Top classical artists to perform in La Sierra chamber music series

La Sierra University’s ongoing Chamber Music Series on Sun., Jan. 25 will present Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Piano Quartet in G Minor KV 478,” Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40,” and Gabriel Fauré’s “Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 15.” The concert will be performed by Jason Uyeyama, violin, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola, Marek Szpakiewicz, cello, and Jiayi Shi, piano at 8 p.m. in La Sierra’s Hole Memorial Auditorium. 

Uyeyama, La Sierra’s director of string studies organizes the Chamber Music Series. In addition to his teaching duties and performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and other groups, Uyeyama is also founder and director of the Orange County String Studio in Irvine which offers private lessons, group and duo instruction. His extensive work as a recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist includes appearances with the Pacific Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and festival appearances in Medellin, Colombia, San Luis Obispo, Tanglewood, Aspen and Taos. He holds a master’s degree from The Juilliard School in New York City where he studied with Masao Kawasaki. Previous teachers include renowned violinists Itzhak Perlman, Dorothy DeLay, and Yao-Ji Lin.

An advocate for community outreach, Uyeyama has served as music director of Community Kids Connection in San Bernardino since 2008. Through this program, he has given free violin lessons to underserved children and performances for local hospitals and charity events.

Violist Hernandez, an artist in residence with La Sierra University’s music department, has performed as a featured guest soloist with the Atlanta, Seattle and Colorado symphonies, as well as the Rochester Philharmonic and the Chicago Sinfonietta. He has toured throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Canada and the United States. His list of awards includes the medal of the National Assembly of Quebec in 2010 and first prize at the 16th International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria in 2009. He has worked with many high profile artists including Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell, Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Stanley Clark, Paquito D’Rivera and Norah Jones. He is a member of the legendary chamber music ensemble, Fine Arts Quartet, a founding member of the Harlem Quartet, and has performed on many radio and television programs including NBC’s “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show” and the Telemundo Network. His nonprofit organization, Musical Heights Foundation, focuses on supporting young emerging artists in the United States and bringing musical outreach projects to third world countries.

Szpakiewicz, an adjunct faculty member at La Sierra, is an award-winning Polish-born cellist who has performed as a soloist with various orchestras around the United States and Europe. Polish and American radio stations have broadcasted his live performances, including a one-hour special program dedicated solely to his music on Classical KUSC 91.5 FM-Los Angeles, the largest non-profit classical music station in the country.

As a film orchestrator, he has collaborated with Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek and worked on music for the critically acclaimed movie “Finding Neverland,” which received the 77th Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2005.

Szpakiewicz holds a doctorate degree from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He currently teaches cello and chamber music at Azusa Pacific University.

Shi is known for her collaboration as a pianist with renowned violinist Midori with whom she gave a recital debut performance at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. The pianist has given chamber recitals in such notable venues as Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and St. Lukes Hall in London, and performs regularly with many distinguished musicians including Los Angeles Philharmonic Concertmaster Martin Chalifour, violin soloist Ryu Goto and Bavarian Radio Orchestra Principal Korbinian Altenberger.

Her concert appearances include a recital at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and live television performances with Midori in the Korean Broadcasting System series “Classical Odyssey” in Korea, as well as recital appearances in Munich and Regensburg Germany.

Shi earned a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music in New York,

Chamber music concert admission is $15 general admission, $10 seniors, $5 students. Children age 12 and under are free. For further information call 951-785-2036, email music@lasierra.edu, or visit https://lasierra.edu/music/. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside.