专辑简介

First place winners of the 2009 Ellis Piano Duo Competition, 88 Squared also won the Abild Prize for best performance of an American work. The duo received second prize and a Special Mention Award in the Two-Piano Division of Concours Grieg International Piano Competition in Oslo, Norway, where they performed with members of the Oslo Philharmonic. Recipients of Washington State University’s New Faculty Seed Grant, 88 Squared commissioned and premiered new two-piano works by Heather Schmidt and Daniel Ott at their debut recital in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in February 2009. 88 Squared was presented in recital by the National Federation of Music Clubs 2009 National Conference in Orlando, Camerata Musica (WA), the University of Puget Sound’s Piano Festival, and the Victoria Conservatory of Music (Canada). They have performed at New York’s Lincoln Center, Rutgers Church Piano Recital Series in New York City, Bowdoin Music Festival, the Perlman Music Program, Auditorium Chamber Series (Idaho), and given recitals in Washington, Nevada, and Nebraska.

The piano duo is comprised of married pianists Jeffrey Savage and Karen Hsiao Savage, both of whom completed master’s and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, Jeffrey and Karen were invited to perform for Juilliard’s board of directors and donors, where they shared the stage with Peter Schickele (PDQ Bach.) Individually, they have performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Shanghai Grand Theater, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Kyoto’s International Chamber Music Festival, and are prizewinners in national Canadian and American competitions. Their teachers include Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jonathan Feldman, Angela Cheng, Robin and Winifred Wood. Jeffrey and Karen both serve on the piano faculty of Washington State University’s School of Music.