Jeffrey Siegel to Celebrate Leonard Bernstein's 100th Birthday with KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS at Harris Center

Internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel brings power and passion to his celebrated Keyboard Conversations-returning to Folsom for his seventh season. Mr. Siegel will celebrate the maestro's 100th birthday on August 26.

In honor of Bernstein's 100th birthday, selections from "West Side Story," his intimate Anniversaries, his youthful piano arrangement of Copland's zesty El Salon Mexico, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue will be performed.

In presenting these "concerts with lively commentary" Mr. Siegel offers comments on the work, the composer, even the times in which the work was composed and then gives a virtuosic performance of a piano masterpiece. A lively Q&A concludes the concert. His presentations enrich the listening experience for the avid music lover as well as provide an inviting, instantly accessible introduction to great music for those new to classical music. "Siegel's programs strengthen the fragile bonds of communication between composer and listener and are as welcome as they are rare." (Chicago Tribune).

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel: CELEBRATING Leonard Bernstein AND George Gershwin will be presented Saturday Aug 26, 2017 7:30 pm. Tickets are $18-$38; Premium are $39. Tickets for students with ID are $6.50. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 12 noon to 6 pm,Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street. The media sponsor for the concert is Capital Public Radio.

American pianist Jeffrey Siegel has been soloist with the world's great orchestras. Abroad, these include the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Philharmonic and Philharmonia, Moscow State Symphony, Munich's Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Amsterdam, Oslo and Stockholm Philharmonic, Orchestra of La Scala and NHK Symphony of Japan. In the United States, engagements include the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Siegel has collaborated with many of the pre-eminent conductors of our time: Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Neeme Järvi, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and David Zinman, as well as legendary maestros of the past, including Eugene Ormandy, Sir George Solti, William Steinberg, Klaus Tennstedt and Yevgeny Svetlanov.

Mr. Siegel's ongoing series of Keyboard Conversations® flourish in numerous American cities, among them New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas, Denver and Washington, D. C. Some of these venues have been presenting Keyboard Conversations® for more than forty years-resounding testimony to Jeffrey Siegel's superb artistry, innovative format and loyal fans. New listeners discover an informal, entertaining and immensely accessible introduction to the magnificent piano repertoire. Seasoned music lovers enjoy a deeply enriched, more focused listening experience.

Mr. Siegel's 2017-18 series of Harris Center performances include:

November 30, 2017: A FRENCH MUSICAL FEAST. Debussy's Clair de lune and sexy Isle of Joy, Ravel's colorful The Fountain and beloved Pavane for a Dead Princess, and Satie's sassy Rag Time Prelude.

Jan 24, 2018: THE EXOTIC MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

Saint Saen's eerie Dance Macabre, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night Dream, Scriabin's exultant Fourth Piano Sonata, Bartok's mysterious Night Music, and glorious Nocturnes of Chopin.

May 2, 2018: THE ROMANTIC CONNECTION - CHOPIN, SCHUMANN, AND LISZT Chopin's stirring Polonaise Fantasy, Schumann's fanciful Novelettes, and Liszt's Benediction to God in Solitude and 13th Rhapsody.

Subscriptions to all four concerts are available; subscribers save 20% over the cost of single tickets.

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College brings the community together to share in cultural experiences featuring the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts over 400 events attracting more than 150,000 annually.

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