The Empress Theatre Presents 2018 San Francisco International Piano Festival

After an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to the inaugural festival in 2017, the San Francisco International Piano Festival is back for its second year and has decided to present the festival annually.

The core purpose of the organization is to creation a safe space where artists can dream, risk, and soar, all the while inviting the audience to be present for the journey. The festival celebrates the individual voice and prize the unique approach each artist brings to the piano, transforming the very same instrument into a prism of personal expression. This individualism is supported by decades of disciplined study of musical architecture and technique, literature and language, performance practice and, well... practice, pure and simple.

Program

Day one: Full Circle Bach - Art of the Fugue (selections) and English Suite no.6 in D minor Chopin- 24 Preludes op.28 Owen Zhou, piano Igor Lipinski, piano The San Francisco International Piano Festival kicks off its midweek run at the Empress with an evening of compelling, gorgeous piano music by Bach and Chopin. Bach's English suite in D minor shares the same key as his last masterpiece, unfinished at the time of his death. Frederic Chopin, the revolutionary pianist and composer, was deeply influenced by Bach's work, making his cycle of preludes a nod to the older master. Owen Zhou has become known for his outstanding, insightful performances of Bach; his performance of Bach's French Overture at last summer's festival prompted audience request for more. Polish pianist Igor Lipinski has performed throughout the world, and the music of Chopin has been a significant part of his repertoire throughout his career. Igor will return Wednesday August 22 for a special evening of magic and music, having received enthusiastic praise from Penn and Teller and many others.

Day two: Piano Illusions Igor Lipinski returns to present his show Piano Illusions, a unique combination of music and magic. Seamlessly blending his marvelous pianism and mystifying illusions, Igor welcomes the audience into a magical world of fun, humor, and insights into the music. After the break, pianist and artistic director Jeffrey LaDeur introduces Concert Confidential, a behind-the-scenes look at life as a pianist, the classical music world, and tragicomic encounters with travels, pianos, and people. Don't miss this extraordinary evening with world class musicians breathing new life into their art form.

Day three: The Festival closes its Vallejo run with a dazzling evening of virtuosity and poetry, juxtaposing classics and future classics. Eunmi Ko will present the US premiere of "Timeless is Forever" by Girolamo Deraco, selections from Tyler Kline's "Orchard", and Vera Ivanova's "Deep Heart's Core" for piano and visual projection, before closing her portion of the program with Beethoven's heavenly Sonata op.109.

After intermission, Jiyang Chen offers a tour-de-force, all-Liszt program including favorites like Liebestraum, Sonetto de Petrarca 104, Vallee d'Obermann, and the 12th Hungarian Rhapsody. Jiyang and Eunmi brought the house down at Berkeley's Freight and Salvage last year, and they are excited to share their music with the audience in Vallejo!

Public Information: Ticket prices are $20 general admission online, $25 general admission by phone or box office. Children and military discounts available. Visit www.empresstheatre.org or call 707-552-2400.

The Empress Theatre is operated and maintained by the Vallejo Community Arts Foundation, Inc, a non-profit public benefit corporation. Built in 1911, the Empress Theatre is a historical landmark located in the heart of downtown Vallejo, California.

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