The Friday Noon Concert Series

Simone Pierpaoli, cello

Courtney Adams, flute

Yurong Yang, piano

Friday, March 28, 2025

Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano, Op. 86 - Nikolai Kapustin

About the Artists:

Simone Pierpaoli recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelors in Cello Performance, having studied with Dr. Eric Kutz for the past four years. In his time at UMD, he has participated in masterclasses led by Cecylia Barczyk, Inbal Segev, Yumi Kendell, Ilya Finkelshtyen, and Amir Eldan. His primary summer festival engagements include the National Orchestral Institute and Interlochen Center for the Arts, and he hopes to participate in music festivals abroad in the future. He plans on beginning his Masters degree in Cello Performance in the fall. 

Courtney Adams is a Master of Music candidate studying under Sarah Frisof and Aaron Goldman at the University of Maryland, where she also recently completed her Bachelor of Music degree. She enjoys bringing chamber music to local communities and advocates for incorporating a diverse variety of musical traditions into the classical music canon. Most recently, Courtney performed as a finalist in UMD’s annual school-wide concerto competition. In addition to her passion for being on stage, Courtney is committed to performing arts education. She loves teaching her studio of young flutists and directs a youth musical theater intensive each summer.

Pianist Yurong “Ria” Yang enjoys various solo and chamber performances. Her recent engagements including chamber music recitals at the Collaborative Piano Institute, Aspen Music Festival and School, Zodiac Music Festival, Icicle Chamber Music Festival, and virtual concerts for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and “Music for Autism”; In 2015, she won the Concert Competition at Northern Illinois University School of Music. She has also served as an Artist-in-Residence at Collington Continuing Care Retirement Community, where she was featured on NBC Today Show in 2019. Passionate about teaching, she has taught at Northern Illinois University Community School of Arts and Viva! Performing Art Studio. Currently, she teaches at the International School of Music. Ria is pursuing studies in Collaborative Piano with Prof. Rita Sloan at the University of Maryland. 

This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.