The family that plays together . . . “Kuan Family & Friends” chamber music at Chappaqua Library

Felice and Flora Kuan
August 10, 2012
by Jill L. Klein

On Saturday, August 11th at 3:00 p.m., former Greeley math teacher, Felice Kaun will perform a selection of chamber music along with her family at the Chappaqua Library. The program includes Beethoven’s Romance, Bizet’s Jeux d’Enfants, and Brahms’s Trio No. 1 in B Major.

Flora Lu Kuan will be playing piano along with her daughter, Felice. Flora’s brother, Aaron, will play the violin and his friend Mikiko Fujiwara will play the cello.

The Kuans are Chappaqua family. Flora Kuan runs a piano studio in town, and teaches music nearby at Manhattanville College.

Her daughter, Felice, studied piano with her and attended the prestigious Julliard pre-college program. However, she ultimately decided to study mathematics in college, and taught math at Greeley for three years. She currently tutors students at Wilson Prep in downtown Chappaqua.

Aaron Kuan is a recent graduate of the inaugural class of the Harvard-New England Conservatory Program, where he studied violin and received an M.M. in violin performance from NEC, and a B.A. from Harvard College in physics. He is currently a graduate student at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, where he is the conductor of the Dudley House Orchestra.

Friend of the family, Cellist Fujiwara, is the first cellist in Aaron’s Orchestra, and is currently pursuing a career in publishing. She met Aaron at Harvard, where she studied biology.

“Since Aaron is always in Boston, we don’t get to see each other, or play together, as much as we’d like,” Felice said. “We’ve been talking about doing a concert together for ages and we just never got around to it. This is the first time we’re playing together as a family in years.”

Although the Kuan family visits each other regularly, they seldom have the opportunity to play together. “Playing together is really a treat,” Felice said.

“When you rehearse with most people, there’s a bit of a social dance you have to do in regards to politeness,” she said. “However, when you’re with your family, you don’t have to be as polite. You can just say things like, ‘Aaron you came in at the wrong place,’ without being concerned. We can be very honest with each other, so practice goes smoothly.”

The three pieces chosen for the performance all have significant meanings to the musicians, especially the Bizet’s Jeux d’Enfants , which will be a duet performed by Felice and Flora. The pair frequently played the duet throughout Felice’s childhood, and it was one of their favorites.

The Kuans are looking forward to this rare opportunity to perform a concert as a family.

“I was serious about piano in high school, and it’s been a long time since I’ve performed classical music on stage,” Felice said. “This used to be a huge part of my life. I’ve missed it, and I’m excited to be performing for a large audience for the first time in a while.”

Jill L. Klein is a 2012 Greeley graduate who is headed for Barnard College this fall. She is the founder of The Quake and a former New York Daily News intern.