PianoFest with Jerry Lowenthal to Celebrate Academy's New Steinway Concert Grand
For Immediate Release June 19, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Internationally renowned pianist Jerome Lowenthal will celebrate the Music Academy of the West's magnificent new Steinway Concert Grand with a special recital also featuring the Academy's 2009 solo piano Fellows at Hahn Hall on Friday, June 26. Tickets for the performance, which will begin at 7:30 pm, cost $40.
A total of 10 solo piano Fellows will join Mr. Lowenthal for a program of preludes representing a broad range of musical periods and styles, including compositions by Liszt, Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and others. The Academy acquired its new Steinway Concert Grand piano through the generous support of Hyon Chough and Bernie Sacharski.
Hahn Hall is located on the grounds of the Music Academy of the West, at 1070 Fairway Road in Santa Barbara.
Mr. Lowenthal has been a prominent presence in the international piano world for more than a half-century. A student of three legendary musicians – William Kapell, Eduard Steuermann, and Alfred Cortot – he has performed a voluminous repertoire that includes 63 different concerti. Mr. Lowenthal has recorded for numerous record labels, including RCA, Columbia, and Arabesque, and has collaborated in concert with violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Nathaniel Rosen, and pianists Ronit Amir and Ursula Oppens. In addition to giving masterclasses in North America, Europe, and Asia, he has served as a faculty member at Juilliard since 1991. The recent recipient an honorary doctorate from Cleveland Institute of Music, Mr. Lowenthal has been a member of the Music Academy faculty since 1970.
As part of its 62nd Summer Festival, the Music Academy also will present an ambitious production of Ambroise Thomas' charming French Romantic opera Mignon, as well as performances by conductor Leonard Slatkin and pianist Christopher Taylor. The Academy will present 197 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which begins June 22 and concludes on August 15. Additional highlights will include performances by the Canadian Brass and the Takács Quartet, and conducting turns by Larry Rachleff, Peter Oundjian, George Manahan, Nicholas McGegan, and Alexander Mickelthwate. Featuring the Academy's exceptionally talented Fellows, together with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events will be presented at the Academy's scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
For tickets and information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded
in 1947, the Music
Academy of the West is
among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young
classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the
opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of
internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists.
Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full
scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major
symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and
university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers
as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara,
the Music Academy of the West presents more than
200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting
artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and
fully staged opera. The Music
Academy began
broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn
Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
