Music at Noon

Füreya Unal was born in Istanbul where her formal music education began at five years of age at Istanbul University State Conservatory, where she continued her education and received her bachelor and master degrees. Later, she earned an additional masters degree from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende, Kunst Frankfurt am Main, Germany. During her education she studied with notable instructors such as Irina Zaritskaya, Mikhail Voskrensenski, Anatol Ugorski, and Leontina Margulis. She also studied in Monaco with State Artist Hüseyin Sermet at the Manaco Music Academy.

Being an avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with many musicians from around the globe. As a part of the Unal Korkmaz flute-piano duo, she has given concerts and master classes in Istanbul as well as the United States, premiering works by contemporary composers. She has performed at the New Music Festival at California State University Fullerton numerous times.

She has been teaching for over 18 years at schools in Istanbul, Germany and United States, and currently is on the faculty at California State University Fullerton and Santa Ana College. Füreya has given a number of concerts and recitals in Turkey, Germany, Monaco, France, Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland and the United States, both as a solo artist, accompanist and ensemble player. She is the founder, co-artistic director and pianist of the new music ensemble Divan Consort.

Judy Huang has performed in concerts and given extensive recitals around the world, including Taiwan, the United States, and Europe. She made her Carnegie (Weill) Hall debut in 2006, and as a soloist, has appeared with many orchestras. Recent activities have included appearances at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, the Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Spain, the Rivoli Teatro in Porto, Portugal, Hamline University Sundin Hall in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, Mirabell Schloss in Salzburg, Austria, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, just to name a few.

Ms. Huang has been invited to serve as juror for numerous competitions, including the Dallas Music Teacher Association piano competition, MTAC Solo Statewide Piano Competition, Southern Junior Bach Festival, California Young Artists Competition,and the Southwestern Young Musician Festival competition.

Sharing her passion for music, Ms. Huang is dedicated to community outreach programs. With the sponsorship of the Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation, she has provided concerts to local hospitals, schools, and senior centers.?Ms. Huang received  her BA, MM, and DMA degrees from UCLA. Her principle teachers were Robert Turner, Ming Qiang Li, Aube Tzerko, and Vitaly Margulis. She has taught at UCLA, Los Angeles Valley College, and International Institute for Young Musicians. Currently, she serves on the faculty of Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, CA.