Carpe Diem!
Overview
"Carpe Diem" is Latin for “seize the day.” To us, it means embracing every moment, good or bad, through life’s ups and downs. It means living each experience fully and being grateful for what we have.
Join concert pianist Dr. Chenyang (Ellie) Wu and special guest flutist Hanyu Sun for an evening of music that celebrates that spirit.
Program
The program brings together music that captures the full range of human experience. You’ll hear the poetry and longing of Chopin, the warmth and melancholy of Tchaikovsky, the passionate depth of Medtner, and the light and color of Debussy. The evening closes with Poulenc’s chamber music for flute and piano, which is full of wit, charm, and tenderness. Together, these works remind us that joy and sorrow are both part of a life fully lived.
About the Artists:
Dr. Chenyang (Ellie) Wu has been hailed as “a brilliant young artist and a sensational pianist” by Marc Silverman. She began her musical journey at age five under her father’s guidance and started professional training at nine. She has since performed in the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Japan, and China. Her artistry is rooted in the Russian tradition through her teacher, Maestro Vladimir Viardo, a Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist whose lineage traces back to the legendary Neuhaus school.
Dr. Wu has won prizes at international competitions in Spain and Italy and performed at the XVI Piano Festival in Bolzano/Bozen in 2022. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, and a bachelor’s degree from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She also has more than 12 years of teaching experience.
Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in August 2026, she has been eager to share her passion for classical music and connect with the local music community. Through the piano concerts series, she hopes to share some of her favorite repertoire and bring music lovers together through the joy of live performance.
Hanyu Sun is a Bay Area–based flutist and software engineer with a lifelong passion for classical music. She began studying the flute at age ten and performed with Penn Flutes at the University of Pennsylvania.
Seize the day with us for an evening of music, gratitude, and connection!