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Artistic Directors

Dmitri Atapine and Hyeyeon Park: Artistic Directors, Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City

Cellist Dmitri Atapine and pianist Hyeyeon Park are acclaimed soloists and chamber musicians whose dynamic partnership and visionary leadership continue to shape the chamber music landscape across the nation. Artistic Directors of Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City since 2022, they bring exceptional artistic depth, curatorial insight, and a profound shared commitment to musical excellence and innovation.

Atapine has been praised for his “brilliant technical chops” (Gramophone) and “highly impressive” performances (The Strad). He has performed at leading venues including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Forbidden City Concert Hall, and the National Auditorium of Spain, and is an artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, where he is a Bowers Program alum. A winner of top prizes at the Carlos Prieto, Vittorio Gui, and Plowman competitions, his discography spans Naxos, Bridge, Albany, Blue Griffin, and Urtext Digital. His recordings include numerous world-premiere releases, most notably the complete works for cello and piano by Lowell Liebermann, recorded with Park. He is Professor of Cello at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he previously served as Chair of the Department of Music.

Park has been described as “a pianist with power, precision, and tremendous glee” (Gramophone), known for her nuanced artistry and expressive range. She has appeared as a soloist and collaborator at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Seoul Arts Center, and beyond, performing with orchestras such as the Seoul Philharmonic, SAC Festival Orchestra, Gangnam Symphony, and Incheon Philharmonic. A prizewinner at numerous international competitions, she is a devoted champion of contemporary music, having commissioned and premiered works by Liebermann, Libby Larsen, Patrick Castillo, Ezra Laderman, and others. Her recordings appear on Blue Griffin, Urtext Digital, and additional labels. She is Professor of Piano at the University of Nevada, Reno.

While maintaining distinguished individual careers as performers and educators, Atapine and Park are also widely recognized as one of today’s leading cello-piano duos, celebrated for their expressive unity and technical brilliance. Together, they founded and direct Apex Concerts in Reno, and lead the Young Performers Program at the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival. As Artistic Directors of Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, they are committed to presenting inspiring programs that celebrate chamber music’s rich heritage, cultivate future generations through multiple educational initiatives such as the FCMKC Young Artist Project, and fervently embrace the music of our time.