wcw APRIL 2022

focus on the arts
W
ho
TRIPLE CROWN
Artist Series Concerts presents three pianists as part of
PIANOPALOOZA Festival
❰❰ Antonio Chen Guang
among
us can
resist a
piano?
Even if you have never had
a single lesson, it can be
almost impossible to resist
the urge to plunk out a few
notes as you pass by an
instrument, whether it be
in a living room, a practice
room, or on a street corner.
If you count yourself among
the universe of music lovers
who have an affection for
the king of all instruments,
and those who can bring it
to life, you will not want to
miss the inaugural Pianopalooza
Festival, offering
six days dedicated to pianos,
pianists and the magic
that can be coaxed from
those 88 keys.
Headquartered at the
newly opened Studio for Performing
Arts located on State
College of Florida’s Bradenton
campus, Pianopalooza was the
brainchild of pianist and composer
Don Bryn, adjunct professor
of music theory at SCF, in
conjunction with Artist Series
Concerts and Sarasota Music
Conservatory. The goal was to
provide a festival where pianists
of all ages and abilities could
gather, listen, learn and share
their love of the instrument.
Whether you are a high school
student wanting to perform in a
masterclass with a world class
concert pianist or compete for
cash prizes, a retiree looking
for like-minded piano lovers to
play and bond with, or simply a
music lover wanting to take in
performances by gifted professionals,
the six days of events
between April 30-May 8 offer something
for everyone.
Artist Series Concerts will sponsor
performances and masterclasses by three
world class pianists during the festival, beginning
on Saturday, April 30 with a 7 pm
recital by Antonio Chen Guang. Hailed
by Russian virtuoso Vladimir Ashkenazy
as “an excellent pianist and a very intense
musician,” Guang has been a winner of numerous
international piano competitions,
including the first Olga Kern International
Piano Competition, the Scriabin Prize
and the Rome Prize. He has performed in
many of the world’s most prestigious concert
halls, in recital and with orchestras
worldwide. His performance at the SCF
Studio for Performing Arts will include
music by Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin and
Schumann. The following day, May 1 at
1:30 pm, Guang will teach a masterclass
for area piano students. Local piano teachers
can submit requests for their students
to perform in the masterclass, and Guang
will choose the performers, based upon
repertoire.
Church of the Palms will be the venue
for a performance by Ying Li, the second
of Artist Series Concerts’ guest artists,
on Thursday, May 5 at 4 pm. Winner of
the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan
April 30-May 8
❰❰
Ying Li ❱❱
Vieness Piano Duo:
Eva Schaumkell and
Vijay Venkatesh
PAID ADVERTORIAL
Wadsworth International Auditions and
the inaugural Antonio Mormone International
Prize in Italy, 23-year-old Ying
Li has received top awards in numerous
national and international competitions,
including first prizes at the Artist Series
Concerts’ National Piano Competition,
Brevard Music Festival solo and concerto
competitions and the International Liszt
Piano Competition for Young Pianists. On
May 4 she will perform a program that
includes Mozart’s famous Piano Concerto
#23 in A Major and Dvořák’s Piano Quintet
#2, alongside principal string players of
Sarasota Orchestra. The following day
she will also offer a masterclass for local
students.
As if 88 keys were
not sufficient, the
closing recital on
May 8 at 3:00 pm will
offer 176 of them!
The SCF Performing
Arts Studio will again
be the venue for the
final recital program
featuring the Vieness
Piano Duo. Pianists
Eva Schaumkell and
Vijay Venkatesh, both
gifted, award-winning
performers in their
own rights, have combined
forces to bring
to the stage some of
the extraordinary repertoire
for two pianos.
Their Pianopalooza
concert will include
Brahms’ Hungarian
Dances and Saint-
Saëns’ Carnival of the
Animals, narrated by Robyn
Bell, SCF’s Director of Instrumental
Studies. The recital
will be preceded on May 7 by a
masterclass, this time featuring
student piano duos.
In addition to these three recital
programs and masterclass
opportunities, Pianopalooza
offers piano lovers of all ages
and abilities the chance to
attend seminars on various
piano-centric topics, and bond
with other amateur pianists in
“mini-salons.” Young performers
can compete in Sarasota Music
Conservatory’s piano competition
on April 30th. Local music
teachers can attend an educator
reception on May 7 at 5:30 pm,
followed by a performance featuring
the winners of the piano
competition at 7:00 pm.
TICKETS for individual concerts are
$40, and other event tickets are $15. A full
festival pass can be purchased for $200.
Whether you are a seasoned professional
performer, music educator, student, enthusiastic
amateur or dedicated music lover,
you will find an abundance of both information
and inspiration at Pianopalooza!
For more information, visit: scfmusic.info/
pianopalooza or artistseriesconcerts.org.
APRIL 2022 WEST COAST WOMAN 15