Kiss on Wood

Explore the worlds of Arvo Pärt, Sir James MacMillan, Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert in this gorgeous program that ranges from whimsical to blissful transcendence.
Marinus Concerts presents its own brilliant violist Rachel Kuipers Yonan for their Spring 2025 concert Kiss on Wood. In a preview recital of their debut album, she joins forces with her musical partner Kwan Yi, a fantastic pianist and recitalist. Together they explore a collection of repertoire that explores the polarity of light and darkness. Minimalist composer Arvo Pärt’s beloved Fratres and Spiegel im Spiegel bookend the program. It's a perfect mix for music lovers and newcomers alike!

6:15PM | *NEW * Petting Zoo. Peak backstage and meet the musicians and their instruments before the show. Perfect for children and adults alike!

6:30PM | King Family Wine* and BYOP (Bring your own picnic!) to enjoy on the vineyard grounds at sunset

7:30PM | Concert in the Carriage House

*available for purchase

Revolving around the first recording of Sir James MacMillan’s Kiss on Wood for viola and piano arranged and performed by Rachel Yonan, this album explores the polarity of light and darkness. Minimalist composer Arvo Pärt’s beloved Fratres and Spiegel im Spiegel bookend the program. The concept of light infuses these pieces with their intense clarity and search for transcendent meaning. Fratres (Brotherhood) evokes the struggle between good and evil with its contrasting voices. Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in Mirror) is pure and stable as it sonically imagines the infinite reflection between two mirrors. Pärt’s deeply spiritual music links to MacMillan’s devotional Kiss on Wood which invites the listener into a place of stillness and silence as it reaches for an essence of meaning beyond words. MacMillan sounds out the darkness of loss, yet finds delicate rays of hope to fill the long spaces. Paired with these intense yet static twenty-first century works are Schumann’s miniature character pieces Märchenbilder (Fairytale Pictures) that use an emotional palette ranging from bright and playful to deeply melancholic. The programmatic title of each work—Fratres, Kiss on Wood, Märchenbilder, Spiegel im Spiegel—hints at meaning that cannot be expressed by words alone, but must be illuminated by the music.

Recognized for her expressive playing and elegant style, violist RACHEL YONAN enjoys a rich and varied career as recitalist, artistic director, commentator and champion of chamber music. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls across the United States, England, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and China; and on National Public Radio and Canadian Public Radio.

A lover of chamber music, Rachel co-founded the Marinus Ensemble with her brother, cellist Joseph Kuipers. Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “perfectly balanced”, Marinus is a passionate group of artists, dedicated to engaging audiences through interactive performance of great music. They have performed for such series as the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Curtis Presents, and WRTI Performance Studio. Integrating her interest in music and philosophy, Rachel is a Visiting Scholar at Jesus College, University of Cambridge where her scholarship focuses on the role of music in personal formation and flourishing. She received funding for this project through Duke University as the inaugural McDonald Agape Fellow in Theology and Music. Beyond her own innovative work with Marinus, Rachel has been invited to perform at prestigious festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove, Festival Mozaic and Taos Music Festival. Ms. Yonan has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Roberto Díaz, Joseph Silverstein, James Dunham and Robert Levin; joined the Dover and Escher Quartets for chamber concerts; and worked extensively with Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley and Edgar Meyer.

While Ms. Yonan has had the honor of performing around the world in major concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Verizon Hall and King’s College Chapel Cambridge, she is equally at home engaging audiences in more intimate venues through her work with Marinus. She successfully launched a new series—Marinus Concerts—that offers immersive and inviting concert experiences in scenic Virginia wineries. Rachel is Creative Director of Marinus, and has taught viola performance and chamber music at Duke University. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University. Rachel plays a Gabrielle Kundert viola modeled on a Camillo Camilli viola from 1739.

Pianist KWAN YI has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Center, Mann Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Metropolitan and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums, Großer Sendesaal des Hessischen Rundfunks, Auditorium du Louvre, Teatro Gayarre, Suntory Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.

Yi has appeared as a soloist with the Russian National Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Festival Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony under the batons of Hans Graf, Julian Kuerti, and Mikhail Tartanikov. As a recitalist and masterclass instructor, he has completed residencies at University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Bowling Green State University, University of Georgia, Michigan State University, and University of South Carolina. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, and Roberto Diaz on national tours and was invited to perform at the Kronberg, Ravinia, Trondheim, and the Mecklenburg- Vorpommern festivals and Carnegie Hall Presents, Curtis Presents, CIM Mixon Hall Masters, and Peoples’ Symphony Concert series. He has recorded for FHR and Hänssler labels with violinist Itamar Zorman.

A recipient of many honors and prizes, Yi’s awards include Mieczyslaw Munz Prize, National Federation of Music Clubs Award, and prizes in the Fourth Sendai International Piano Competition. Yi is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School and the Peabody Institute where he worked with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald. He currently serves as associate professor of piano at the East Carolina University School of Music.

Host or Publisher Marinus Ensemble