Claremont Graduate University (CGU) hosted its Centennial Celebration Concert in October 2025, marking 100 years of the university’s rich legacy in the arts and humanities. The event brought together faculty, students, alumni, and community members for an evening that embodied CGU’s enduring spirit of collaboration and creativity.
Among the evening’s performers, pianist Yoon Sun Pai, a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) candidate at CGU, was featured as the only solo piano performer. She presented Partita for Piano Solo by Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk, offering an interpretation that combined sensitivity, strength, and lyrical nuance. Her performance was met with warm acclaim from the audience for its expressive depth and technical mastery.
The concert carried special meaning for the CGU community: the chorus and orchestra were formed through collaborations among faculty, alumni, and students, symbolizing the unity that defines CGU’s artistic culture. The program concluded with a powerful performance of Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy,” a fitting finale that celebrated the harmony between intellect, artistry, and community.
Founded in 1925, Claremont Graduate University is a member of the Claremont Colleges Consortium and a distinguished institution dedicated to graduate-level education and research across the arts, humanities, social sciences, business, and education. The School of Arts & Humanities at CGU is recognized for integrating artistic practice with scholarly inquiry, fostering collaboration among artists and scholars, and bringing creative work to life through frequent performances and research presentations.
Yoon Sun Pai is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree under Dr. Jenny Kim at CGU. She previously earned her Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Professional Performance Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she studied under Dr. Inesa Sinkevych, Co-Head of the Piano Department. Pai was notably the first-ever graduate of the Professional Performance Diploma program, an honor recognizing her pioneering contribution to the school’s advanced performance curriculum.
Her concert career spans the United States, South Korea, and Europe, highlighted by her appearances at Carnegie Hall and numerous international piano festivals. At CGU, Pai regularly performs in the university’s annual House Concert Series, an intimate performance platform that showcases the work of students and faculty in the School of Arts & Humanities. She credits her mentor, Dr. Jenny Kim, and CGU’s dynamic performance calendar for providing opportunities that have deepened her artistry and expanded her presence as a pianist.
Pai continues to explore a diverse repertoire bridging classical and contemporary traditions. Her performance of Skoryk’s Partita at the centennial concert reflected CGU’s commitment to global artistic dialogue and the intersection of tradition and innovation.
“Yoon Sun Pai’s performance was mesmerizingly beautiful,” Lori Anne Ferrell, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at CGU observed. “ Centennial Celebration Concert showcased the talent, professionalism, and vitality of CGU’s arts community, which the school is honored to support.”
“Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk’s Partita No. 5 is a fascinating labyrinth of styles, but Ms. Pai sensitively crafted a path through this postmodern puzzle. She found both power and poignancy in the prelude and chorus movements balanced by the grace and charm of the waltz and aria, finding a unifying voice to encompass the work’s whimsical juxtapositions of past memories.”
— Dr. Bill Alves, Miller Professor of Humanities and Professor of Music at Harvey Mudd College, specializing in composition, world music, gamelan studies, microtonality, and multimedia art
The Centennial Celebration Concert stood as a testament to CGU’s legacy of fostering creativity and collaboration across disciplines. As the university enters its second century, the event underscored the enduring connection between art, scholarship, and community that continues to define CGU’s identity.