Jeffrey LaDeur Celebrates Debussy's Centennial At Carnegie Hall

On the heels of a triumphant album release, Bay-Area pianist Jeffrey LaDeur celebrates the centennial year of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) with his Carnegie Hall Debut in Weill Recital Hall. On Sunday March 25th, LaDeur builds narratives across centuries of French music in a performance of Debussy's Etudes (1915) with additional works of Couperin and Chopin that influenced Debussy's final masterpiece for piano.

LaDeur, an artist noted for his "delicate keyboard touch and rich expressivity" (SF Chronicle), embarks on a musical journey through the streets of Paris in a celebration of Debussy's 100th with a multi-program performance and recording project. The pianist's most recent album, Debussy & Rameau: The Unbroken Line, explores the connection of early French music to the 20th century. LaDeur's performance on the album was praised for "project[ing] a sense of refinement and Olympian calm that seems characteristically French" (Fanfare) and as a "masterpiece of understatement, simplicity and 'old school' chord-playing where every note sings out with meaning." (Gramophone)

This Spring, LaDeur continues his journey through centuries of French repertoire with a similar programmatic concept, drawing through lines between Debussy and his predecessors. Opening with Couperin's Pieces de clavecin, Book IV, 25th Ordre, LaDeur sets the backdrop for Debussy's kaleidoscopic Etudes Book I. He concludes the first half with Chopin's towering Fantasy in f minor Op. 49, a work Debussy knew and loved. Following intermission, LaDeur offers Chopin's ravishingly charming Trios Nouvelles Etudes, Op. Posth. before concluding with Debussy's Etudes Book II . Building the success of his first album, LaDeur plans to record this program as well. Additional information and ticket sales can be found here.

This evening's program is a featured event of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in celebration of its own 100th anniversary.

ABOUT JEFFREY LADEUR

Praised for his "...glowing sound..." and "...assured virtuosity..." (San Francisco Classical Voice) and "...dazzling pianism..." (Sarasota Herald Tribune) Jeffrey LaDeur has concertized around the world including performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Eastman Theater, Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt, and Banff Centre for the Arts. LaDeur has broadcast for Dutch Radio 4, WFMT Chicago, South Dakota Public Radio, and his performances of Chopin, Satie, and Joplin are featured in the 2016 award-winning documentary "California Typewriter" starring John Mayer, Sam Shephard, and Tom Hanks. At the invitation of the Naumburg Foundation, Jeffrey made his Carnegie debut in Weill Recital Hall in March 2015. Jeffrey is Founder and Artistic Director of the San Francisco International Piano Festival and New Piano Collective, an artistic alliance between pianists of international renown.

As soloist with orchestra, Jeffrey made an auspicious debut with the Eastman Philharmonia performing César Franck's Variations Symphoniques during his first semester of study at the Eastman School of Music. Recent concerto engagements include performances with the Oakland East Bay Symphony, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, members of the South Dakota Symphony, Merced Symphony, and Denver Philharmonic, collaborating with esteemed conductors such as George Cleve, Michael Morgan, Lawrence Golan, Ming Luke, and Neil Varon.

LaDeur has performed in recital throughout the United States including appearances at the Kennedy Center, Dakota Sky International Piano Festival, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, and PianoForte Studios, Chicago. Jeffrey draws on his love of and experience with French music to offer The Unbroken Line, the complete solo piano music of Claude Debussy in the context of his inspirations and influences. Jeffrey's debut commercial release on MSR Classics features Debussy's Images I, Preludes II, and works by Rameau. LaDeur will return to Carnegie to celebrate the Debussy centenary with a recital centered around Debussy's complete Etudes and music of Couperin and Chopin.

A passionate chamber musician, LaDeur is a founding member of the acclaimed Delphi Trio. The Trio maintains a busy concert schedule, and recent engagements include concerti with the Oakland Symphony and San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and recitals at the SF Jazz Center, Morrison Artist Series, and Chamber Music Concerts of Ashland where the trio premiered William Bolcom's first Piano Trio, written for their ensemble. Prize winners of the 2015 Orlando Competition in Kerkrade, the Delphi Trio concertized throughout the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium including a broadcast for Dutch Radio 4. In addition to his activities with the Trio, Jeffrey has collaborated with artists such as Robert Mann, Bonnie Hampton, Geoff Nuttall, Anne Akiko Meyers, Ian Swensen, Axel Strauss, the Telegraph, Thalea, and Afiara Quartets.

Education through music is central to LaDeur's mission as a performer. Jeffrey is a faculty member of the Crowden School's summer chamber music workshop and the piano faculty of Young Chamber Musicians, an intensive chamber music program in partnership with Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. With his colleagues Liana Berube and Michelle Kwon of the Delphi Trio, he has developed a program for emerging artists which guides serious young musicians through their first professional concert experience.

Jeffrey completed his undergraduate education at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Douglas Humpherys and earned a Masters Degree in chamber music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying with Yoshikazu Nagai. LaDeur completed additional studies with Robert McDonald through the Taos School of Music and has worked with members of the Saint Lawrence, Brentano, and Borromeo Quartets. Jeffrey received his formative musical training from Mark Edwards and Annie Sherter, a student of Vlado Perlemuter and Alfred Cortot.