Pianist Chengcheng Ma to Perform at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
The evening will feature masterworks by Chopin, Liszt, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 05, 2025
Forte International Group will present a solo recital by pianist Chengcheng Ma on Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center. The performance features the New York Premiere of suite française (2024) by composer Ketty Nez, alongside masterworks by Chopin, Liszt, and a revival by Rodney Lister, and concludes with Zhao Zhang's Yi Dance for piano four-hands with guest pianist Yimiao Fang.
This wide-ranging program highlights Ma's dynamic artistry and deep commitment to championing contemporary music, presenting ambitious repertoire that bridges centuries, cultures, and musical aesthetics.
The performance takes place at Merkin Hall, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY. Tickets are $25, with discounted $10 student tickets available by calling the box office at 212-501-3330. Visit www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org for tickets.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
New York Premiere — Ketty Nez: suite française (2024)Inspired by the ornate keyboard language of French Baroque master François Couperin, Nez's suite française is a vibrant, modern reflection on Baroque elegance, interlacing Couperin's motifs with her own rich harmonic and textural imagination. Following its world premiere in Bismarck, ND, and Boston premiere at First Church Boston, Merkin Hall hosts the work's highly anticipated New York debut.
Chopin: Twelve Études, Op. 10Among the most iconic works in piano literature, Chopin's Op. 10 Études fuse revolutionary technical design with profound poetic expression. Ma performs the complete set, showcasing his broad tonal palette and expressive virtuosity.
Rodney Lister: Many's the Time I've Seen Her Nude at the Piano (1990)A dazzling, virtuosic “modern toccata,” Lister's piece—rarely performed due to its staggering difficulty—receives a brilliant revival through Ma's advocacy. Lister, who wrote the work for pianist Kathleen Supové, praises Ma for bringing the piece vividly back to life.
Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi SonataLiszt's dramatic “Dante Sonata” transforms visions from Dante's Divine Comedy into a monumental pianistic journey from inferno to transcendence.
Zhao Zhang: Hua Yi Dance for Piano Four-Hands (2014)Joined by distinguished pianist and cultural leader Yimiao Fang, Ma closes the recital with Zhao's exuberant four-hands work inspired by the rhythms and spirit of the Yi ethnic traditions of China.
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