Allen Center to Present Trio of Piano Concerts in March
Performances will feature Yuki Yoshimi, Orli Shaham, and Karen Walwyn.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 18, 2026
Newton's Allen Center will present 3 piano concerts during March, with emerging artist Yuki Yoshimi on March 8; internationally acclaimed Orli Shaham March 16; and the renowned Karen Walwyn on March 22.
Tokyo-born Yuki Yoshimi first “met the piano at the age of five at a friend's home and has loved the piano ever since.” He is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music and has continued his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music under Alexander Korsantia. Yoshimi gained national recognition after winning First Prize at the 86th Music Competition of Japan, becoming the youngest winner at age 17. His accolades include a Silver Medal at the Manhattan International Music Competition and semifinalist appearances at the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions. He has appeared in recital at major venues across Japan and performed with leading orchestras in Japan and Europe.
Steinway Artist Orli Shaham has performed with many of the major orchestras around the world, and has appeared in recital internationally, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. Shaham is the Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony's chamber series Café Ludwig, and together with musicians of the Pacific Symphony, released American Tapestry in early 2026, an album of chamber music by contemporary American composers.
Pianist, composer, and educator, Karen Walwyn is the first female African American pianist to be named a Steinway Artist. Noted as the first pianist to record the Florence Price Concerto in E Minor for piano, she has continued to champion Florence Price and other composers of color on her first two recordings for Albany Records. Walwyn was featured in the Emmy–nominated documentary The Caged Bird: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price, NPR's Classical Breakdown with Jonathan Banther on Florence Price, and PBS's Now Hear This with Scott Yoo on the subject of Florence Price. Walwyn's most recent album release, Florence B. Price, was selected as a top five pick by Fanfare Magazine's critic James Harrington. She is Professor of Piano at Berklee College of Music, and Area Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Howard University.
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