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The Daily Tar Heel

Group Brings Bowie, Beethoven to Town

The three Ahn sisters will perform "Ahn-Plugged" to kick off the Carrboro ArtsCenter's World Arts Festival on Friday. The trio performs selections ranging from David Bowie and the Beatles to Beethoven -- evidence that they are anything but the Von Trapps.

"These women are amazing," said Tess Ocana of the marketing department at the ArtsCenter. "They're very young, but they've been raised to be classical musicians."

Sisters Angella, Maria and Lucia Ahn, who play violin, cello and piano, respectively, were born in Seoul, Korea -- and their first public ensemble performance aired in 1979 on Korean television.

Following a warm reception and rave reviews, they enrolled in the prestigious Julliard School in 1981 and have been spreading their unique blend of classical and contemporary music through workshops and master classes ever since.

But the three sisters' influence is not only associated with musical prowess. Springboarding onto the public scene, they have appeared in countless magazines and have even managed to penetrate the world of fashion.

Publications like Time, Vogue, GQ and The New York Times have featured stories about the Ahns, and many people who attend the performance might recognize their faces and fashion savvy from advertisements for the Gap.

"(The store) wanted a very diverse campaign, and they chose the Ahn Trio to represent another side of the Gap," Ocana said.

Middle and high school students will be able to witness both the Ahns' fashion sense and musical talents at a lecture demonstration in the ArtsCenter's School Show Series on Friday morning.

The lecture and following demonstration will begin at 11 a.m. and will be a close and personal connection with the sisters.

"The School Series is an opportunity to enhance what kids are learning in classes," Ocana said. "They are able to see a real-life artist perform as multiculturalism and the arts are combined."

An evening performance will follow at Hill Hall, in which the Ahns' range of styles will be displayed in such diverse selections as Haydn's "Piano Trio in E-Flat Major" and the Doors' "Riders on the Storm."

After the show, a reception in Person Recital Hall will allow guests the opportunity to meet the globe-trotting Ahns.

A part of the William S. Newman Artists Series, which is in its 10th anniversary season, "Ahn-Plugged" kicks off the ArtsCenter's four-monthlong World Arts Festival.

"The festival will offer about one performance per month, ranging from Turkish music to Scottish music to piedmont blues," Ocana said. "It is a passport to the music that America has to offer."

"(The Ahn Trio) is the perfect way to start," she said.

The Ahn Trio will perform at 8 p.m Friday in Hill Hall. Call the ArtsCenter at 929-2787 ext. 101 for ticket information.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.

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