Ladies Musical Club: Piano sonatas & musical theater favorites

• Diana Gao, piano
• Regina Thomas, soprano
• Katie Hochman, soprano
• John Burkhardt, piano (guest artist)

Muzio Clementi — Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 25, No. 5
Franz Schubert — 3 Klavierstücke, D. 946 (No. 1 & No. 2)
Jerome Kern — "All the Things You Are" from Very Warm for May
George Gershwin — "They Can't Take that Away from Me" from Shall We Dance
George Gershwin — "Someone to Watch Over Me" from Oh, Kay!
Richard Rodgers — “My Romance” from Jumbo
Richard Rodgers — “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” from Pal Joey
Richard Rodgers — “No Other Love Have I” from Me and Juliet
Richard Rodgers — “I Have Dreamed” from The King and I
Cole Porter — “The Tale of the Oyster” from Fifty Million Frenchmen
Cole Porter — "Friendship" from Anything Goes
Richard Adler / Jerry Ross — “Whatever Lola Wants” from Damn Yankees
Irving Berlin — “Won’t You Play a Simple Melody” from Watch Your Step
Irving Berlin — God Bless America

This concert will be presented in person at 7:00 p.m. on October 10, at University House Wallingford. It will also premiere on our YouTube channel at noon on Thursday, October 13.

LMC sponsors over 50 concerts per season (October–May), featuring our performing members and their guests, at a variety of venues throughout Seattle and the Eastside. These intimate music programs are free and open to the public. No advance tickets are required.

About Ladies Musical Club of Seattle

http://www.lmcseattle.org/

About Diana Gao, piano

Diana Gao began studying piano at age 4. She moved to the U.S. from China in 2013 to pursue her MBA at the University of Washington (UW), and is currently a Senior Marketing Manager at Microsoft. Although she has pursued a career outside of music, the piano has remained a significant mainstay in her life. She has consistently cultivated her passion through regular lessons and performances. She’s been studying with Dr. Robin McCabe from UW and is a prizewinner in many competitions, including Gold Medalist of the Seattle International Competition and First Prize of the "Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition. She also performed at the prestigious Piano Texas International Festival. Since 2020, she has presented annual fundraising recitals through the Microsoft Give campaign, raising thousands of dollars in support of local organizations. Those events reinforced her belief that music has the power to inspire change and make the world a better place.

https://pianotexas.tcu.edu/artists/profile/teachers_amateurs/diana-gao.php

About Regina Thomas, soprano

An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas has performed with a variety of companies including Kitsap Opera, Willamette Concert Opera, Bellevue Opera, Puget Sound Concert Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Seattle Opera Guild. Currently Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President and trustee of concerts for LMC. Favorite operatic roles include Adriana Lecouvreur, Suor Angelica, Tosca, and Judith (Bluebeard's Castle). Concert work includes Schumann's Frauenleibe und-leben, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder; soprano solos in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Fauré Requiem, and Berio's Folk Songs for voice and chamber ensemble.

https://www.musiccenternw.org/regina-thomas

About Katie Hochman, soprano

Soprano Katie Hochman enjoys performing recitals, opera and opera scenes through the Ladies Musical Club and Puget Sound Concert Opera. Highlights for the soprano have been the title role of Massenet's Cendrillon and soloist in La Damoiselle Élue both with Puget Sound Concert Opera. Katie has previously sung with Portland Opera, Utah Opera, Willamette Concert Opera, Opera Theater Oregon, and Rainier Family Opera. She has also enjoyed orchestral work as soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem, Haydn's Creation, and Mozart's Exultate, Jubilate.

About John Burkhardt, piano (guest artist)

John Burkhardt (chorus master/piano) currently serves as chorus master and principal accompanist for Puget Sound Concert Opera. John has arranged and conducted numerous PSCO productions including Lucrezia Borgia, La Damoiselle Elue, Andrea Chenier, Don Giovanni, and I Capuletti ed I Montecchi. John has served as the principal accompanist and chorus master for Bellevue Opera as well. He works for University of Washington Tacoma, managing their communications. He is musically active in the Unitarian Universalist church and has been an opera and musical theater pianist for many years in Seattle and elsewhere.