Gregg Kallor to Perform Two NYC Concerts at Carnegie Hall 2/23 & 4/20

Pianist/composer Gregg Kallor's unconventional performances mix classical works, improvisation, and his own unique music. The Abby Whiteside Foundation will present Kallor in two appearances on the 2011 piano series at Weill RecitAl Hall at Carnegie Hall.

The first performance, February 23, 2011 at 8 p.m., finds Kallor joined by five of his fellow Abby Whiteside Foundation pianists. The program features the works of Vivian Fine (1913-2000), Miriam Gideon (1906-1996), and Louise Talma (1906-1996) who were friends and colleagues of Foundation President Sophia Rosoff, with whom the six pianists studied.

The complete program for February 23:
Jeff Farrington - Vivian Fine: Double Variations
Ethan Iverson - Vivian Fine: Sinfonia and Fugato; Miriam Gideon: Suite No. 3: Louise Talma: Alleluia in a Form of a Toccata
Gregg Kallor - Louise Talma: Sonata No. 1
John Kamitsuka - Miriam Gideon: Piano Sonata
Hiroko Sasaki - Louise Talma: Sonata No. 2
Jeremy Siskind - Miriam Gideon: Of Shadows Numberless

On April 20, 2011 at 8 p.m. Kallor will be presented in a solo recital featuring a new piece of his own composition, as well as works by Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Bartok, Chick Corea, Fred Hersch, and Stravinsky.

Gregg Kallor describes his new work: "My performances include a bit of everything I love to play: classical pieces, jazz, improvised arrangements of pop and rock songs, and original music. This piece will draw from all of these traditions; it will be a suite of several movements - some will be through-composed, and some will have room for improvisation."

The complete program for April 20:
Rachmaninoff: Prelude Op. 23, No. 1
Chick Corea: Children's Song No. 20
Stravinsky: Étude Op. 7, No. 1
Bartók: Bulgarian Dance No. 6
Improvisation
Scriabin: Sonata No. 2, Op. 19, "Sonata-Fantasy"
Gregg Kallor: New work (world premiere)
Rachmaninoff: Étude-tableau Op. 39, No. 1
Fred Hersch: Little Midnight Nocturne
Stravinsky: Étude Op. 7, No. 4 (F# major)
Rachmaninoff: Étude-tableau Op. 39, No. 9

Tickets for each Abby Whiteside concert are $35, students and seniors $15 and available online at www.carnegiehall.org; by calling Carnegie Charge: (212) 247-7800; or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Gregg Kallor was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978, and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. From the age of six, he studied classical piano and started composing and improvising, adding jazz piano at age eleven. In high school he performed in jazz ensembles and rock bands, appearing at The White House and touring Europe. Mr. Kallor studied with Kenny Barron at Rutgers University, and Fred Hersch at the New England Conservatory of Music. After moving to New York City, he continued piano study with Sophia Rosoff and composition with Herschel Garfein.

In March 2007, the Abby Whiteside Foundation presented Gregg Kallor's official New York concert debut as pianist and composer in Carnegie Hall's Weill RecitAl Hall. The performance featured the premiere of his Dickinson and Yeats song cycles (with Adriana Zabala), and solo works by Ginastera, Scriabin, Bach and Rachmaninoff. Harris Goldsmith wrote: "It took but a few impeccably shaped phrases to make it plain that Kallor is a formidably well-trained technician and a master of stylish proportion as well...This superb recital debut truly established a new, important voice in our musical annals."

Again presented there by the Abby Whiteside Foundation in April 2009, he played a rich and innovative program -- classic repertoire by Brahms, Prokofieff and Rachmaninoff, improvisation, contemporary pieces (including music by Brad Mehldau and Elliott Smith) and the premiere of two original compositions. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra commissioned and premiered his "Fantasy Overture" in 2009.

Gregg Kallor's next Carnegie Hall recital, once again under the auspices of the Abby Whiteside Foundation, will take place on April 20, 2011 at Weill RecitAl Hall. It will feature a mix of classical pieces, improvisation, and original music, including the premiere of a substantial new original solo piano work. According to Mr. Kallor, "This piece will draw from all of the musical traditions I love. It will be a suite of several movements - some will be through-composed, and some will have room for improvisation." Gregg Kallor will also perform Louise Talma's Sonata No. 1 at a concert of music by Talma, Vivian Fine and Miriam Gideon, to be presented by the Abby Whiteside Foundation at Weill RecitAl Hall on February 23, 2011.

In 2002 Gregg Kallor released his first recording, There's a Rhythm, with his jazz trio (bassist Chris Van Voorst Van Beest and drummer Kendrick Scott). Exhilaration, his second recording, features mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala, accompanied by the composer in his song settings of poems by William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti and Herschel Garfein. Mr. Kallor's next recording, of his own solo piano works - including the piece to be premiered in April 2011 - is planned for a fall 2011 release.

More information is available on Mr. Kallor's website: www.GreggKallor.com.

Abby Whiteside dedicated her life's work to helping students find and convey their emotional connection to music with freedom and clarity at the piano. Whiteside relentlessly pursued and acquired a profound awareness of the physical basis for a performance that is beautiful, moving, and technically fluent, and her approach to piano playing involves the student in a process that is musical from the very start.

The Abby Whiteside Foundation was established to keep Whiteside's work alive and to train a new generation of teachers and performers. The Foundation presents an acclaimed concert series at Carnegie Hall, featuring world-renowned artists and promising young pianists in the Early Stages of their careers. Please visit www.AbbyWhiteside.org for this season's performance schedule.

For Listings:
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 8pm
Abby Whiteside Foundation Piano Series -- music by Vivian Fine, Miriam Gideon, and Louise Talma
Weill RecitAl Hall at Carnegie Hall
881 Seventh Avenue, New York
Tickets: $35, students and seniors $15 and available online at www.carnegiehall.org; by calling Carnegie Charge: (212) 247-7800; or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 8pm
Abby Whiteside Foundation Piano Series presents Gregg Kallor
Weill RecitAl Hall at Carnegie Hall
881 Seventh Avenue, New York
Tickets: $35, students and seniors $15 and available online at www.carnegiehall.org; by calling Carnegie Charge: (212) 247-7800; or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.