Grass Valley, CA โ€” There is a moment in a great piano recital when the instrument seems to disappear and only the music remains. A reverie. On Sunday afternoon, October 18, thatโ€™s the experience acclaimed 28-year-old Canadian-born pianist, Tony Siqi Yun, intends to bring to InConcert Sierra.

A young pianist in a black suit sits at a grand piano, gazing toward a bright window
Tony Yun

At age 25, Yun is already an international prizewinner and sought-after recitalist. His career has moved quickly. At just 18, he won the Gold Medal at the inaugural China International Music Competition, performing Tchaikovskyโ€™s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He received the prestigious 2023 Lotto-Fรถrderpreis from the Rheingau Music Festival and established himself as a soloist on the international stage.

Yun graduated from The Juilliard School in 2024, where he was a recipient of the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship. He continues his studies in Juilliardโ€™s masterโ€™s program while maintaining an active career as a soloist and recitalist.

His program for InConcert Sierra offers more than a display of pianistic virtuosity. It is an opportunity to hear one instrument reveal an extraordinary range of voices โ€” from Bachโ€™s spiritual introspection to Lisztโ€™s poetic imagination, Beethovenโ€™s searching intimacy and Brahmsโ€™ dazzling complexity.

InConcert Sierra Artistic Director Ken Hardin said, โ€œTonyโ€™s program beautifully captures the power and majesty of the piano as an expressive inspiration and representation of the development of the Romantic Period in classical music. Iโ€™m incredibly excited to hear this program and know that Tony is going to make that piano disappear and leave us with nothing but the music.โ€

In an interview with Vancouverโ€™s Stir Magazine, Tony said, โ€œMy sisterโ€”sheโ€™s a lawyer now at the University of Torontoโ€”used to play violin. Sheโ€™s four years older than me and is the one who started music in our family. When I was four and she was eight, we would always fight over the violin. One day I decided to ask for a bigger instrument to compete with my sister.โ€ He said his mother gave in and at age 5 he received an upright piano.

Tonyโ€™s musical path has led him to performing on the most prestigious world stages, with concert grand pianos, and importantly, to great acclaim.

Young man in a black suit standing beside an open grand piano, looking at the camera
Tony Yun

โ€œWeโ€™re excited and honored to have Tony perform for us at InConcert Sierra. Iโ€™ve been working on the Bach/Busoni โ€œChaconneโ€ that Tony will be performing and I can tell you, weโ€™re in for a treat. It is one of the most incredible musical compositions ever written. I never tire of experiencing it, regardless of what instrument it is played on,โ€ said Hardin.

Other pianistic masterpieces on the program include Beethovenโ€™s โ€œPiano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90โ€ and Brahms, โ€œVariations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35,โ€ and Lisztโ€™s โ€œBรฉnรฉdiction de Dieu dans la solitude.โ€

The performance will take place at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grass Valley at 2pm with a pre-concert talk at 1:15pm.

WHAT: Tony Siqi Yun, piano

WHEN: Sunday, October 18, 2026 – 2pm / 1:15pm pre-concert talk

WHERE: 12889 Osborne Hill Road, Grass Valley (GV Seventh-day Adventist Church)

TICKETS: $50 general admission, $5 youth 18 and under 

Phone: 530-273-3990; online:ย 

Tickets: https://www.simpletix.com/e/tony-yun-piano-tickets-267399 or in person

Since 1946, InConcert Sierra has brought world-class classical music to the Sierra Nevada, including educational programs, outreach and collaborations that inspire a passion for classical music. ICS is currently building Crown Point Venues featuring a state-of-the-art acoustic concert hall, conference center and black box theater, to further enhance the arts and culture of the region.