Sunday Salon - Art Songs with Eszter Gyüdi/Yilan Zhao

The Sunday Salon concert series, aka. Sunday Matinée, is coming back to Lavatersaal in Zürich. The past events have welcomed hundreds of young audience into its door. The new season continues its charm with a great selection of music and exciting performances from leading young musicians. If you are new, welcome to the Sunday Salon community! Let's meet up at the Apéro after concert.

"Remembering" - Art Songs

Soprano: Eszter Gyüdi

Piano: Yilan Zhao

Program

Federico Mompou: Combat del Somni (Combat of Dreams)

Judith Bingham: Cathedral of Trees

Heinz Holliger: Mileva Lieder (Poetry from Mileva Demenga as a 6 year old girl)

Benjamin Britten: selections from Les Illuminations (poetry from Arthur Rimbaud)

For remembering Yvonne, our great mentor and a monumental artist, whose voice will be greatly missed.

Eszter Gyüdi, Soprano

The Hungarian soprano Eszter Gyüdi began her classical vocal studies in Hungary at the University of Szeged. Parallel to her studies, she was active as a composer and actress, performing with the avant-garde theater ensemble Homo Ludens Project, and sang opera roles on the stages of the National Theatre Szeged and the Szeged Open Air Festival, including Papagena (The Magic Flute), Poppea (Agrippina), Lili (Május), and Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro). In 2020, she continued her studies at the Zurich University of the Arts in the class of Yvonne Naef and later advanced her training at the Swiss Opera Studio with Yvonne Naef and Daniel Gloger. In 2023, she completed a semester abroad at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart in the class of Ulrike Sonntag. In June 2023, she performed Benjamin Britten’s Les Illuminations for soprano and string orchestra at the Stadttheater Biel-Solothurn with the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn under the direction of Christoph Campestrini. She made her debut on the Swiss opera stage in March 2024 at the same theater as Second Amourette in Reinhard Keiser’s Ulysses and as Sandrina in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera (a Swiss Opera Studio production). In autumn 2025, she appeared as Diana in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld in a production by Opera Laiblin (Germany). As an oratorio soloist, she has performed soprano parts in Haydn’s The Creation, Handel’s Messiah, and Bach’s Easter Oratorio, and will sing the soprano part in Bach’s Mass in B minor at the Szeged Cathedral (Hungary) in May 2025. A particular focus of her repertoire lies in contemporary music, and she has participated in numerous world premieres. In February 2026, she performed two song cycles by György Kurtág (S.K. Remembrance Noise and Attila József-Fragmente) as part of the Budapest Kurtág100 Festival. In the 2025/26 season, she will be seen at the Zurich Opera House in Jean-Marie Leclair’s Scylla et Glaucus as a member of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie.

https://www.gyudieszter.com/

Yilan Zhao, Piano/Host

The Chinese pianist Yilan Zhao is the winner of the Lucerne Festival Fritz Gerber Award and numerous international competitions including the 70th Viotti Music Competition. Her repertoire ranges from Rameau, Bach to contemporary composers, whose works she premieres. Her performances at festivals throughout Asia, Europe and the USA were enthusiastically received by the audience. She has performer with the Zürcher Kammerorchester, Orchestra Musikkollegium Winterthur, the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, the Argovia Philharmonic, the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with conductors and musicians such as Oliver Schnyder, Daniel Hope, Roberto González-Monjas, Thomas Adés, Sylvain Cambreling, Marc Kissoczy and Daniel Somogyi-Tóth. Yilan Zhao began her professional piano studies at the Pre-College of Wuhan Music Conservatory. At the age of 15 she entered the Juilliard School in New York City, where she studied with Hung-Kuan Chen and received her bachelor's degree with honors. In 2023, She finished her master's degree with the highest distinction at the Zurich University of the Arts in the class of Konstantin Scherbakov. She continued her studies of contemporary music at the The State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart with Nicolas Hodges and received the Concert Exam diplome in 2025. As a passionate chamber musician, she created and curated the Sunday Salon in 2022, providing young musicians in Zürich a local stage. 

https://www.yilanzhao.com/

Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon in Lavatersaal, Zürich is an offering filled with live music, poetry and story telling that are based on the experience we share together as human beings who are going through similar situations in life. Founded by Yilan Zhao in February 2022, the Matinee series aims to break the boundaries between audience and performers by inviting everyone into the conversation of communicative art and making the floor a less formal and more interactive space for sharing. Every event is followed up by an Apéro for meeting new friends and asking the musicians any curious questions you migh have:)

FAQ:

What are my transportation options for getting to and from the event?

By public transport: Tram 4,15 to the stop Rathaus, Tram 7,11,13 to the stop Rennweg. The Lavaterhaus is located within 5 minutes walk from both tram stations.

Is it possible to get tickets before the concert at the door?

Yes, last-minute tickets can be purchased at the door. Payment options: Twint, Cash.

Where is Lavatersaal?

The Lavatersaal is located on the 1st floor of the Lavaterhaus. The Lavaterhaus is situated right across the St. Peter's church next to a water fountain.

Is the Apéro free of charge?

Yes, it is offered free of charge by the host as an opportunity to meet and exchange.

Can kids of any age attend the event?

Kids older than 6 years old are welcomed to attend the event.

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