Faculty trio to perform at Carnegie Hall

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) music faculty members known as The Crown Mountain Trio will perform at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 1. Tickets are available on the Carnegie Hall website. The promo code UNG49401 provides a discount.

Violinist Yeasol Kang, cellist Dr. Philip Snyder and pianist Mengyao Sun formed the group in December 2023 and named it after the beautiful north Georgia mountains, with Crown Mountain overlooking UNG’s Dahlonega Campus. The trio made their Carnegie Hall debut in March 2024 after winning first prize in the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition and have since performed across the Southeast.

"Performing at Carnegie Hall is one of the most prestigious milestones for any musician, representing the pinnacle of artistic achievement," Dr. Joanna Kim, Steinway Artist, professor and associate head of UNG's Music Department, said. "Our faculty trio, The Crown Mountain Trio, preparing for their performance at this iconic venue showcases the extraordinary talent and caliber within the University of North Georgia’s Music Department."

One of the opportunities associated with the upcoming concert is an all-inclusive trip for UNG supporters to spend the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 2 in New York City with UNG President Michael Shannon and other UNG senior leaders. The cost is $3,200 per person or $5,000 per couple with registration available at unggive.org/nyc.

"We hope that our performance conveys a sense of gratitude for the support we have received from UNG, as well as a testament to the excellence of our Music Department. It is such an honor to perform beautiful music in this hallowed concert hall, and we plan to showcase the level of professionalism to which the UNG Music Department is dedicated," Snyder said. "We are surrounded by faculty who teach and perform at such an incredibly high caliber in the Music Department, so we hope to represent that level of excellence the best we can."

Students in UNG's Music Department benefit from learning from faculty who perform in such high-profile venues and then share their expertise and experience with the students.

"I am honored to be a member of The Crown Mountain Trio and UNG Music Department. It’s a major honor to be able to perform at Carnegie Hall as a representative of UNG," Sun said. "Our Music Department is bigger than you see, and we have so many talented, world-class musicians."

Faculty members Kim and Dr. Sanghie Lee performed at Carnegie Hall in December 2023 as winners of the professional category of the American Protégé Piano and Strings International Competition. Selection into this elite group of artists is based on the talent, dedication and achievements demonstrated by the applicants, as well as their audition performances.