Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Cornell Asian Alumni Association, fellow Cornellians, friends, and family, while honoring our 2026 PAB Banquet honoree, Ariana Kim, Associate Professor in the Department of Music at Cornell!

Saturday, January 31, 2025
6:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. Banquet Dinner

Golden Unicorn Restaurant
18 E Broadway New York, NY 10002

Keynote Speaker
Professor Ariana Kim

Noted by The New York Times for giving “the proceedings an invaluable central thread of integrity and stylishness,” violinist Ariana Kim made her New York recital debut at Carnegie’s Weill Hall during her doctoral studies at Juilliard and is now a tenured professor at Cornell University. At 16, Ariana made her debut with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and at 24 was appointed acting concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans; she has since become one of the most respected artists of her generation.

As a violinist of the Aizuri Quartet, she was awarded the 2017 Osaka International Competition Grand Prize, the 2018 M-Prize, and a 2019 GRAMMY® nomination for the album Blueprinting. During her tenure, the ensemble served as Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and presented recitals at Suntory Hall Tokyo, the University of Toronto, Duke University, and the Kennedy Center, among others.

Equally devoted to contemporary and long-established literature, Ariana held a 10-year position with the New York new music ensemble Ne(x)tworks and is currently in her 18th season with The Knights, who are in their second year of residency at Carnegie Hall. Their 2016 recording …the ground beneath our feet…, on which Ariana is a featured soloist alongside Guillaume Pirard in Steve Reich’s Duet, was chosen as one of NPR’s “Songs We Love” for 2016. In 2019, she was appointed co-artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota and Paesaggi Musicali Toscani in Siena, Italy.

During a sabbatical year in South Korea in 2021, Ariana spent seven months studying the gayageum (an ancient zither-style instrument), performing throughout the country, and serving as a guest professor at Seoul National University. She is now spending the first half of 2025 on a similar project, diving deeply into Carnatic violin traditions in Mysuru, India.

Her 2024–25 season highlights have included a recital at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., a return to her hometown to serve again as the PBS live broadcast host, a Bartók concerto performance at Jordan Hall in Boston with the Cornell Symphony, and the release of a new solo album exploring improvisation through multiple lenses.

About the Event
This event includes an authentic eleven-course banquet, open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and cultural performances. A portion of the ticket price goes toward funding the CAAA undergraduate scholarship program. The evening will also include a silent auction to benefit the Cornell Asian & Asian American Center.

Dress Code
Business casual and festive attire

Registration Details
Friend Level Ticket: $180
Young Alumni (2016-2025) / Student Ticket: $130, 2 per person limit
Children (12 and under) Ticket: $70

See registration for additional banquet donation levels and Cornell Giving Society tiered pricing.

Silent Auction:
The CAAA Pan Asian Banquet features a silent auction each year to raise funds for A3C and various Asian and Asian American student programs. Our virtual auction is open to all—both event guests and those unable to attend in person.

Please visit our auction page to see what items are available. Virtual auction bidding starts Saturday, January 24 at 12:00 PM EST and closes Saturday, January 31 at 9:00 PM EST.

Venue Note:
Your safety and comfort is our top priority! At Golden Unicorn Restaurant, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and air quality. Our advanced ventilation system, combined with an upgraded HVAC system, ensures optimal airflow throughout the restaurant. Additionally, we utilize UV lights to further reduce airborne pathogens, creating a clean, fresh, and comfortable dining experience for all our guests.

Event Questions?
Mohammad Radiyat ’15, Banquet Chair, Cornell Asian Alumni Association
Quentara Johnson, Associate Director, Diversity Alumni Programs

Registration Questions?
Brendan West, Program Assistant, Diversity Alumni Programs

Logo designed by Isabel Hou ’24