Roche Guest Artists Series: Kevin Lee Sun, Piano; Maddie Kolenc, Alto Flute; Wallis Lucas, Soprano, "Look to This Day"
This is a program centered around the difficulty, ephemerality, and cherishment of life. It presents the music of two living composers, Hyo-shin Na and Daniel De Togni, who are my friends and long-time collaborators. Over the years, both of them have been interested in concepts related to impermanence, and they have been inspired by poems and folk songs from a variety of cultures—Japanese, Korean, ancient Sanskrit, and Polish. This multicultural program, made possible by the artistry of my wonderful collaborators Maddie Kolenc and Wallis Lucas, allows us to reflect on the one inevitability of life—that it will end—and to feel the preciousness of each day—Kevin Lee Sun.
Dr. Kevin Lee Sun is an assistant professor of piano and keyboard area coordinator at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. With “probing seriousness” (Performing Arts Monterey Bay) and “a stunningly beautiful palette of colors” (Peninsula Reviews), Sun interprets music old and new.
In 2011, Sun won the Silver Medal at the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition in California for his performances of the classical canon. In 2021, he was the sole pianist to be named Finalist of the Berlin Prize for Young Artists in Germany. His debut solo album Rzewski: The People United Will Never Be Defeated! was released in 2024 by the Navona Records label.
In Fall 2026, throughout the United States, Sun performs "Look to This Day," a concert program contemplating the difficulty, ephemerality, and cherishment of life. The program presents music by living composers Hyo-shin Na and Daniel De Togni—solo piano works and collaborative works for shakuhachi or soprano and piano.
A California native, Sun holds degrees from Stanford University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. He also attended Stanford Medical School for three years. With his diverse educational background, Sun has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles about psychiatry, student mentorship, and Platonic philosophy.
Sun is a devoted pedagogue. His students at Duquesne have achieved numerous successes in international competitions, festival appearances, conference acceptances, and job placements.
Wallis Lucas is a dynamic soprano and passionate advocate for new works. Recent workshop and premiere credits include performances with Pittsburgh Opera (Time to Act), the New Hazlett Theatre (Agnus Teaches Acting), the Banff Centre for Performing Arts (RUR: a torrent of light; The Book of Tales), as well as Jordan Holloway’s Chamber Symphony no. 1 and Ryan Onestak’s Incarnation Suite with the CMU Philharmonic.
As her career has begun to unfold, Wallis’ path is underscored by her passion for both historically-informed baroque performance and development of new music and theatre. While studying and performing the works of Händel, Vivaldi, and Bach internationally, she also completed an Advanced Studies certificate at Carnegie Mellon University, where she worked with voice, orchestra, and composition faculty to develop and premiere new chamber and orchestral pieces.
Over the past two seasons, Wallis has appeared with Pittsburgh Opera, Resonance Works, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Opera Project Columbus, Opera de Metro, Thousand Bridges Opera, and Stafford Opera Troupe. Recent roles performed include The Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute), Marietta DuBois (Naughty Marietta), Albina (La donna del lago), Elle (La voix humaine), Lucy (The Telephone), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro). Last season, she received an Encouragement Award at the district level of the Metropolitan Opera Competition.
Wallis holds a Bachelor of Music from Furman University and a master's from Carnegie Mellon University. A Georgia native, Wallis was a state champion two-baton twirler three years in a row.
Madeline Kolenc is a flutist based in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a current sophomore at Duquesne University studying music performance under Pittsburgh Symphony flutist Jennifer Steele.
Maddie is an active orchestral, chamber, and freelance musician in the Pittsburgh area. She is a member of the Duquesne Symphony Orchestra, Duquesne Wind Symphony, and the Duquesne Flute Choir. She has also performed in many masterclasses for a variety of artists, including Amanda Harberg, Alberto Almarza, Naomi Seidman, Soo-Kyung Park, and Marina Piccinini.
Outside of performing, Maddie is an advocate for young orchestral musicians and is a current assistant manager for the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra.