about
The International Fortepiano Salon ONLINE
connecting fortepianists from around the world
The International Fortepiano Salon ONLINE was started during the summer of 2020 during the COVID pandemic, as a way of connecting fortepianists and music lovers during a time of social isolation. With our interactive discussions, warm and collegial atmosphere, and curated performances and presentations by many of the leading fortepianists of our time, Maria Rose and Yi-heng Yang have created an ongoing Salon and community in the spirit of famous European Salons of the past. With enthusiastic and growing viewership and the support of the Catskill Mountain Foundation, the International Fortepiano Salon continues to feature and promote the best in ongoing research, performance and excellence in the historical keyboard field
Pianist Yi-heng Yang has been described as an “exquisite collaborator (Opera News), “suberbly adept (Gramophone)” and has been noted for her “remarkable expressivity and technique (Early Music Magazine).” Passionate about performing music of many eras and genres, she is also recognized as one of the leading fortepianists and early keyboardists of her generation.
Yi-heng is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, where she teaches piano, improvisation, and historical performance.
Maria Rose
Maria Rose-van Epenhuysen, originally from the Netherlands, combines her experience as a fortepiano performer with musicological research. She has performed extensively as solo performer and in chamber music, and has a PhD in Musicology from New York University. Her path-breaking research on early French piano music has led the way for a new generation of fortepianists focusing on previously unfamiliar repertoire.
Ms. Rose received her piano performance training in the Netherlands, London, and the U.S. She has recorded a wide range of repertoire on period instruments; including the complete Mozart Sonatas and Haydn Trios on an original Anton Walter piano in Austria. She is a Board member of the Historical Keyboard Society of North America and a Senior Editor at RILM, the bibliographic database for music research, in New York City. Ms. Rose lives in the Catskill region, where she founded the Academy of Fortepiano Performance in Hunter, and hosts the International Fortepiano Salon with Yiheng Yang and Patricia Garcia Gil.
Patricia Garcia Gil
Winner of international competitions, Patricia collaborates with prestigious early music institutions all over the world. With her repertoire choices and research, she strives for IDEA by enhancing the profiles of underrecognized female composer-pianists and outreaching to audiences who tend to connect rarely with classical music. Recent highlights include being named “Early Music America Emerging Artist”, performances at the Berkeley and Bloomington Early Music Festivals, and at the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, the publication of her article on Latin American and Spanish music preserved by women, and the release of her album “Cuaderno de Viaje” featuring the complete piano works of Pauline Viardot. She serves on the Board of Directors of HKSNA, the DEI Committee of the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, and the EPLC- EMA team. Patricia co-hosts the popular program International Fortepiano Salon with Yi-heng Yang and Maria Rose. www.patriciagarciagil.com
Pam Weisberg
Director of Performing Arts, CMF
Sarah Taft
CMF, Technology Support
Sarah Taft received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Art History from Mount Holyoke College and Rutgers University before entering the world of publishing. After working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at an imprint of Forbes Magazine, she moved to upstate New York and has worked at the Catskill Mountain Foundation since 2002. She is the editor of the Catskill Mountain Region Guide magazine and designs and manages all print and web work for the Catskill Mountain Foundation. When she isn’t working, you’ll probably find her outdoors—swimming, hiking, or cycling—exploring the lakes and mountains of New York and the rest of the world.
Joan Oldknow
CMF, communications and media
Joan Oldknow has worked for Catskill Mountain Foundation since 2012, and has been the education and marketing manager since 2019. With degrees from Bucknell University and Fordham Law School, Joan practiced in law in New Jersey when her children were young, and later taught at the elementary and secondary school levels overseas and in the Catskills. She also worked in educational publishing on writing and editing projects. Joan works closely with professional artists, organizations, schools, and media, developing outreach opportunities, and promoting and planning Catskill Mountain Foundation arts residencies and performances. Joan enjoys music and has been the soloist at St. Theresa’s Church in Windham for over 20 years. In winter, she is the head coach for the Windham Mountain Race Development Team.