LEWISTOWN — Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m., there will be dueling pianos. Not an actual duel, but an hour to enjoy two highly acclaimed and accomplished pianists from the Penn State University School of Music. The concert is at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 21 S. Main St., Lewistown.

Yucheng Xu is a second-year doctoral student in piano performance at the Pennsylvania State University School of Music. As an active solo, chamber, and collaborative pianist, he has performed across Spain, France, Poland, South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China. In 2024, he received an Honorable Mention in the Penn State School of Music Concerto Competition and performed the first movement of Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Penn State Campus Orchestra.

Yucheng earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Oberlin College & Conservatory in 2022, where he studied with Angela Cheng. His studies extended beyond piano to include composition, conducting, music theory, and pedagogy. During his senior year, he was awarded the Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Award. The Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize is an award given annually by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music to an outstanding graduating senior who has demonstrated exceptional ability and dedication in the field of piano pedagogy — the teaching of piano performance and technique Issuu.

In his leisure time, Yucheng enjoys recreating recipes inspired by anime, films, and television.

A native of Wuhan, China, Xiang Su is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at Penn State University under the tutelage of Dr. Melody Quah. Xiang is active as a soloist and collaborative musician, featuring solo performances at the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Recital Hall and Eisenhower Auditorium (State College, PA), Auer Hall and Ford-Crawford Hall (Bloomington, IN), Warner Recital Hall (Oberlin, OH), and Bianzhong Concert Hall (Wuhan, China); ensemble showcases with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, Penn State Glee Club, as well as various university orchestras and wind ensembles; chamber performances in university recital halls, senior communities, local churches, coffeehouses, and bookstores. Xiang was recently awarded in the Penn State Concerto Competition and had her concerto debut with the Penn State Campus

Orchestra.

Besides the piano, Xiang also plays historical instruments, including fortepiano, harpsichord, and organ. She is currently studying with Dr. Mark Ferraguto. Xiang performs regularly as a historical keyboardist in various venues.

Xiang holds a Master of Music from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory. In her leisure time, Xiang enjoys reading detective novels and connecting with nature.