Rutgers pianist Yerko Difonis plans Lyapunov capstone recital

Chilean concert pianist Yerko A. Difonis will present a Spring 2027 lecture recital on Sergei Lyapunov’s 12 Transcendental Études at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. The DMA capstone aims to spotlight a rarely performed Romantic cycle while Difonis completes his doctorate in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Why it matters: - Yerko A. Difonis is using his DMA capstone to bring Sergei Lyapunov’s 12 Études d’exécution transcendante, Op. 11 to a wider audience. - The project highlights a rarely performed Russian Romantic cycle that Difonis believes deserves more attention from performers, presenters and classical listeners. - The recital also marks a major academic milestone for Difonis as he nears completion of his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University.

What happened: - Difonis is preparing a lecture recital on Lyapunov’s 12 Transcendental Études at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. - The public performance is planned for Spring 2027 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. - The recital will combine live performance with musical analysis as part of Difonis’ DMA in Piano Performance. - The exact date, venue and attendance details will be announced later.

The details: - Lyapunov’s twelve études were written in relation to Franz Liszt’s Transcendental Études. - Difonis views the cycle as an extension of that tradition and a chance to expand interest in repertoire that remains little explored in Western concert life. - Difonis began working on Lyapunov’s music about a decade ago after discovering the fifth étude, Nuit d’Été (Summer Night). - He later learned the fifth and tenth études, performed a Lyapunov nocturne and studied and performed the Second Piano Concerto. - When he auditioned for Rutgers in 2022, Lyapunov was already among the composers he was considering for the lecture recital. - His first idea focused on Lyapunov’s Piano Sonata in F minor before research shifted to the full set of Transcendental Études. - Difonis is preparing the project with lecture recital advisor Dr. George Stauffer and piano instructor Dr. Karina Bruk.

Between the lines: - The recital reflects both scholarship and advocacy, with Difonis using a degree requirement to argue for a neglected part of the Romantic piano canon. - His interest in Lyapunov is tied to a broader artistic identity shaped by Christian faith, which he describes as a calling rather than just a career. - Difonis also sees the project as part of a longer personal journey that has taken him from Chile to the United States and to international performance stages. - He has navigated significant visual and hearing impairments since childhood, making the doctorate another marker of persistence as well as achievement.

What's next: - Difonis will complete the lecture recital in Spring 2027 at Mason Gross School of the Arts. - He is seeking patronage and sponsorship to support continued university study and artistic development. - After the DMA, he hopes to keep studying piano and pursue work as a performer, educator or arts administrator in the United States. - He also wants the project to reach concert presenters, arts professionals and organizations interested in emerging artists.

The bottom line: - Difonis is turning his Rutgers doctoral capstone into both a performance showcase and a case for giving Lyapunov’s neglected études a bigger place in concert life.

Background: - Difonis was born in Valparaíso, Chile. - He began formal music and piano studies at age 11 at the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in New York. - He later studied piano at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. - He returned to Chile and completed conservatory studies at the Sergei Prokofiev Music Conservatory with pianist Mario Cervantes. - He also earned a bachelor’s degree in education with a concentration in English pedagogy. - Difonis returned to the United States for graduate study at Mason Gross School of the Arts and began at Rutgers in 2020 under Bruk. - His recent performances include appearances with the Bella Music Foundation Symphony Orchestra in 2024 and the Bella Music Foundation International Symphony Orchestra in Paris in September 2025 during the BMF International Festival for the Blind. - He also performed with the Rutgers Sinfonia in November 2024 and appeared as a soloist in community outreach performances while in Paris. - Difonis received second place in the 2024 Bella Music Foundation International Concerto Competition for the Blind and an honorable mention in the 2024 Rutgers Concerto Competition. - A full description of his work is available in his announcement.