Abbey Bach Festival | Nina Bernat, double bass; Hanzhi Wang, Accordion and Friends

Start: Thursday, July 24, 2025 6:00PM
End: Thursday, July 24, 2025 9:30PM

Situated on a hilltop in the mid-Willamette Valley, the Abbey Bach Festival is a unique opportunity to listen to world-renowned musicians while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1882. Between evening concerts in the Abbey church and the Damian Center, enjoy a picnic buffet supper with local wines while taking in beautiful vistas from the surrounding countryside. Daily Festival Schedule 5:20pm: Vespers (optional) 6pm: Church performance 6:30pm: Picnic buffet supper 8pm: Feature performance About Nina Bernat, double bass The 24-year-old double-bassist Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, expressive depth, and technical clarity, has emerged onto the world stage with awards and accolades, thrilling audiences around the world. Honored as a recipient of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Nina has also been awarded first prizes including the Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition, the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, the Juilliard Double Bass Competition, and the 2019 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition. Recent performances include a concerto debut with the Minnesota Orchestra and performances as guest principal of the Oslo Philharmonic. Since fall of 2024, Nina is a member of the faculty of Stony Brook University, following the institution’s international search. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Nina performs on a beautiful and sonorous early-18th-century bass, attributed to Guadagnini, which was handed down to her from her father. About Hanzi Wang, accordion Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” Hanzhi Wang is the only accordionist to ever join the roster of Young Concert Artists in its 63-year history. Known for her captivating stage presence and performances that display both passion and finesse, Hanzhi is an ambassador for her instrument. Hanzhi’s groundbreaking achievements include being named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” becoming the first solo accordionist featured on New York’s WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase, and releasing the Naxos label’s first-ever solo accordion CD, On the Path to H.C. Andersen, which was nominated for the prestigious Danish Radio P2 Prize in 2019. As the First Prize Winner of the 2017 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, Hanzhi made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and her Washington, DC debut at the Kennedy Center, opening the 40th Anniversary Young Concert Artists Series, co-presented with Washington Performing Arts. She holds the Ruth Laredo Prize and Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists of YCA. Hanzhi won First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy and continues to inspire the next generation of accordionists through lectures, performances, and masterclasses at prestigious institutions worldwide. Composers such as Martin Lohse, James Black, and Sophia Gubaidulina have written and dedicated works to her. For more information and tickets, visit mountangelabbey.org/bach.