Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
PADEREWSKI FESTIVAL<br />
PERFORMANCES<br />
RESONATE THROUGHOUT<br />
<strong>PASO</strong> ROBLES<br />
By Melissa Chavez<br />
For four days,<br />
Paderewski Festival<br />
events delighted<br />
both residents and<br />
visitors alike for its<br />
annual celebration of<br />
the pianist, composer,<br />
statesman, winemaker<br />
and philanthropist. In venues throughout Paso<br />
Robles, Paderewski’s legacy was made manifest<br />
in concerts and activities held at two ballrooms<br />
and among vines and barrels at two wineries.<br />
On the first Thursday in November, Café<br />
Musique had everyone swaying or tapping<br />
their toes to the group’s instantly likeable<br />
brand of gypsy, swing, tango and folk tunes<br />
in the Cass Winery Barrel Room. On Friday<br />
evening, Park Ballroom was the site of a<br />
piano Master Class and American jazz standards<br />
performed by Grammy Award winner<br />
Bill Cunliffe, Darek “Oles” Oleszkiewicz and<br />
Tina Raymond.<br />
Junior division finalists Noelle Hadsell (8)<br />
and Holly Hadsell (12) placed first<br />
and second, respectively, in the<br />
Paderewski Youth Piano Competition.<br />
Photo by Steve Cass<br />
YOUTH PIANO COMPETITION<br />
FINALISTS<br />
Among the highlights of the festival was<br />
the Paderewski Youth Piano Competition on<br />
Saturday afternoon, which features three winners<br />
each from the Senior division for students<br />
ages 15-18, a Junior division for students 10-<br />
14 years old, and a Paderewski Legacy Award<br />
winner. For <strong>2017</strong>, the Legacy Award recipient<br />
was 11-year-old Andy Shen. The Senior winners<br />
in first and second place were Max Afifi<br />
(17) of Seaside and Xinyun Liu (16) of Salinas.<br />
Please see PADEREWSKI page 53<br />
December <strong>2017</strong>, <strong>PASO</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> 51
Change language