Flurries of snow intertwined with flurries of melodious sound in Kimbrough Concert Hall Saturday at the duo piano recital featuring Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow.

Community members, WSU School of Music faculty and students heard works by composers such as Johannes Brahms, Claude-Achille Debussy and Aaron Copland. Cheng and Chow, world-renowned artists and faculty at Oberlin's Conservatory of Music performed duets on one and two pianos.

Associate professor of music Jeffrey Savage introduced the couple, admiring their ability to play the part of both teacher and artist in their craft.

“One of the first and most memorable moments that I have had in the audience is listening to Brahms’ D Minor Concerto played by Angela Cheng,” Savage said. “It was a moment in my life when I realized what art can be. Time stopped for me and I enjoyed every note of it.”

During the first half of the concert, Cheng and Chow displayed the challenges of sharing one piano, but to the audience’s eye they performed as if they were one pianist. Cheng and Chow captured the emotion of each piece in their body movements, facial expressions and interpretation of nuances.

The second half of the concert introduced two pianos nested on the stage. This setup allowed Cheng and Chow to alternate between soloist and accompanist, each mastering the collaborative skills.

Christopher Dickey, a WSU music instructor, said this concert provided a wonderful opportunity for both pianists and non-pianists alike because of Cheng and Chow’s talent. He said he thoroughly admires their musicianship and appreciates the variety of composition they performed for the concert.

“They performed music that is relatively standard in orchestral repertoire, but that represents many different schools of composition,” Dickey said. “I think it is really important to hear the familiar music in this context, especially when played by people who are just brilliant at what they do.”

WSU music students and other students in the region played for Cheng and Chow in a graduate class earlier on Saturday, Savage said. This gave them an opportunity to receive coaching from highly-trained and successful piano professors.

Pullman community member Allison Munch-Rotolo said Karen Savage, an assistant professor of music, teaches her daughter piano and suggested they attend the event. She said they have attended a number of performances during the years, including the duos with Karen Savage and her husband Jeffrey Savage. For this performance she expected a similar dynamic between Cheng and Chow.

“In the Savages’ case I think what I most enjoy is watching them interact with very subtle facial cues,” Munch-Rotolo said. “In duos, the performance is happening, but it is obvious they are creating it through hours and hours of practiced communication.”

Chow spoke between pieces. He said Jeffrey Savage was one of Cheng's first students and set the bar for her future pianists.

“We think the world of Jeff and Karen,” Chow said to the audience. “You are very lucky to have them here.”