The Gilmore Announces Free Streaming Series, April 22 – May 5

In place of the 2020 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, The Gilmore presents Virtually Gilmore, a free video-streaming* series of performances by leading and emerging keyboard artists, from April 22 to May 5. Programs include new, Virtually Gilmore recitals, as well as stand-out performances from The Gilmore's archives. All performances will be presented on the Gilmore web site and YouTube channel. (*April 23 performance is audio-only.)

Gilmore Director Pierre van der Westhuizen said:

"Following the Festival's cancellation, we heard from many who hoped to still experience the Festival this year in some way. It became important for us to create positive memories and connect our audiences with the artists during the period in which they would have been together here in Kalamazoo. Hopefully, starting on what would have been the Festival's opening night, April 22, this web series will retain something of the magic we all experience every two years at the Festival, while also providing musical nourishment to viewers around the world during these trying times."

Virtually Gilmore includes recitals-from-home by the most recently named Gilmore Artist, Igor Levit (2018), and Gilmore Young Artists, Misha Galant and Maxim Lando (2020). Mr. Levit performs an all-Beethoven recital live-streamed from Berlin, while Mr. Galant and Mr. Lando appear on video in programs of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Mussorgsky, and Liszt's complete Transcendental Etudes, respectively.

The archived performances to be streamed were selected from among The Gilmore's many years of recorded concerts. These selections represent the world-class artistry regularly on display at the Festival, as well as The Gilmore's commitment to showcasing the keyboard through a variety of styles and repertoire.

VIRTUALLY GILMORE: Schedule

Wednesday, April 22
2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein's performance of Debussy's Préludes, Book I at the 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival. (Recorded on Friday, May 4, 2018)

Thursday, April 23
Sir András Schiff's all-Schubert recital in Kalamazoo's Chenery Auditorium as part of The Gilmore's Piano Masters Series. (Recorded on March 11, 2017)

Friday, April 24
2018 Gilmore Young Artist Wei Luo's performance of works by Schubert, Ravel, Mozart, Chopin, and Balakirev on the Gilmore Rising Stars Series. Also included in the repertoire was Poems, a work she commissioned from contemporary American composer and pianist Marc Neikrug with funds from her Gilmore Young Artist Award. (Recorded on January 19, 2020)

Saturday, April 25, 4 PM ET
2020 Gilmore Young Artist Maxim Lando will stream a new performance of the program he planned to present at the Festival: Liszt's complete Transcendental Etudes. The program is being recorded specifically for Virtually Gilmore. (Premiere broadcast)

Mr. Lando's concerts and collaborations have brought him to the international stage quickly and decisively. At age 14 he performed with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra in Saint Petersburg, and in 2018 he won first prize at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Mr. Lando currently studies in the pre-college division of The Juilliard School.

Sunday, April 26
A performance of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, presented at the 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival by 2006 Gilmore Artist Ingrid Fliter in collaboration with her husband, Anton Dressler (clarinet), David Bowlin (violin), and Amir Eldan (cello). (Recorded on April 27, 2018)

Monday, April 27
Works by Schubert and Prokofiev performed by Lukas Geniušas in Kalamazoo's Wellspring Theater as part of The Gilmore's Rising Stars Series. (Recorded on October 20, 2019)

Tuesday, April 28
A medley of Fats Waller compositions performed by the Emmet Cohen Trio on the 2016-17 Rising Stars Series. Emmet Cohen (piano), Russell Hall (bass), Kyle Pool (drums). (Recorded on October 16, 2017)

Wednesday, April 29
A performance of works by Scarlatti, Lieberman, Chopin, and Schumann, as well as Haydn's Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:24, presented by Hong Kong-born pianist Tiffany Poon. The concert launched the 2019-20 Gilmore Rising Stars Series. (Recorded on September 22, 2019)

Thursday, April 30
A performance by Charles Richard-Hamelin of works by Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev in Kalamazoo's Wellspring Theater on the 2019-20 Rising Stars Series. (Recorded on November 10, 2019)

Friday, May 1
Frédéric Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 24, performed by acclaimed pianist Seong-Jin Cho on the Gilmore Rising Stars Series. (Recorded on February 19, 2017)

Saturday, May 2, 4 PM ET
2020 Gilmore Young Artist Misha Galant will stream a new program consisting of works by Chopin and Rachmaninoff, as well as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. The program is being recorded specifically for Virtually Gilmore. (Premiere broadcast)

Having won prizes at multiple international competitions, including both the 2015 Van Cliburn Junior Competition and Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition, Misha Galant has established himself as an outstanding new talent. He currently attends Columbia University and The Juilliard School, where he is studying piano and pursuing degrees in Data Science and Russian Literature.

Monday, May 3
The 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival appearance of Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Kalamazoo's Chenery Auditorium. (Recorded on May 5, 2018)

Tuesday, May 4
A performance of Beethoven's Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111 by 2014 Gilmore Young Artist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner from the 2016-17 Gilmore Rising Stars Series. (Recorded on May 14, 2017)

Wednesday, May 5, 2 PM ET
2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit will close the series with a live performance from Berlin. He will perform his planned Festival repertoire, an all-Beethoven program including the Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier"). Additional works include Sonata in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1; Sonata in G Major, Op. 14, No. 2; and Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 22. (Premiere broadcast)

Renowned for his interpretations of Beethoven, Mr. Levit released a highly-anticipated disc of all 32 sonatas in September 2019. He spent the early part of the 2019-20 season performing the sonata cycles and other repertoire in Europe prior to a planned tour in the U.S. (including his performance at the 2020 Gilmore Keyboard Festival).

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