Pianofest 2017 Summer Newsletter
Pianofest Summer 2017 Session 1 Group (Photo courtesy Dede Moan)
“Greetings to all of you in our Pianofest family, with our first summer session well underway for an exciting summer! As our musical season begins, we wish you many inspiring discoveries and new impressions, as well as a rejuvenating holiday. Here in our second quarterly newsletter, we hope you will have a look at our alum and board member snapshots, and glance at our concert listing and participant roster. Also, please take a moment to visit our Facebook page, linked below: we have all our current photos there, as well as fun video introductions to our festival participants. Together with all of us here at Pianofest, I am personally looking forward to seeing as many of you as I can this summer!”
Alum Snapshot: Igor Lovchinsky
What are some favorite memories of Pianofest?
I first went to Pianofest in the summer of 2004, after hearing about it from my teacher at Juilliard, Jerome Lowenthal. I will never forget the countless nights just hanging out at the house - we would play for each other for hours, talk about music and listen to recordings. It was an amazing learning experience being around so many talented young musicians and having the chance to learn from them. Another great memory is of course the Monday concerts and the after-concert pool parties!
What are your projects these days—you have moved in unusual directions for a musician!
My path has been a bit unconventional, as compared to most musicians. In my mid-20s, I got passionately interested in science and went on to get my PhD in Physics. Now I live in New York and work as a research scientist at a company that's trying to revolutionize medical imaging technologies and make them more accessible to people around the world. Nevertheless, I'm still very much involved with music and continue performing regularly. I'm also now father to a young daughter, Alina!
Board Member Snapshot: Joseph Piropato
You are one of the newest board members at Pianofest--how did you first hear about it and get involved?
I first heard about Pianofest from Stephen Dickman, who tunes my piano at our house in East Hampton, and who is an integral member of the Pianofest family. After attending my first concert several years ago I quickly became hooked.
What is the best part about being involved in Pianofest?
The best part is really a series of experiences that perhaps are best described as "aha" moments that resonate deeply in one's soul. Those moments include hearing something in a piece for the first time that touches you deeply; a comment or critique from Paul Schenly that is right on the mark and explains why that happened; and speaking and interacting with other audience members and the extremely talented artists who share a common love for and interest in the music.
Do you have a favorite memory of Pianofest?
It is hard to single out just one, and honestly I have no "favorites" because all of the talented Pianofest artists have given me so much over the years. But I will never forget the first time I heard Liszt's Ballade No 2 in B Minor played by Daniel Linder at Avram in the summer of 2014. Spellbinding.
Below: Scenes from our April 25 Gala Fundraiser at the Louis K. Meisel Gallery in Soho
Summer 2017 Concert Listing—See You There!
•Monday, July 3 5:30pm Avram Theater
•Monday, July 10 5:30pm Avram Theater
•Wednesday, July 12 6:00pm St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, East Hampton
•Monday, July 17 5:30pm Avram Theater
•Monday, July 24 5:30pm Avram Theater
•Wednesday, July 26 6:00pm St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, East Hampton
•Monday, July 31 5:30pm Avram Theater
•Wednesday, August 2 12:00pm Brookhaven National Laboratory
•Monday, August 7 5:30pm Avram Theater
•Wednesday, August 9 6:00pm St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, East Hampton
•Saturday, August 12 6:00pm Southampton Arts Center
•Monday, August 14 5:30pm Avram Theater
For further information, please call (631) 329-9115. All Monday tickets $20 per person at the door only. Students free. No reservations needed. All concerts are followed by receptions to meet the artists. See you there!
2017 Pianofest Participants and Schools
Laura Altenmueller • University of Ottowa
Danielle Braga • Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Büyükikiz Anil • Hochschule due Künste Bern
Michelle Cann • Curtis Institute of Music
Wei-Lin Chang • The Juilliard School
Matthew Figel • Eastman School of Music
Jacopo Giacopuzzi • USC Thornton School of Music
Matthew Griswold • Mannes College
Matthew Harikian • University of Minnesota
Vincent Ip • Rice University-The Shepard School of Music
Martin Jacobs • Université de Montréal
Simon Karakulidi • Park University
Saetbyeol Kim • Rice University
Do-Hyun Kim • Cleveland Institute of Music
Klaudia Kudełko • Fryderyk Chopin University of Music-Warsaw
Philip Kwoka • Mannes College
Marina Kyla • Lee University
Michael Lenahan • The Juilliard School
Dario Martin • Southern Methodist University
Adam Mayon • University of Cincinnati
Prudence Poon • Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Niccolò Ronchi • Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Ryan Soeyadi • Sachem High School-Manhattan pre-college
Konstantin Soukhovetski
Astrid Torres • Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
ChaoJun Yang • Bard College
Karen Zhang • University of Cincinnati
Meet them all at the reception after each concert!