Upcoming Concert Features Russian Pianist Andrey Pisarev, World Premiere, and RPO Musicians

Internationally acclaimed Russian pianist Andrey Pisarev returns to Rochester for a special concert featuring the music of Chopin and Beethoven on Sunday, November 7 at 7:30 pm at Performance Hall at Hochstein.

Pisarev will perform the world premiere of composer Marek Harris' arrangement of the Chopin Piano Concerto in E Minor for piano and string quintet. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Juillard, Harris was specially commissioned to arrange this beloved concerto as a piece of chamber music.

Pisarev will be joined by the Amenda Quartet – which features RPO musicians David Brickman (violin), Patricia Sunwoo (violin), and Melissa Matson (viola), and cellist Mimi Hwang – as well as RPO bassist Colin Corner. The concert also includes the Amenda Quartet performing two Beethoven string quartets.

Pisarev, who is a professor at the Moscow Conservatory of Music, has won top prizes at the Mozart, Pretoria, and Busoni International Competitions. Click here to view a video of Pisarev playing Chopin.

The concert is presented by the RPO with support from the RIT Performing Artists Concert Series. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Click here for more concert information.

Andrey Pisarev will also perform a solo recital of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, Schubert’s Four Impromptus, and selections by Liszt on Friday, November 5 at 8:00 pm at RIT’s Ingle Auditorium. Use this link for more information about that concert.

Juliana Athayde Takes Center Stage in Expressive Russian Violin Concerto

The RPO’s celebrated Concertmaster Juliana Athayde performs Glazunov’s expressive Violin Concerto as part of an evening of Russian masterworks on Thursday, October 21 and Saturday, October 23 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

With the RPO since 2005, Juliana has had numerous solo appearances covering a wide range of composers from Mozart and Brahms to Prokofiev as well as last season’s world premiere of Allen Shawn's violin concerto, which was written for her. The oldest of four musical siblings born to musician parents, Juliana is also accomplished as a jazz soloist, performing Jeff Tyzik’s Jazz Suite for Juliana with the RPO in 2006. Click here to learn more about Juliana (including her favorite flavor of ice cream and what’s on her iPod).

For this weekend’s concerts, Christopher Seaman also leads the RPO in Stravinsky’s evocative Pétrouchka, the tragic-comic story of the pathetic clown puppet we know as Punch. And the program includes Sibelius’ Suite from Karelia—some of you may recognize Christopher’s signature tune from WXXI’s "Concert Companion" broadcasts several years ago.

Christopher Seaman hosts the Pre-Concert Chat beginning one hour before the performance. Use this link to read the program notes.

Tickets start at $15. Click here for more information.

Green Eggs & Ham Highlight of Musical Menu at Family Concert

You can satisfy your appetite for great music at the next orKIDStra family concert this Sunday, October 17 at 2:00 pm at Performance Hall at Hochstein.

Conductor Michael Butterman has planned the concert like a restaurant menu. The featured main dish is Green Eggs and Ham, a "merry, whiz-bang romp" (The Star-Ledger) through Dr. Seuss’ touching and funny tale that seamlessly incorporates sophisticated references to familiar classical and popular music with a timeless parable about prejudice.

Composer Rob Kapilow—who wrote the Polar Express setting that the RPO performed at Christmas a few seasons ago—provides the musical accompaniment to this tug-of-war between a child named Sam-I-Am and a character called the Grouch. Vera Mariner and Sarah Rosati – a junior at East Palmyra Christian School and a member of the Bach Children’s Chorus – are the featured soloists.

Michael says of the concert, “We open with a brief ‘taste’ of something to whet the appetite, followed by something a bit calming (like a consommé), moving on to something crisp and refreshing, followed by the entrée, and a little sweet trifle for dessert. So, while Green Eggs and Ham is definitely our entree, we'll also hear music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Offenbach (his famous Can-Can is our dessert).”

The concert is designed for families with children ages 3 and up, and tickets start at $10. Click here for more information.

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