The Ross McKee Foundation Announces The John Cron Award For Career Development

The Ross McKee Foundation has announced the launch of the John Cron Award for Career Development and its inaugural recipient, 2021 McKee Piano Competition Laureate Sarah Yuan. The Competition, known for celebrating the extraordinary abilities of young piano virtuosi in the San Francisco Bay Area, has become one of the most esteemed platforms for these emerging artists. The annual Career Development award will be given to a current or previous winner of the Competition, and it is tailored to the needs of the recipient, providing performance opportunities and assistance in the advancement of their career.

The award for Sarah Yuan includes a recital presented with the San Francisco International Piano Festival on August 19, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in the Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts. The first half of her recital features solo works, including Beethoven's Piano Sonata, Op. 109 and Chopin's G-minor Ballade. Following the intermission, Sarah is joined by the members of the Aveta Trio — violinist Eunseo Oh and cellist Elliott Kim— in a performance of Schubert's Trio in B-flat Op. 99. Read more about the concert.

In addition to the performance at the San Francisco Piano Festival, the John Cron Award includes a professional recording opportunity for Sarah and mentoring from leading Bay Area pianists, including Jeffrey LaDeur and Sarah Cahill.

About Sarah Yuan

Sarah Yuan began piano studies at age seven and is currently a student of Dr. Sharon Mann. In addition to being a 2021 laureate in the Ross McKee Piano Competition, Sarah has won awards at the Pacific Musical Society Competition, Etude Club's Young Artist Competition and the Sturm-Page Scholarship Competition. As part of the Young Chamber Musicians program, Sarah plays with the Aveta Trio, which won the gold medal at the Junior Fischoff National Competition in 2021. She has performed in masterclasses for Tamas Ungar, Albert Kim, Michael Tan, Jeffrey LaDeur, the Gryphon Trio, and the Lee Trio.

Regarding Sarah, her teacher Sharon Mann has written: “Sarah Yuan is an enormous talent disguised as a modest person. A wonderful mind enters a score and considers the form, the style, the soul-state. Then, a sophisticated technique does her bidding. Sarah thrives on challenge, works like a professional, is tough, resilient, stage-ready and deeply gifted.”

Sarah's performance of Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 at the 2021 Ross McKee Laureate Concert can be viewed here: https://rb.gy/he7tv. In January 2023, the Foundation presented Sarah in collaboration with Noontime Concerts; that concert is available here: https://rb.gy/64qnf.

About the John Cron Award for Career Development

The John Cron Award was created by the McKee Foundation's board of directors in February 2023 to honor the enduring legacy of the late John Cron, the Foundation's first and founding executive director. Nicholas Pavkovic, current executive director of the Ross McKee Foundation, said: “This award provides a unique opportunity for the McKee Board to work closely with exceptionally gifted and driven young artists, their teachers, and mentors to foster and support their artistic development. The Board will actively assist in identifying performance and promotional opportunities, as well as professional recording opportunities, in order to nurture their growth and success.”

About the Ross McKee Piano Competition

Since its establishment in 1998, this prestigious Competition has celebrated the accomplishments of young pianists from Northern California. Laureates have been awarded more than $150,000 in prize money, in addition to gaining performance opportunities, professional-level recordings and videos showcasing their extraordinary performances. Numerous laureates have gone on to have distinguished careers as concert pianists and educators. Learn more about the competition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH_tNSuKLMA&t=1s.
 

About the Ross McKee Foundation

The Ross McKee Foundation has supported piano performance and education in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1989. The Foundation continues the legacy of pianist and educator Ross McKee (1915-1987) through a nationally recognized piano competition for young artists, grants in support of piano performances, and scholarships for pianists at various local educational institutions, including Community Music Center and Cazadero Music Camp. In 2020, the Foundation responded to the loss of performance opportunities for Bay Area pianists due to COVID by launching Piano Break, a weekly series featuring Bay Area pianists in intimate recitals, often recorded in their own homes. During the past year, the Foundation has supported piano programming at Ensemble for These Times, Left Coast Ensemble, Lieder Alive, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, ZOFO and the San Francisco International Piano Festival, among others.