FREE LOBBY CONCERT | The Almost Quintet

Join us in the Main Lobby of the Lawrence Arts Center for a special concert event!

Almost Quintet is an emerging chamber trio founded in 2025 by three University of Kansas alumni who reconnected in California and discovered a shared passion for musical collaboration. The trio, comprising pianist/organist Dr. Peiyao Yu, soprano Dr. Zhengyingyue “Elaine” Huang, and violinist/violist Dr. Xiaohui Yan, brings together diverse instrumental capabilities that allow them to explore unique repertoire combinations. Their name reflects this versatility: while technically a three-member ensemble, their collective mastery of multiple instruments creates expanded musical possibilities.

United by their commitment to championing contemporary composers—particularly women and underrepresented voices—Almost Quintet presents programs that span from beloved classical works to cutting-edge new music. Since their formation, they have performed at venues including Curtis Theatre, Carnegie Hall, and Neidorff-Karpati Hall at the Manhattan School of Music, establishing themselves as thoughtful advocates for musical diversity.

The ensemble’s upcoming projects include a Kansas tour in August 2025 featuring an all-female composer program with the world premiere of a complete song cycle by acclaimed composer Lori Laitman, alongside works by University of Kansas composition faculty. With additional performances planned in Los Angeles and beyond, Almost Quartet represents a new generation of musicians dedicated to expanding the chamber music landscape through innovative programming and genuine artistic collaboration.

2025 Kansas tour PROGRAM (subject to change):

My Garden by Elizabeth Haskins
There is a budding morrow in midnight
Spring Quiet
Another Spring

Sonnets on Love, Rosebuds, and Death by Dorothy Rudd Moore
I Had No Thought of Violets of Late
Song for a Dark Girl
Idolatry
Invocation

In Sleep The World Is Yours by Lori Laitman
No. 3. Tragedy

His Eye is on the Sparrow
His Voice as the Sound of the Dulcimer Sweet arr. by Jennifer Rhodes

To One Beyond Seas by Ingrid Stözel

I. Know By The Thread Of Music
II. The Overture
III. The Firs
IV. Mosses
V. The Vine
VI. The Maple
VII. Hare-Bell
VIII. The Giant Oak
XI. Aspens
X. Finale