guest artists

GALA CONCERT

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 - 7:30 PM

CONCERT HALL 

DUO MUNDI GEORGE & GULI captivates global audiences with their exciting, innovative, and diverse programming style. Lauded for their performances that “…breathe the same artistic air…with an adrenaline of communication that captivates audiences of every generation,” the duo creates beautifully synchronized performances that engage both the eye and ear in a dance of emotions. Since their inception in 2022, DUO MUNDI G&G has performed standing-room-only concerts in venues across the globe. This summer, they embarked on an exhilarating tour through Mexico, China, Brazil, and Italy, where they were featured on Italian national TV, RAI2. They are set to continue this momentum with upcoming concert and masterclass engagements in Switzerland and Spain. Their New York City debut at the Steinway Hall in April 2023 was a landmark event in their career. Since then, DUO MUNDI G&G has become a fixture on the New York music scene, performing at premier venues like The Oculus at One World Trade Center, The Village Trip Festival, and Third Street Settlement Music School. Recently, they performed a groundbreaking Spiriocast that connected live audiences from Boston virtually to Philadelphia. On the West Coast, they left a lasting impression with their debut at Santa Barbara’s historic Lobero Theater and enthralled audiences in the greater Seattle area and Mexico’s Baja California. The duo’s extraordinary talents have also been showcased on radio broadcasts, most notably during a live interview and performance on All Classical Portland’s “Thursdays @ Three” in Oregon. Their influence extends to universities, conservatories, and music organizations across the U.S. and abroad through their masterclasses and lectures. Their recent Global Outreach Initiative in Belize inspired over 800 schoolchildren. They’ve also enriched international and national conferences, including the MTNA, NCKP, and EPTA (in Portugal) Conferences and the Southeast Asia Piano Teachers Symposium. This fall, DUO MUNDI G&G will launch a two-day Klavierfest on AI’s impact on music at Bowdoin College, Maine. As they continue to explore musical frontiers, DUO MUNDI GEORGE & GULI are set to make an indelible mark on classical music.

KEYNOTE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 - 9:00 AM

MASTERCLASS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 - 9:45 AM

RECITAL HALL

Leah Claiborne, D.M.A. champions piano music by Black composers in her performances, research, and teaching. 

Dr. Claiborne was the inaugural winner of the Stecher and Horowitz Power of Innovation Award through Music Teacher National Association for her artistic excellence, pedagogical leadership, nurturing spirit, and community service. She was named Yamaha’s 2023 40 under 40 Top Music Educators of America. In the same year, she was awarded University of Michigan’s Alumni Artist Award which is bestowed on a graduate who has made significant contributions to their field. In 2024, she became a Yamaha Artist. 

As a pedagogue, her publications are numerous including: a two volume book titled “Expanding The Repertoire: Music of Black Composers” by Hal Leonard; two online courses published by the Frances Clark Center, contributing chapters on pedagogy in Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, as well as numerous articles published in American Music Teachers, and Piano Magazine.

Dr. Claiborne is in high demand as a pedagogue, performer, and speaker, having been an invited guest lecturer for master classes, seminars, and recitals in California, Washington, Michigan, Arizona, Minnesota, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. 

She is founder of Ebony Music Inc, a non profit organization dedicated to promoting Black pianists and piano music by Black composers. Ebony Music Inc. sponsors the Ebony Prize for the best performance of a piece of music written by a Black composer at the national level for Music Teacher National Association’s Piano Competition. In 2024, Ebony Music was awarded the Sphinx Venture fund, a $150,000 grant to record and promote piano music by Black composers.

Dr. Claiborne received early promotion with tenure at the University of the District of Columbia where she serves as coordinator of keyboard studies and teaches History of African American Music.