On Thursday, February 17th, Toccoa Falls College will be hosting a Piano Trio Concert featuring world-renowned pianist and TFC Music Professor, Dr. You Ju Lee. Joining Dr. Lee is violinist, Laurin Smith, and cellist, Paul Warner.

Dr. Lee has won numerous awards and performed recitals in Asia, Europe, and the United States. She studied under Carola Grindea, Ruth McDonald, Marc Silverman, Barry Snyder and Richard Zimdars.  Her recent professional highlights include solo and duo piano recitals at Espace Eropa Courecelles, Montigny-les-Metz, France; Saison du Conservatoire, Menton, France; Culturelle Paul Barblé, Strassen, Luxemburg; Liszt Museum, Budapest, Hungary; Druker Auditorium, Newton, MA; Steinway Hall, New York; Spivey Hall, Atlanta; Winners Gala Concert for the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music; and New York Debut Recital in the Artists International Special Presentation Winners’ Series at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Her CD entitled Chopin: Selected Piano Works, is available from the Apple iTunes Store and Amazon.com. Dr. Lee currently serves as a Professor of Piano at Toccoa Falls College, in Toccoa, Georgia. Recently, she has been named the Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair of Piano. In addition, she is Artist Director of the U.S. Regional Osaka International Music Competition in Atlanta.

Laurin Smith, violinist/violist, studied with Itzhak Perlman, Masao Kawasaki, Dorothy Delay, and Andrew Galos. He has performed as a violinist, violist, and conductor across North America, as well as in Europe and Asia. For many summers, he served as the orchestra director and a chamber-music coach at Soundfest in Falmouth, Massachusetts, working alongside and performing with the Colorado Quartet. He has taught at colleges and universities including Brooklyn College, Clemson University, The University of Georgia, and The University of North Georgia, as well as summer programs in Maine, Massachusetts, and New York. In the summers he co-directs Laurel Ridge Music Festival (also based in North Georgia), where he directs the orchestra, coaches, and performs chamber music. He is the founder, music-director, and conductor of the North Georgia Chamber Symphony. In addition to teaching private students in the Athens and Gainesville areas, he performs regularly as a member of Symphony Orchestra Augusta.

Paul Warner, cellist, recognized the cello as “his” voice when he heard the cello demonstrated in a school assembly when he was 10.  Paul was in high school when another Paul, Paul Olefsky, came to perform with The Saginaw Symphony.  He gave a masterclass the following evening and soon Mr. Warner was studying with Mr. Olefsky.  Within a year, student Paul won The Saginaw Symphony Young Artist Competition.  Besides attending Interlochen, the National Music Camp, Paul attended Smith College for intensive chamber music study sessions held by Peabody Conservatory.  Following graduation from Arthur Hill High School, Paul was awarded a full tuition scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory from which he graduated in 1969.

The Toronto Symphony had a cello opening in 1969, so Paul borrowed a better cello from the personnel manager of the Baltimore Symphony and flew to Toronto where the audition committee invited him to stay and play for a week.  His next audition, Paul’s third successful one, was for The Atlanta Symphony where he has been a member since 1970.  Since then, Paul has played in numerous recitals, chamber music performances, and as a soloist.  He plays a modern Italian instrument made for him by Giovanni Lazzaro.

These three musicians will come together to perform Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and Liszt on Thursday, February 17th at 7:00pm in the Grace Alford Performing Arts Center at Toccoa Falls College. We would love for the greater Toccoa community to join us for a delightful evening of music! For further information, please email our Music Department at music@tfc.edu