Westport Center for the Arts’ 2022-23 Noontime Concert Series continues April 21 with a free performance by the Cass Duo, featuring pianists Jayoung Hong and Gloria Hsu. They will perform works for four hands by composers including J.S. Bach, Astor Piazzolla and Allen Shawn. The noontime concerts are free (donations accepted) and held in the sanctuary at the Westport Presbyterian Church, 201 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111.

The Cass Duo was formed by the two pianists in 2010.  They took their name from their beloved teacher, Richard Cass. The Cass Duo has performed throughout North America and was invited to perform at Sejong Hall in Seoul, Korea, and the National Hall in Taiwan, where they premiered “The Three Dance Portraits” for four hands piano by American composer Allen Shawn.

Since making her debut at age 13, pianist Jayoung Hong has performed widely in concerto, recital, and chamber music performances throughout Asia, North America and Europe. Her performances have been heard on radio broadcasts for NPR and the Korean Broadcasting System. As a Carnegie Hall Festival Pianist, she has performed on the Perelman Stage/Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall multiple times annually since 2007.

Hong served as Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Keyboard Studies at Northwest Nazarene University. She has presented master classes throughout the U.S., Canada, S. Korea and China. Her students are consistently top prizewinners at major regional, provincial/state and national competitions in Canada, Korea and the U.S. Formerly, she was the pre-college program coordinator for the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities International Piano Camp and currently spends her summer teaching at the Western University Summer Concerto Festival and Competition in Canada and the Busan National University of Education Summer Special Lecture Series in S. Korea. She received her DMA from the University of Kansas.

Gloria Hsu, a dedicated musician and award-winning pianist, has been teaching piano for more than 30 years in Asia, Africa, and North America. She was the winner of the Kansas State National Music Teachers’ Piano Competition for four consecutive years and many other competitions. Hsu began studying with pianist Richard Cass, a professor at UMKC Conservatory, when she was 12.  At age 15, she made her concerto debut with Salina Symphony Orchestra, and in the following year, she was chosen as the soloist with Topeka Symphony Orchestra. At Indiana University, Ms. Hsu received a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music in Piano Performance under the tutelage of James Tocco and Menahem Pressler. Hsu has also been on faculty at the Indiana University Pre-college Piano Program, the Johnson County Community College, and the Montessori International Academy. She currently maintains an active private studio based in Overland Park, Kansas.

Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.