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Keys to the Future Piano Fest Moves to Lower East Side May 24-26
By: Gabrielle Sierra May. 06, 2011
Following five seasons of sold-out concerts, KEYS TO THE FUTURE-New York's only festival of contemporary solo piano music-is back with 10 "front-rank soloists" (The New Yorker) who will perform 27 classical and jazz-inspired works by an aesthetically diverse group of modern masters and emerging composers over the course of three evenings. This unique piano festival takes place Tuesday through Thursday, May 24, 25, and 26, at The Henry Street Settlement's Abrons Arts Center, 66 Grand Street (at Pitt Street). Each hour-long concert begins at 8pm; doors open at 7:30pm.
Founded and curated by pianist/composer Joseph Rubenstein, KEYS TO THE FUTURE offers a vivid survey of contemporary piano repertoire in three power-packed recitals. Each hour contains a kaleidoscopic array of solo pieces that explores the vast potential of the instrument. Rubenstein says: "After months of listening and research, I feel strongly that this season's program is the best so far in terms of stylistic range, artistic depth, and audience appeal. Our expanded roster of pianists features ten world-class artists with a strong commitment to the music of our time. We're excited to present our concerts at the vibrant Abrons Arts Center, a National Historic Landmark. We're particularly excited to present George Crumb's magical set of variations on Thelonious Monk's Round Midnight. Another highlight is the phenomenal Stephen Gosling performing John Adams' seminal masterwork Phrygian Gates."
The complete "posse of leading ivory merchants" (Time Out New York) featured in this season's Keys Festival includes: Amy Briggs, Jenny Chai (winner of the 4th Annual Keys to the Future Young Artists Competition), Stephen Gosling, Eric Huebner, Marina Lomazov, Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore, Molly Morkoski, Tatjana Rankovich, and Joseph Rubenstein.
The Henry Street Settlement's Abrons Arts Center is a treasure of the Lower East Side, bringing innovative artistic excellence to the neighborhood through diverse, cutting-edge performances. Some of the most adventurous artists of the past century have performed, trained, or taught at this venue (opened in 1915), including John Cage, Aaron Copland, Dizzy Gillespie, Martha Graham, Alicia Keyes, Denzel Washington, Jackson Pollock, and Orson Welles.
"There is a huge range of new piano music being written right now, and a huge range of new pianists to play it. I am very impressed with the Keys to the Future festival, which fills a giant hole in New York's musical life. This festival is an explosion of piano music of all types, played by a new generation of virtuosi." - composer David Lang, co-founder of Bang on a Can
Listings Information:
The Henry Street Settlement's Abrons Arts Center presents Keys to the Future, a 3-concert festival of recent music for solo piano
Featuring pianists Amy Briggs, Stephen Gosling, Jenny Chai, Eric Huebner, Marina Lomazov,
Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore, Molly Morkoski, Tatjana Rankovich, Joseph Rubenstein
466 Grand Street (at Pitt St.)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011, at 8pm (Lomazov, McMillen, Rankovich, Rubenstein)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at 8pm (Briggs, Chai, Lomazov, Moore)
Thursday, May 26, 2011, at 8pm (Gosling, Huebner, Morkoski, Rubenstein)
Tickets: $20 general admission; call 212/598-0400 for information
or visit https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/209/1304289000000/prm/
"New works for solo piano, usually tucked into recitalists' standard-repertory programs, are the entire focus of this groundbreaking festival..."
- Russell Platt, The New Yorker
Tuesday, May 24, 8PM
Marina Lomazov, Blair McMillen, Tatjana Rankovich, Joseph Rubenstein, pianists
Old and Lost Rivers (1986) (Rubenstein) Tobias Picker (b. 1954)
Romance No. 5 (vertigo)* (2010) (Rubenstein) Joseph Rubenstein (b. 1969)
Vaporize (duet) (2000) (McMillen, Gosling) Joe Dudell (b. 1972)
Twelve for Ten (2007) (Rankovich) Heather Schmidt (b. 1974)
Six Dances** (2009) (Rankovich) Bruce Stark (b. 1956)
The Body Of Your Dreams (2003) (Lomazov) Jacob Ter Veldhuis (b. 1951)
Concert Etude No. 8 (1984) (Lomazov) Nikolai Kapustin (b. 1937)
*World premiere **U.S. premiere ***New York premiere
Wednesday, May 25, 8PM
Amy Briggs, Jenny Chai, Lisa Moore, Marina Lomazov, pianists
Two Etudes (1985) (Chai) György Ligeti (1923-2006) How can I live in your world of ideas? (2007) (Moore) Timothy Andres (b. 1985)
Willie's Way (2006) (Moore) Martin Bresnick (b. 1946)
Piano Piece No. 4 (1979) (Moore) Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938)
Preludes (6) (1999) (Lomazov) Lera Auerbach (b. 1973)
Concert Etude No. 8 (1984) (Lomazov) Nikolai Kapustin (b. 1937)
Thursday, May 26, 8PMStephen Gosling, Eric Huebner, Molly Morkoski, Joseph Rubenstein, pianists Old and Lost Rivers (1986) (Rubenstein) Tobias Picker (b. 1954)
Romance No. 5 (vertigo)* (2010) (Rubenstein) Joseph Rubenstein (b. 1969) Phrygian Gates (1977) (Gosling) John Adams (b. 1947)
A Complex (homage to Lenny Tristano) (2001) (Morkoski) Barbara White (b. 1965)
Ave Christe (1988) (Morkoski) Josquin des Prez (1450-1521)/arr. Wuorinen
Beat (2001) (Morkoski) Gerard Beljon (b. 1952)
Etude No. 2 (2004) (Huebner) Magnus Lindberg (b. 1958)
Etude No. 13 (L'escalier du diable) (2010) (Huebner) György Ligeti (1923-2006)
*World premiere
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