EunAe Lee
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Pianists Natasha Stojanovska and EunAe Lee are sharing the stage and the piano bench for their upcoming Four Hands Piano Recital Saturday at the Cathedral Basilica, 131 Cathedral Place in Santa Fe. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the church. The program will feature works by Bach, Schubert, Poulenc and Debussy.
Lee and Stojanovska met each other while pursuing their doctoral studies in piano at Northwestern University. Lee is a professor at the University of Mary and Stojanovska is a musician living in Santa Fe.
Natasha Stojanovska
“Natasha is always so passionate about what she does and is such a wonderful performer,” Lee said. “She isn’t afraid to explore contemporary repertoire and try something new in her concerts. I remember she was so passionate about collaborating with other musicians in concerts and teaching in a class setting. I always admire her for being so wonderful at everything she does.”
“I respect EunAe’s musicianship and personality profoundly, so I am extremely honored to work with her on this concert,” Stojanovska said. “It will be a pure joy to collaborate on this wonderful program together and we hope that the Los Alamos community does not miss out on this incredible opportunity of having EunAe perform here for us in New Mexico. She is a world class pianist and I am beyond thankful that she will be joining me for this concert. Everyone is up for a treat. We will have the treat of great music and then chocolate to follow.”
As far as the program they will present Saturday, Stojanovska and Lee mentioned their favorite pieces.
“All of the pieces we are doing are special to me,” Stojanovska said. “Bach is the best choice in this beautiful house of God, Debussy and Schubert are one of my favorite pieces of music of all time, and the Poulenc we are performing in honor of one of my dear friends and supporter of my work here as a musician in New Mexico, tenor, Ephraim Herrera.”
As far as the pieces included in the program, Lee said she is looking forward to the Bach’s pieces, which should be complemented by the venue.
“Regarding the program for our upcoming concert, I’m looking forward to performing J.S. Bach’s compositions,” Lee said. “The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi’s rich historical significance has always intrigued me, and visiting it has been a personal aspiration. I anticipate that the acoustics will beautifully complement Bach’s music, creating a memorable experience for us and the audience.”
She added this is her first-time visiting New Mexico as well as performing along with Stojanovska.
“I’m really looking forward to rehearsing and performing with her because we’ve never had the chance to play together before,” Lee said. “I’ve always known that she’s an amazing pianist, so I’m eager to make music together. Additionally, it’s been a while since we last met, and I’ve never been to New Mexico. I’m hoping to tour the town when I’m there as well. One of my college students is from New Mexico, and I’ve heard so many wonderful things about it.”
Both women are seasoned performers.
“There have been numerous performances throughout my music career that stand out as highlights, but one particular moment that I cherish is when I performed for the semi-final round of the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Belgium,” Lee said. “I played Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 467 at the Flagey Radio and Concert Hall. I vividly remember the experience of being on stage, thoroughly enjoying every moment of the performance, and feeling the warmth of the applause afterwards.”
“Another significant milestone in my music career was my first studio recital at the University of Mary, where I am a piano professor,” she added. “Over 20 students participated in the concert, and witnessing their performances in the concert hall was incredibly gratifying. It was a profound realization for me that teaching is as integral a part of being a musician as performing is, and it has reinforced my commitment to continue pursuing teaching alongside my performance career.”
As for Stojanovska, “When I was 3 years old back in my home in Macedonia, I started watching this channel on the TV that was called ‘Serious music,’ which is classical music here and I started loving it,” she said. “I begged my parents to buy me a piano for years and finally when I was 8 my parents realized I did not want a toy, I actually wanted to purse piano as my life journey and here we are today.”
“Some of my highlights are when I performed at the Dame Myra Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, IL, right after we started having live concert performances during COVID days in 2021,” she added. “We finally could have audiences in our concert halls again and it was on this concert that I learned that my audience is my air and I felt like I can breathe again and performing became even more honest and profound for me from then on.”
Tickets for Saturday’s concert are $35 for adults and $15 for children. They are available at the door as well as at https://eunaenatasha.eventbrite.com
