Stephen Tian-You Ai is a pianist and music theorist, currently working towards an MPhil in Music at the University of Cambridge. He received his BA in Music and Mathematics from Williams College in 2018.
His research centers on the histories of performance practice, examining the ways in which historical expressions of tempo, rhythmic flexibility, functional harmony, instrument building and tuning, shape the aesthetics of musical performance win a modern context, particularly on the modern piano. Recently, he completed a thesis that analyzed selected preludes from the first book of J.S. Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier, focusing on the contours of discordance and concordance in two particular cases of well-temperament, for which he received highest honors. He has received the Colin and Lili Roche 1993 Student Fellowship and the Hubbard Hutchinson 1917 Memorial Fellowship in Music for his work.
Qiren Lu – For Violin, Horn, and Piano Trio
Xingeng Wan – Ebgajd
for clarinet, horn, piano
Matthew Toffoletto – immovable beings
for alto saxophone, trumpet, violin, double bass, piano