Reflections

Davide Di Rienzo, piano
Kaitlin Webster-Zuber, piano and composer
Emily Webster-Zuber, piano

Pianist Davide Di Rienzo and composer-pianist Kaitlin Webster-Zuber are proud to present “Reflections,” a program featuring works by Franz Liszt, Selma Moidel Smith, Kaitlin Webster-Zuber, and Cecile Chaminade, performed by Davide Di Rienzo and the Webster-Zuber Sisters.

The Moidel Smith Family, in conjunction with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, awarded Davide and Kaitlin a scholarship to present The Selma Moidel Smith Recital at UCLA in April 2025. Each year’s recital features an exceptional piano student in the School of Music who performs original compositions by Selma Moidel Smith, other works, and a world premiere by a UCLA student composer. This year’s recital features the premiere of an original composition by Kaitlin Webster-Zuber. We are pleased to present an encore performance of the recital at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library.

Program

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Second Year of Pilgrimage: Italy (S. 161)

I. Sposalizio

Selma Moidel Smith (b. 1919)
A selection of solo piano pieces by Selma Moidel Smith

Kaitlin Webster-Zuber (b. 2000)
Fragmented Reflection

Cecile Chaminade (1857–1944)
Six Pièces Romantiques, op. 55

I. Primavera
II. La chaise à porteurs
III. Idylle arabe
IV. Sérénade d’automne
V. Danse hindoue
VI. Rigaudon

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178

Davide Di Rienzo
Davide Di Rienzo was born in Brescia, Italy, in 1997. He began his piano studies at the age of twelve. In 2011, he was admitted to the Liceo Musicale A. Manzoni in Latina, Italy.

He was first prize winner at the International Piano Competition City of Tarquinia, the Gian Galeazzo Visconti competition, and Giovani Musici at the Sapienza University of Rome. From 2014 to 2018, he studied with Ėliso Virsaladze and Jacob Katsnelson at the summer master classes organized in the Caetani Castle in Sermoneta, Italy.

During the summer of 2016, he attended the International Keyboard Institute Festival (IKIF), where he had the opportunity to study with Magdalena Baczewska, Geoffrey Burleson, and Gabriele Leporatti.

In 2020, Davide graduated with honors from the Mannes School of Music in New York under the tutelage of Jerome Rose.

In 2022, he earned his master’s degree at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA, where he studied with Inna Faliks.

At UCLA, he is now a doctoral student in piano performance and a teaching associate in the ELTS (European Languages and Transcultural Studies) department.

In June of 2024, he played with the UCLA Symphony Orchestra, performing Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2, conducted by Samuel Chung.

Davide Di Rienzo has performed numerous concerts and recitals in Europe and the United States, and is also a passionate teacher who loves to inspire and instill the love of music in future generations of musicians.

Kaitlin Webster-Zuber
Kaitlin Webster-Zuber is a composer-pianist and Los Angeles native. She has premiered chamber works with Salastina, Sunset ChamberFest, UCLA, and Mount Saint Mary’s University, and works in a variety of genres, from concert music to short films and songwriting. Her pieces have been performed by renowned artists such as LA Phil’s concertmaster Martin Chalifour, as well as by the Bridge to Everywhere ensemble, led by Derrick Skye. Kaitlin’s mentors include Ian Krouse, Derrick Skye, Juan Pablo Contreras, and Sean Friar. Whether composing, performing, or producing concerts, Kaitlin’s commitment as a citizen-artist has led to her active involvement with many of L.A.’s iconic and historic organizations, including the Da Camera Society, the American Society of Cinematographers, The Music Guild, The Wallis, LAPL, and more. She is the co-founder of Musical Traces (www.musicaltraces.com). Kaitlin holds a BA in Piano Performance from Mount Saint Mary’s University (’24) and is pursuing her MA in Music Composition at UCLA.

Emily and Kaitlin Webster-Zuber
The Webster-Zuber Sisters, Emily and Kaitlin, are a piano duo and composers native to Los Angeles. Their musical endeavors began locally at the Colburn School of Performing Arts, leading them to stay local and pursue their Piano Performance degrees at Mount Saint Mary’s University together. Recent performances reflect their wide range of repertoire, from premiering new piano duo works by internationally recognized composers to performing classical favorites such as W. A. Mozart’s Double Piano Concerto with the Slovak State Orchestra in Vienna. In 2021, the sisters were awarded First Prize of the prestigious Marker and Pioneer International Music Competition for their two-piano performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps.

Emily and Kaitlin participated in Junior Chamber Music for nine years, and both served as directors of the Los Angeles Branch for JCM’s Student Service Alliance. The sisters have attended numerous leading music festivals, including the John Perry Academy, Concerto*Fest*Europa, the Idyllwild Arts Festival, Sunset ChamberFest, and the AMICI International Music Festival. In addition to participating, they teach interdisciplinary classes to AMICI students, exploring the basic elements of music, composition, and visual depictions of music in art.

As composers, Emily and Kaitlin have studied privately under recognized composers Ian Krouse, Derrick Skye, and Juan Pablo Contreras. Their concert works have been premiered with organizations including Salastina, the LA Phil Composer Fellowship Program, Sunset ChamberFest, Mount Saint Mary’s University, Bridge to Everywhere, and The Da Camera Society, and they both enjoy composing music for short films.

Whether performing, composing, teaching, or producing concerts, the Webster-Zuber Sisters’ interest and development as citizen artists has led them to be actively involved with many of L.A.’s iconic and historic organizations, including the Da Camera Society, the American Society of Cinematographers, The Music Guild, The Wallis, LAPL, and more.

In 2016, Emily and Kaitlin co-founded Musical Traces, an organization dedicated to developing student-driven community outreach. Visit www.MusicalTraces.com to subscribe to their newsletter and learn more.

The program is free to attend with advance registration and will be held in-person at the Clark Library. Registration will close on Tuesday, April 29. Seating is limited at the Clark Library; walk-in registrants are welcome as space permits.

Photograph credit: Courtesy of the Artists.