2024 Gilmore Piano Festival To Feature Over 100 Concerts And Events, April 24- May 12

The Gilmore Piano Festival returns this year with more than 100 concerts and events featuring appearances by many of the world’s preeminent classical and jazz pianists and artists, from Wednesday, April 24 to Sunday, May 12, 2024. 

Highlights of the 2024 biennial Gilmore Piano Festival include the return of past Gilmore Artists Piotr Anderszewski (2002), Ingrid Fliter (2006), and Kirill Gerstein (2010); a four-program survey of Schubert sonatas from British pianist Paul Lewis; an opening night of jazz and classical fusion with Hiromi and PUBLIQuartet; an evening with NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron; Awadagin Pratt with the Sphinx Virtuosi; world premieres of Gilmore commissions from Christopher Cerrone, Conrad Tao, and Gabriela Montero; and the U.S. premiere of a Gimore commission from Matthew Aucoin; educational offerings as part of The Gilmore Festival Fellows residency program; and a festival finale featuring Patti LuPone performing songs from her most iconic roles. The festival’s diverse performance schedule is complemented by an extensive series of master classes, pre-concert talks, film screenings, and lectures.

Gilmore Director Pierre van der Westhuizen said:

    
“The Gilmore International Piano Festival will again bring the world of piano music to the Midwest as we present artists from a range of countries and artistic backgrounds. For 2024, my goal is to create experiences for diverse tastes, and to showcase the extraordinary staying power of the piano in the 21st century. The wide-ranging lineup include world-renowned classical and jazz pianists, Gilmore Artists and Young Artists, pop and indie-pop artists, and one singular Broadway superstar. I look forward to welcoming thousands of music lovers to Michigan for an extraordinary nineteen days.”

Since its founding in 1989, the festival has taken place at venues in Kalamazoo and across West Michigan, a region characterized by rolling countryside—filled with orchards, wineries, art galleries, and farmers markets—and the natural beauty of nearby Lake Michigan. Ticket sales open to the public on January 5. Purchase online at thegilmore.org, by phone at (269) 250-6984, or in person at the Community Box Office, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall. E-tickets will be available for live streamed events, also at thegilmore.org, on a pay-what-you-can basis.

See below for a complete schedule of festival events, including venue and livestream information.

The 2024 festival features solo recitals by some of today’s leading pianists, including Gilmore Artists Piotr Anderszewski (2002), Ingrid Filter (2006), and Kirill Gerstein (2010), as well as Simone Dinnerstein, Olga Kern, Maria João Pires, Gabriela Montero, Conrad Tao, Yuja Wang, and Paul Lewis who performs a special four recital Schubert sonatas cycle. Additionally, three recitals each will be given by 2024 Gilmore Young Artists Kasey Shao and Harmony Zhu.

Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires performs on Saturday, April 27 as part of a national U.S. tour that includes stops in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Celebrated for her interpretations of Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven, Ms. Pires has said that “music and art are the deepest expressions of our soul and the direct transmission of our universe.” In 2020, Deutsche Grammophon released a limited-edition 38-CD box set of her complete recordings on the label. Ms. Pires’ program will be announced at a later date.

2012 Gilmore Young Artist Conrad Tao and tap dancer Caleb Teicher explore how the percussion of piano and tap relate to one another in their program COUNTERPOINT on Sunday, April 28. Together, Mr. Tao and Mr. Teicher bring an entirely new perspective to works by J.S. Bach, Schoenberg, Ravel, Brahms, and more; upon the conclusion of their Tiny Desk Concert in November 2023, NPR claimed that “they created an experience so unexpectedly fresh and suffused with joy, it moved some to tears and others to cheer for more.” COUNTERPOINT also features a world premiere of a new work by Mr. Tao, commissioned by The Gilmore for the duo. 

2006 Gilmore Artist and International Chopin Competition winner Ingrid Fliter was described by the Daily Telegraph as “born to play Chopin,” and of her recent recording of the composer’s complete waltzes, Gramophone declared, “From beginning to end, this is among the finest Chopin recordings of recent years.” Naturally, the composer features prominently on her Gilmore solo recital on Monday, April 29; the program includes Chopin’s Nocturne in B Major and his Piano Sonata No. 3, alongside Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes. (Ingrid Fliter gives a master class on Tuesday, April 30.)

In a special festival event, British pianist Paul Lewis gives four recitals, offering a survey of Franz Schubert’s piano sonatas on Tuesday, April 30, Thursday, May 2, Saturday, May 4, and Monday, May 6. Mr. Lewis is regarded as one of today’s foremost interpreters of the central European classical repertoire; of his Schubert performances in particular, The New York Times wrote, “Paul Lewis is one of today’s finest exponents of Schubert, noted for his clarity of tone and simplicity of interpretation.” The last of the four recitals is devoted to the composer’s last three sonatas, which, though neglected while Schubert was alive, are now widely accepted as among the most important of his output. (Paul Lewis gives master classes on Wednesday, May 1, Friday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 7. He joins Gilmore Director Pierre van der Westhuizen in conversation on stage after the May 6 recital.)

Celebrated equally for her interpretations of classical repertoire and for her extraordinary ability to improvise, Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero presents a program titled Westward on Wednesday, May 1 that incorporates both. The classical portion of the program focuses on Russian composers, with Prokofiev’s Sarcasms and Sonata No. 2, Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No. 2, and Stravinsky’s Sonata. Then, Ms. Montero presents a fully improvised soundtrack live alongside Charlie Chaplin’s short film The Immigrant. Later in the festival, Ms. Montero joins the Calidore String Quartet on Sunday, May 5 (see “Chamber Music,” below.) (Gabriela Montero gives a master class on Thursday, May 2.)

Olga Kern makes her long-anticipated Gilmore debut on Friday, May 3. Her career was launched when she won first prize at the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition at age 17; in 2001, she became the first woman in over 30 years to win the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. For Gilmore audiences, she performs Beethoven’s Variations on a Theme by Salieri, Robert Schumann’s Carnaval, George Gershwin’s Three Preludes, and Earl Wild’s Virtuoso Etude No. 7 (based on Gershwin’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm”), and selected works by Rachmaninoff, including Variations on a Theme of Corelli. (Olga Kern gives a master class on Saturday, May 4.)

Simone Dinnerstein, who has had thirteen albums top the Billboard classical charts including her hit recording of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, presents Undersong on Tuesday, May 7, with works spanning from François Couperin to Philip Glass. Ms. Dinnerstein, who The Washington Post has described as “an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity,” is committed to giving concerts in non-traditional venues, to audiences who don’t often hear classical music; she founded Neighborhood Classics, a concert series open to the public and hosted by New York City Public Schools to raise funds for their music education programs. Her Gilmore program includes two works by Couperin (Les Barricades Mysterieuses and Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins from 5 Pièces de Clavecin), Philip Glass’s Mad Rush, Satie’s Gnossienne, No. 3, and Robert Schumann’s Arabesque and Kreisleriana. (Simone Dinnerstein gives a master class on Wednesday, May 8.)

International sensation Yuja Wang, who was a Gilmore Young Artist in 2006, returns for a solo recital on Wednesday, May 8. In 2024 Ms. Wang performs concertos with orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Minnesota Orchestra, and gives solo recitals at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, among others. The Financial Times wrote, “Her combination of technical ease, colouristic range and sheer power has always been remarkable … but these days there is an ever-greater depth to her musicianship, drawing you into the world of each composer with compelling immediacy.” Ms. Wang’s Gilmore recital program will be announced at a later date.

2002 Gilmore Artist Piotr Anderszewski makes several appearances at this year’s festival, including a solo recital on Thursday, May 9. The recital program opens and closes with works by J.S. Bach — the Overture in French Style and French Suite No. 5 in G Major — and also includes Selected Mazurkas by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski and Fourteen Bagatelles by Bartók. Mr. Anderszewski is “one of the most revered pianists today, and one of the most delightfully unpredictable,” according to NPR; during his time at this year’s festival, he also appears with the Kalamazoo Symphony, playing and conducting from the keyboard (see “Orchestra Concerts,” below), and engages in discussion with Festival Director Pierre van der Westhuizen after the screening of his own documentary film Warsaw Is My Name.

A champion of contemporary music, 2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein returns to perform the U.S. premiere of The tracks have vanished by MacArthur “Genius Grant”-winning composer Matthew Aucoin on Friday, May 10. Since winning the Gilmore Artist Award, Mr. Gerstein has devoted a significant portion of his prize earnings to commissioning new music, including from Timo Andres, Chick Corea, Alexander Goehr, Oliver Knussen, and Brad Mehldau. The tracks have vanished, a 15-minute work for solo piano, was commissioned by The Gilmore for Mr. Gerstein; the work is complemented by a highly varied program of Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat Major, Fauré’s Nocturne No. 13 in B minor, Poulenc’s Three Intermezzos, Liszt’s Polonaise in E Major, Robert Schumann’s Faschingsschwank aus Wien, and Godowsky’s No. 2 Die Fledermaus from Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’s Themes.

Festival recitalists also include 2024 Gilmore Young Artists Kasey Shao and Harmony Zhu, who each perform several solo recitals throughout the West Michigan area, give a duo recital together, and appear as concerto soloists. (see “Orchestra Concerts” and “Chamber Music” below.) For her Gilmore solo recitals on Sunday, April 21, Sunday, April 28, and Friday, May 3, Ms. Shao performs works by J.S. Bach, Liszt, Chopin, Bolcom, and Chen Yi. In an interview for Princeton’s music department, Ms. Shao remarked that “Duo Ye [by Chen Yi] is a very good representation of what it means to be Chinese, to be Asian, and the piece has definitely brought me closer to my Chinese roots.” In addition to these solo programs and her duo recital with Ms. Zhu, she joins the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and conductor Matthew Aubin on Saturday, April 27. (See “Orchestra Concerts,” below.) Ms. Zhu’s solo recitals on Saturday, April 20, Thursday, April 26, and Sunday, April 28 comprise works by Robert Schumann, Scriabin, Chopin, and Haydn. In addition to her duo program with Ms. Shao, Ms. Zhu also appears as soloist in two orchestral programs during the festival, joining the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra under conductor Andrew Koehler on Sunday, April 21, and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra under conductor Timothy Muffitt on Friday, May 10 (see “Orchestra Concerts,” below.)

For the 2024 festival, The Gilmore brings artists together with six orchestras from across the state of Michigan. As mentioned above, 2024 Gilmore Young Artist Kasey Shao joins the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and conductor Matthew Aubin on Saturday, April 27 as soloist in Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor. The program opens with Grazyna Bacewicz’s Overture and closes with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major. Then, on Friday, May 10, 2024 Gilmore Young Artist Harmony Zhu is soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, joining the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Timothy Muffitt in a program that also includes a new work by Jarred Miller and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor.

On Saturday, May 11, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra under Matthew Aubin perform a program exhibiting French and jazz influences, with Decruck’s Suite Française, Bizet’s L’Arlésienne: Suite No. 2, and Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown, and Beige: Suite leading up to a grand finale of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with 2016 Gilmore Young Artist Daniel Hsu as soloist.

It has become tradition for each Gilmore Festival to feature concerto appearances by the previous Festival’s Gilmore Young Artists, and this year is no exception. 2022 Gilmore Young Artists Clayton Stephenson and Janice Carissa join the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, May 11 for Bruch’s Concerto for Two Pianos, conducted by Andrew Grams. Mr. Grams also conducts Farrenc’s Overture in E-flat Major. In a special Gilmore event, 2002 Gilmore Artist Piotr Anderszewski plays the dual role of conductor and soloist for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, leading the orchestra from the keyboard.

The 2024 Gilmore Festival opens with a performance encapsulating the festival’s dual commitment to classical music and jazz, when jazz pianist Hiromi and contemporary classical string quartet PUBLIQuartet join forces for The Piano Quintet on Wednesday, April 24. Hiromi has captivated audiences across the globe through her dynamic stage presence, emotional depth of playing, and a genre-defying style. She performed during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2021 Olympic Games in her home country of Japan, and her September 2023 NPR Tiny Desk Concert has already garnered over one million views. All About Jazz wrote, “Hiromi continues to be one of the most inventive and awe-inspiring pianists in jazz today.” The Grammy-nominated PUBLIQuartet is dedicated to presenting new works for string quartet. They received Chamber Music America’s 2019 Visionary Award for their innovative approach; like Hiromi, the group refuses to accept arbitrary genre distinctions. PUBLIQuartet has served as artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Music of Art and National Sawdust in New York City, and has performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Later that week, pianist/singer/composer Eliane Elias — who was featured on jazz legend Chick Corea’s final album before his passing in 2021 — takes the stage on Sunday, April 28 with her quartet for An Evening with Eliane Elias. Her live performances showcase her charismatic personality, and talents in jazz, Brazilian, classical, and pop music. According to The New York Times, Ms. Elias — whose 2022 album Mirror, Mirror won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz album — “commands the keyboard with a forceful two-handed muscularity.” Joining Ms. Elias are Marc Johnson (bass), Leandro Pelligrino (guitar), and Rafael Barata (drums).

Hailing from South Africa, pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini draws on his background as a spiritual healer to craft a unique blend of jazz and storytelling. He performs with his quartet including saxophonist Logan Richardson, bassist Zwelakhe Duma Bell, and drummer Francisco Mela on Tuesday, April 30. Mr. Makhathini takes inspiration from the Zulu traditions of his homeland, in which music is deeply important for motivation and healing. He counts as major influences fellow South African jazz musicians Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa, and Abdullah Ibrahim. In 2019, he joined Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as a featured artist; the following year, his Blue Note Records debut Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds was named one of the year’s “Best Jazz Albums” by The New York Times.

Four-time Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, and arranger Gerald Clayton — “A pianist with a soft touch, except when it becomes grand” (The New York Times) — performs with his trio on Thursday, May 2. Son of bass player John Clayton, Mr. Clayton’s music training began at a young age and includes studies with piano icon Billy Childs and fellow Festival performer Kenny Barron. Mr. Clayton has done arranging work for, among others, Barbra Streisand, and has performed and recorded with artists such as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, and Kendrick Scott.

NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron returns to the Gilmore on Saturday, May 4 with his trio, which includes Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums. A peerless performer described by Jazz Weekly as “the most lyrical piano player of our time,” Barron is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists working today. He has released over 40 albums, received 12 Grammy nominations, performed with legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, and Buddy Rich, and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2009. (Kenny Barron joins Gilmore Director of Jazz Awards Seth Abramson in a Q&A prior to his performances.)

A self-taught musician with perfect pitch, organist Delvon Lamarr brings a blend of jazz, soul, and funk to his Gilmore performance on Sunday, May 5. The trio of Mr. Lamarr on Hammond organ, Jimmy James on guitar, and Julian MacDonough on drums possesses a fiery and intuitive chemistry, resulting in “unrelenting, intoxicating grooves” (Glide Magazine) with a strong backbeat and echoes of Motown and R&B. 

The Gilmore Festival’s Jazz at Noon Series continues in 2024, presenting an eclectic mix of up-and-coming and established pianists who play a variety of jazz disciplines at performances in Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo Civic Theatre) and Battle Creek (Kool Family Community Center). 

Helen Sung (Monday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 8) was one of the first graduates of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music; since then, she has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and won the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Competition. She performs with her trio, which includes Reuben Rogers (bass) and Adam Cruz (drums).

Isaiah J. Thompson (Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7) won the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship of the American Pianists Association. Active as a solo artist and bandleader, Mr. Thompson and his trio will play a mix of standards and his own original compositions.

Pianist and composer Shai Maestro (Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8) and his close-knit quartet are known for joyful interplay and high-energy performances. Mr. Maestro’s latest album, Human, was largely written and recorded during the pandemic and was released on ECM in 2021. Performing with him will be Philip Dizack (trumpet), Ofri Nehema (drums), and Jorge Roeder (double bass). 

Winner of the 2018 American Jazz Piano Competition, Paul Cornish (Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10) has performed with artists ranging from Herbie Hancock and Joshua Redman to John Legend and HAIM. He was one of only seven jazz pianists in the world to be awarded a full fellowship to attend the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA. He performs with his trio.

Benito Gonzalez (Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10) combines American jazz traditions with Afro-Latin patterns and other rhythms from around the world. He appears with his trio, which includes Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums) and Will Slater (bass). Nominated for two Grammy Awards, Mr. Gonzalez takes inspiration from Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett, whose quartet he later joined.

The 2024 festival showcases the piano in various configurations, from chamber music performances with strings and winds to recitals featuring up to five pianos at once. On Thursday, April 25, piano duo and sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque make their Gilmore debut with a recital showcasing repertoire for piano four hands and two pianos. Their broad-ranging program includes French composers Debussy and Ravel (the former’s Six èpigraphes antiques for piano four hands and the latter’s “Mother Goose” Suite), Schubert’s Fantasy in F minor for piano four hands, and Philip Glass’s 2008 work Four Movements for Two Pianos. Mr. Glass himself said of the duo, “The Labèque sisters are tremendous. They're great performers, and great interpreters.”

Siblings Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, and Melody Brown, and Stephen Beus perform together as The 5 Browns, providing quite the spectacle with five grand pianos on stage. The 5 Browns and their entertaining, virtuosic performances have been featured on Oprah, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and The TODAY Show. Their family concert on Saturday, April 27 includes arrangements of works by Beethoven, Mozart, Holst, Saint-Saëns, and more.

Founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1997, the Sphinx Virtuosi are a group of 38 elite musicians dedicated to increasing diverse representation in classical music. On Monday, April 29, they are joined by esteemed pianist Awadagin Pratt. Their program consists of four works written for Sphinx Virtuosi — Quenton Blache’s Habari Gani, Javier Farias’s Abran Paso, Andrea Casarrubios’s Herencia, and Xavier Foley’s Concertante for Two Double Bass Soloists with String Orchestra — as well as Perkinson’s Sinfonia No. 2 (“Generations”) and Coleridge-Taylor’s Piano Quintet No. 1 in G minor. Mr. Pratt was the first artist in the history of the Peabody Conservatory of Music to receive diplomas in three performance areas: piano, violin, and conducting. He created and serves as Artistic Director of the Art of the Piano Festival, whose mission is to raise the level of artistry of young pianists. (Awadagin Pratt gives a master class on Sunday, April 28.)

This year’s Gilmore Young Artists — Kasey Shao and Harmony Zhu — come together on Wednesday, May 1 for a recital on which they perform both solo and duo repertoire. Ms. Shao plays J.S. Bach’s Partita No. 5 in G Major and Liszt’s Valse de l'opéra Faust de Ch. Gounod, while Ms. Zhu plays Chopin’s Fantasie in F minor and Kapustin’s Variations Op. 41. The artists join together for two movements from Prokofiev’s Cinderella Suite, selections from Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances for piano four hands, and the world premiere of a new work written for them by Christopher Cerrone, commissioned by The Gilmore.

On Sunday, May 5, four days after her Gilmore solo recital, Gabriela Montero joins the Calidore String Quartet for a chamber music program that includes the world premiere of her own Piano Quintet, commissioned by The Gilmore. Ms. Montero and the quartet also perform Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A Major. Alone, the Calidore String Quartet plays Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 18, No. 5 to open the program. Since its founding in 2010, the Calidore String Quartet has received acclaim for their wide-ranging repertoire, from cycles of Beethoven and Mendelssohn to contemporary voices. Of their recent release of Beethoven’s late quartets, BBC Music Magazine wrote, “The players have clearly thought long and hard about these masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire, and they have produced performances that can stand comparison with the best.” After their Gilmore performance, the Calidore String Quartet and Ms. Montero embark on an international tour together.

The Gilmore Festival Fellows program, a career-advancement initiative launched in 2022 for classical pianists aged 18 or older, continues during this year’s festival. Fellows are in residence for one of three five-day residency sessions during the festival, each of which blends the festival experience with a curriculum designed to develop the diverse skills—artistic, financial, and social—needed to build a successful career as a pianist.

Each residency session is overseen by one of three different Artist Teachers in Residence: Mūza Rubackytė, founder and artistic director of the Vilnius International Piano Festival; Gabriela Montero, pianist and composer who performs at this year’s Gilmore Festival; and Piotr Anderszewski, 2002 Gilmore Artist, also performing at this year’s Festival. During their five days at the festival, Fellows develop their technique and musical understanding through daily coaching with their Artist Teacher and participate in and observe master classes with renowned artists and faculty.

Fellows also take part in workshops and career-coaching sessions focused on the business side of an artistic career and the personal and interpersonal challenges of life as a concert pianist led by guest experts including Aubrey Bergauer, arts leadership consultant and author of Run it Like a Business: Strategies to Unleash the Full Power and Profit of the Arts; Amanda Cook, Editor in Chief of I Care If You Listen; and Loki Karuna, Director of Artist Equity for the American Composers Orchestra. Also as part of the Fellows program, Kalamazoo native and best selling author Mark Nepo presents In Drinking From the River of Light, a combination of reflections and poetry about a life of authentic expression. Aubrey Bergauer, Loki Karuna, and Mark Nepo’s workshops are open to the public. Click here for further information on the Gilmore Festival Fellows program. 

The Gilmore Festival Fellows program is made possible through the generous support of the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne and the John W. and Rosemary K. Brown Family Foundation

Beyond the Festival’s core lineup of performances, The Gilmore presents a variety of additional programming across genres and disciplines. Singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane performs his album Magnificent Bird, written during the last month of a yearlong sabbatical from the internet, on Friday, April 26. Over the course of the album, Kahane people-watches from his porch, revels in rainfall after the devastating Oregon wildfires, makes coffee, ponders professional jealousy, and attends his grandmother’s virtual shiva; the San Francisco Chronicle described the project as “a gorgeous, intimate collection of ten musical snapshots.”

Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray, and Tracey MacNeil, who hail from Nova Scotia, Canada, bring their joyful Celtic melodies to this year’s festival. Traditional fiddle playing is backed by a driving Celtic piano style; expect instrument switching, solo dancing, and inspiring harmonies. The trio will perform several free concerts throughout the festival, including on Saturday, May 4.

Founded and led by keyboardist Thomas Lauderdale, genre-bending supergroup Pink Martini has been a regular at the festival since 2012. The band returns on Friday, May 10 with lead singer China Forbes, performing its characteristic blend of classical, jazz, and pop. Pink Martini’s season also includes concerts in Los Angeles, London, Munich, Oxford, Austin, and Miami, among many other stops.

A new one-woman show from Broadway legend Patti LuPone brings the 2024 Gilmore Festival to a close on Sunday, May 12. Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes is a musical survey of Ms. Lupone’s illustrious career, brought to life through her powerful voice and storytelling ability. Alongside her band and longtime musical director Joseph Thalken, Ms. Lupone performs songs from some of her most iconic roles, from Evita, Company, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, and more.

From Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, May 19 at theGilmore collaborates with Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo, to present Sondheim on Sondheim, a unique look into the process and personal life of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, told through music from 19 shows — including West Side Story, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, and Sunday in the Park with George — and exclusive video interview clips with Sondheim.

The festival’s four film screenings take place at Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s Stryker Theater and include Igor Levit: No Fear, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about 2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit’s series of 78 live-streamed concerts from his apartment during the pandemic (Tuesday, April 30); Silenced: Composers in Revolutionary Russia, an exploration of cultural life in the early Soviet Union through the lives of composers including Lourié, Roslavets, Mosolov, Prokofiev, and Theremin (Thursday, May 2); Through the Eyes of Yuja: A Road Movie, an intimate look into the highs and lows of piano superstar Yuja Wang’s busy life as a touring artist (Friday, May 3); and Warsaw Is My Name, 2002 Gilmore Artist Piotr Anderszewski’s own look at his birthplace with a score that features Chopin and Szymanowski, among others (Tuesday, May 7). All film presentations are free, with reservations recommended.

For young children, The Gilmore continues to present Baby Grands, the festival’s popular no-stage concerts where kids are free to crawl, walk, and play throughout the performance.

In a special collaboration with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins the orchestra in an all-French program conducted by Music Director Marcelo Lehninger on Thursday, March 28. Mr. Thibaudet is soloist in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major and Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“The Egyptian”); he also gives a solo piano performance of Debussy’s La Cathédrale engloutie (“The Sunken Cathedral”) from Préludes, Livre 1. The program opens with Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess).

2024 Gilmore Young Artists Harmony Zhu and Kasey Shao begin their festival activities prior to Opening Night, with solo recitals from Ms. Zhu on Saturday, April 20 and from Ms. Shao on Sunday, April 21. Ms. Zhu also joins the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra on April 21, performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2; Andrew Koehler conducts.

Created in 1989 to honor the legacy of Irving S. Gilmore, the organization is known for its biennial Gilmore Piano Festival, a three-week celebration of piano music; the Gilmore Awards and the Larry J. Bell Jazz Awards, a regular series of awards presented to deserving pianists based on a non-competitive process; and commissioning of composers to create new works for the piano. Since 1989, 16 biennial Festivals have been enjoyed by thousands of visitors to west Michigan. Nine Gilmore Artists and 40 Gilmore Young Artists have been recognized, and 41 new works have been created for the piano. 

Two distinctive concert series—Piano Masters and Rising Stars—ensure that world-class piano music is presented continually. In addition, a major program dedicated to community engagement and music education touches the lives of thousands of area children and adults by offering neighborhood concerts, piano lessons in elementary schools, music therapy, group lessons for adults, toddler-friendly concert experiences, summer piano camp, master classes, and much more.

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