Heart for the Arts
June 28 at 5pm
We invite you to a special concert by the musicians of Redeemer Presbyterian Church with special guest Yi-heng Yang, professor at The Juilliard School.
LOCATION
Faith Sugar Land, 800 Brooks Street, Sugar Land, TX 77478
Free Admission | Silent Auction | Childcare for 3 and under with RSVP
Going Glocal
Since its inception in 2008, Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Sugar Land has been committed to the arts as an expression of God’s grace for all to enjoy. In our inaugural Heart for the Arts concert launched in February 2023, we included classical music by Brahms, Elgar, Piazzolla, movie music from China, and metaphysical poetry by George Herbert reflecting the diversity in the church, in Sugar Land and beyond. We represent what is global with our local community good in mind.
Glocal = Think global, act local
The Heart for the Arts Concert is a glocal experience. It brings the arts – with classical music as the through line – to our doorstep. The musicians performing at the concert reflect the diversity of the U.S. I am a second-generation Korean-American born and raised in the northeast. Our special guest musician is a second-generation Taiwanese-American who lives in NYC. In fact, all of the musicians have some connection to NYC, one of the most diverse cities in the world, and we’re bringing musical taste from around the globe to our backyard. The concert is one hour and 15 minutes long where we’ll harness the eternal optimism of Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata, unlock the supple and sensual sounds of Fauré, and send you dancing to the Slavonic Dances by Dvorak which contains strains of the Ukrainian dumka.
Dumka (думка) is a Ukrainian word meaning "thought" or "opinion." It is also a musical term referring to a type of Slavic folk ballad, often with melancholic and contrasting lively sections. The musical form became well known through Ukrainian and Polish composers, such as Mykola Lysenko and Frédéric Chopin.
The musical selection is a confluence of how humans have flourished through the ages from East to West. Every time we play music we bring to life the spirit of the composer and the vitality of the human spirit.
Our Heart for the Arts Concert happens only every two years. Unlike Apple Music or Spotify, we don’t play the same music twice and never the same way. This is also a special year in the church. In ancient biblical times, a Jubilee year was every 50 years, following seven cycles of seven-year sabbatical cycles. It was the year for the land to lie fallow and for each Israelite to return to their ancestral land and to their people. Debts were forgiven, slaves were set free, and land was to be returned to its original owners. St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome only opens its door during the Jubilee year which inspired the artwork for our Heart for the Arts flyer.
For our 2025 Heart for the Arts Concert, we will explore the dimensions of love from C.S. Lewis’s The Four Loves. How familial love (storge), friendship love (philia), and romantic love (eros) serve as training grounds for charity love (agape) to grow. We hope you come and enjoy the free music curated glocally in this special Jubilee year just for you.
Warmly,
Sarah Han Kuo
Meet the Musicians
YI-Heng Yang
YI-HENG YANG is recognized for her “remarkable expressivity and technique (Early Music Magazine).” Her playing has been described as “impeccable (BBC Music)” and “superbly adept (Gramophone).” Her album “Where Only Stars Can Hear Us (Avie Records)” with Grammy award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman, was #1 on Classical Billboard and in the New York Times’ “Best Classical Music of 2020.” She is a faculty member of The Juilliard School, and artistic director of the RIVAA Gallery Concert Series in NYC.
Sarah Han Kuo
SARAH HAN KUO was born and raised in Connecticut and graduated with a B.M. in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School and an Ed. M. from Teachers College Columbia University in NYC. In 2013, she and her husband and three children moved cross country to Texas where she now serves as Music Director at Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Sugar Land, teaches piano at her private studio, and accompanies and accompanies Fort Bend ISD orchestra students for UIL Solo and Ensemble auditions. She's also a creative writer and a 2024 Community of Writers alumna.
Timothy Thompson
TIMOTHY THOMPSON hails from Oklahoma, and completed his B.M. in Trombone Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma and a M.M. in Bass Trombone Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in NYC. Since moving to Houston in 2015 with his wife April, they have been blessed with two wonderful daughters. Tim began working for Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Sugar Land as the Music Director in 2016, and enjoys working with low brass students in the Houston area high schools through master classes and teaching private lessons from his home.
Zhi April Li Thompson
Pianist ZHI APRIL LI THOMPSON began her piano studies at the age of four in China and completed her Bachelor of Art degree in Piano Performance at the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She then moved to the U.S. to pursue her masters in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in NYC where she met her husband Tim Thompson. She is currently a full-time company pianist at Houston Ballet and a keyboardist for Sunday worship at Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Sugar Land.
Sophia and Carissa Kuo
SOPHIA KUO is a senior at Houston Christian High and started the piano at the age of three. In 2021, she performed with the Fort Bend Symphony as the winner of the HMTA Concerto Competition. She’ll be attending Duke University this fall with an interest in public policy.
CARISSA KUO is a freshman at Houston Christian High and began the violin at the age of four. This February, she performed at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall New York after winning first prize in the Elite International Competition.
Going Going Gone
We will hold a silent auction sponsored by generous members of our community. Free-will donations are also appreciated. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will support Houston Welcomes Refugees.
Photo Gallery
From the inagural Heart for the Arts in 2023
FAQ
Doors open at 4:30pm and the concert will last from 5 to 6pm. After the concert there will be light refreshments in the cafe.
This is a free concert. You are welcome to enjoy the concert with no strings attached. If you would like to support our musicians and contribute to Houston Welcomes Refugees, you may take part in the silent auction or donate directly.
Our performers will be wearing formal attire, but there is no dress code. Please dress however you are comfortable!
Children up to age 3 can stay in the Crawl Room, located right outside the sanctuary where the concert takes place. They will be cared for by CPR-certified, professional caregivers. Space is limited, so please RSVP if you have a child you would like to attend.
