THECOMPASSCONCERTS

Dianne Davies

Dianne Davies explores the deeper meaning of music and human connection through a shared experience. For some 30 years, since earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance and completing the Oregon music education certification for K-12 instruction, Dianne has offered high quality performances, cutting-edge education and engaging compositions and arrangements.

As a composer/arranger, in 2010, Dianne developed her own comedy show titled, Dianne Davies Has Fallen Off Her Bench, a two-hour concert of all her own arrangements from a plethora of Classical favorites and gems from the vernacular, echoing traces of Liberace, Victor Borge and more. In 2016, she created and performed a brand new show titled, Attachments & Detachments Tragedy to Triumph, integrating new compositions with dance, live art and theatre to tell a story. Her original compositions have been performed each year at Portland State University in the “In Good Hands” concert. This regular series is sponsored by Cascadia Composers, Oregon’s local chapter of the National Association of Composers USA which is the largest and most active local organization under the umbrella of NACUSA in the US today.

In 2019, Dianne produced a show titled SOLI DEO GLORIA that featured her original compositions and arrangements for the Christmas season. This concert offered premieres of vocal solos, choral pieces, original piano solos and arrangements. She featured her self-published work, A Romantic Christmas Suite, which adeptly combines six Chopin Nocturnes with well-known Christmas carols.

In addition to her passion for composing and arranging, she operates a professional piano studio spanning ages K-12 to recreational adults. Her curriculum includes hands-on instruction on arranging and composing. At the State level in Oregon, Dianne chairs the annual Composition Celebration Recital for honored student composers who are taught by Nationally Certified Teachers through the Oregon Music Teachers Association. In these trying times of the pandemic, she produced a virtual event for the recognition of these young composers.

Lastly, Dianne is committed to the creation and performance of new music and weaves that into her regular concert performances throughout the year. For upcoming projects, check out Dianne and her music at:
www.musiqPOWER.com

You can purchase her music here:
Romantic Christmas Suite Vol 1
Romantic Christmas Suite Vol 2
Impressionist Christmas Suite Vol. 3

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Mari Hwang

American pianist Mari Hwang believes in creating a safe world where people are inspired to live wholeheartedly. As co-founder of The COMPASS Concerts (Community Online Meditation Performance and Salon Series), she and her partners, Shinichiro Inaji and Louis Yungling, have established a welcoming, safe environment for music performance where people from all over the world feel a sense of community, support, and healing.

Ms. Hwang’s earlier experiences and challenges with stage fright for solo performances have guided her to share mindfulness awareness practice, easing psychological and physical tension, and connecting heart to music. She has performed in a variety of venues, in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Merkin Hall, and in cathedrals, hospitals, libraries, music schools, and private residences.

Her programming has frequently shined light on works by unknown, undervalued, minor works of well known composers, and women composers. Her embodiment of often deeply personal storytelling has resonated profoundly with audiences and led to open and courageous dialogues.

With her exceptional sight-reading ability, Ms.Hwang has been able to serve as a collaborative pianist for community music schools, conservatories, and summer programs. She has played for numerous admissions entrance auditions, competitions, graded exams, juries, lessons, recitals, recordings, and many more to help musicians achieve their dreams.

She has a private teaching studio in NYC where she’s constantly learning from her students who deeply enjoy music, are curious and open to explore, and independent thinkers.

Ms. Hwang has moved from a sunny suburb of Los Angeles, CA, to attend Manhattan School of Music in NYC, where she has received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Subsequently, she has received a Master’s in Music from Mannes School of Music and a minor in Impact Entrepreneurship from The New School.

She lives in New York City and enjoys walking, trying out different modes of transportation (airplanes, funiculars, ferries, gondolas, trains, trams, etc), and planning and organizing.

Having had many of her past dreams come true in recent years, with tremendous gratitude she has semi-retired from active performing and on her way to the next new dreams.

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Alessandro Simoné

Alessandro Simoné studied Classical Piano Performance at Manhattan School of Music. He presented his interpretations at master classes there and at The Juilliard School taught by author David Dubal, and developed an interest in historical music practice.

conservatory studies, he creatively planned and administered piano lessons as a public school teaching artist. Later exploring his path in accompanying as staff pianist with Opera Oggi NY, he contributed to performances of opera including contemporary works that examine social issues of today.

Alessandro has experimented with popular music through an arranging and transcribing collaboration with the lead vocalist of contemporary band 3D2. His background includes teaching piano performance and music theory privately in Elmhurst, Queens; accompanying and advising vocalists, and contributing to piano interpretation seminars mentored by Zelma Bodzin, Professor at Mannes College The New School for Music. He began accompanying movement classes at Eurythmy Spring Valley in October 2018.

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Louis Yungling

Hello, my name is Louis Yungling and I'm a co-founder of COMPASS Concerts. I'm also a pianist and piano teacher.

Meditation, mindfulness and awareness exercises are an integral part of my teaching and practice. Musicians benefit greatly from these practices by being able to fine tune their focus and get more out of their practice as well as increase their responsiveness to sound and be more present and confident in performance.

I created COMPASS concerts to extend these practices to audiences and give everyone a moment to pause and go inward. We do this by sharing a brief contemplation exercise before every concert. In this way we practice being aware of one another and give ourselves a chance to feel and appreciate our unique contribution.

Preparing our minds and bodies to receive and make music allows us to be more receptive to the beauty and generosity that goes into a musical performance. And practicing this type of mindful preparation regularly can help us open our hearts more to the experiences of our day to day lives.

I am thrilled to share this journey with you and the very talented, generous artists who perform here. Thank you to all my musician friends for sharing your gifts and creating beautiful programs of music for our COMPASS community. And thank you to all who come and partake in these heart-warming community concerts.

I currently live and teach piano in Valencia, Spain. My teaching website: Yungling Piano Studio.

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