Japanese percussionist, marimbist, and arranger whose performance career sees her in a wide range of engagements as soloist, ensemble player, and collaborative artist. She has been featured as a soloist at numerous concerts including at La Folle Journée TOKYO, “Geisai” in Tokyo, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan, Walla Walla Symphony in Washington, and more. As an ensemble player, Funayama has performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Tokyo Geidai Philharmonia, film recordings at Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures Studio, John Williams Scoring Stage, and many more. Funayama holds her Bachelor of Music from Tokyo University of the Arts, and her Master of Music from Eastman School of Music with the esteemed Performance Certificate and Milton Schlesinger Percussion Prize. She is a candidate for Artist Diploma at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Sean Yang: 

Sean studies with Logan Skelton at the University of Michigan. Sean is a prizewinner at the Memphis International Piano Competition, MTNA National Round Young Artist Piano Competition, and the Blair School Concerto Competition. He made his solo debut in 2016 performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and subsequent engagements include the Nashville and Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra. Sean has an upcoming concerto engagement with the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra in July of 2024. Sean spent his recent summers at Bowdoin and Aspen with Anton Nel, Julian Martin, and Douglas Humpherys. He studied with Amy Dorfman at Vanderbilt while earning a double major in Neuroscience and Piano. His research background includes redesigning ICU alarm monitors and investigating the benefits of listening to live classical music in the ICU. His research has been shared in major scientific journals such as Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the International Journal of Critical Care.

Hear the solo winners perform on Classical KING’s Northwest Focus Live on Friday, September 6th at 7pm.