Kaity Kao

Kaity is a senior at Whippany Park High School in Whippany, NJ. She currently studies with Beatrice Long of Short Hills. During her twelve-year study of piano, she has won top prizes from the Young People's Music Program, the Music Educators Association of NJ, the Music Teachers Association of NJ, and the Young Pianist Competition of NJ. After winning the Gold Prize in the YPCNJ Concerto Competition, she performed Beethoven's Concerto No. 3 with the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra. She has attended the Manhattan School of Music and the Ithaca School of Music and has also performed in master classes taught by world-renowned artist Joseph Kalichstein. In addition, she is involved with the creative arts magazine, the newspaper, volunteering with autistic children, and volleyball. Kaity will be a freshman at Stanford University in fall 2003.

About the Recordings

Warning: we're not professionals, nor do we intend to be. We're graduating high school seniors (as of this writing), and you can hear plenty of gaffes in these recordings.

Lunch Recital - March 2008

Ben played this piece during a lunch recital at Stanford's music school.

1. Chopin Ballade No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47

Chioggia Music Festival - July 2000

Ben competed in the senior division (15+ years of age) of the Chioggia Music Festival in Italy. He won 2nd place in the concerto competition and played the first movement of Beethoven's Third Concerto with the Chioggia Symphony Orchestra.

1. Beethoven: Concerto No. 3 in C min, Op. 37 - Allegro con brio (18.7 MB)

2. Beethoven: Sonata No. 27 - Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfingung und Ausdruck (5.7 MB)

3. Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: 1. Des Abends (4.4 MB)

4. Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: 2. Aufschwung (3.7 MB)

5. Schubert: Impromptu Op. 90/3 in G flat (6.6 MB)

YPCNJ Recital - April 8, 2001

Kaity won the Young Pianist Competition of New Jersey's concerto competition and performed the first movement of Beethoven's Third Concerto with the South Plainfield Symphony Orchestra.

1. Beethoven: Concerto No. 3 in C min, Op. 37 - Allegro con brio (21.3 MB)

Senior Recital - June 22, 2003

These are recordings from our piano recital on June 22, 2003 at the Westfield Presbyterian Church. An actual copy of the program can be found here (93 KB; PDF). More photos from the recital can be found here. Tracks 1-5 are of Kaity's playing; tracks 6-11 are of Ben's playing.

Kaity's Haydn and Debussy recordings from the live recital recording have been replaced by digital studio recordings made in 2002.

1. Entire recital video (AVI - 500 MB, encoded in XviD)

1. Haydn: Sonata Hob. XVI:52 in E flat - Allegro
1. Quicktime Video - 15 MB, MP3 - 7.6 MB

2. Liszt: Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104
1. Quicktime Video - 18 MB, MP3 - 5.8 MB

3. Debussy: Images II - Poissons d'or
1. MP3 - 4.6 MB

4. Brahms: Rhapsody Op. 79/1 in B min
1. Quicktime Video - 19 MB, MP3 - 6.1 MB

5. Prokofiev: Sonata No. 3 in A min
1. Quicktime Video - 22 MB, MP3 - 7.1 MB

6. Beethoven: Sonata No. 27 - 1. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfingung und Ausdruck
1. Quicktime Video - 14 MB, MP3 - 4.8 MB

7. Beethoven: Sonata No. 27 - 2. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen
1. Quicktime Video - 19 MB, MP3 - 6.0 MB

8. Schubert: Impromptu Op. 90/3 in G flat
1. Quicktime Video - 17MB, MP3 - 5.5 MB

9. Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F
1. Quicktime Video - 19 MB, MP3 - 6.3 MB

10. Chopin: Nocturne No. 13 in C min
10. Quicktime Video - 17 MB, MP3 - 5.5 MB

11. Scriabin: Etude Op. 8/12 in D# min
1.1 Quicktime Video - 10 MB, MP3 - 2.3 MB

Ben Nham

Ben is a senior at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, NJ. He currently studies piano with Yelena Mamonova of West Orange. Ben has studied piano for twelve years and is the winner of several competitions. He was a First Place winner in the Young Pianist Comeptition of NJ, a two-time First Place winner in the Young People's Music Program, and the Silver Prize winner in the Chioggia (Italy) International Concerto Competition. In addition to piano, Ben enjoys participating in many activities, such as the school newspaper, science competitions, and debating. In addition, he is a national officer in the Junior State of America, and is the organization's webmaster. Ben will be a freshman at Stanford University in fall 2003.