The Rising Stars Piano Recital Series

Fall 2009 Update
We are thrilled to present five acclaimed Pianofest participants to our 2009/10 season:
Kwan Yi, Matthew Graybil, Zsolt Bognar, Tanya Gabrielian and Gleb Ivanov. With the addition of the plasma screen generously supported by a JPMorgan Chase grant, the entire audience will now have a clear view of the pianists during
all performances.

We thank our sponsors and donors who are supporting this season: The Carr Charitable Trust; Dr. and Mrs. Michael J. Errico; The Ross Foundation; Dr. David Dickoff; Dr. and Mrs. Morrell Avram; and Ms. Annaliese Soros; Mr. Roger Samet; Mr. Paul Schenly; and Dr. Arthur Canario.

A Message from the Director of Pianofest, Paul Schenly:
Pianofest is proud of its association with the Southampton Cultural Center. This season, five amazingly gifted young artists will reveal a beautiful and very special world of piano classical music to their Hampton audience as part of the "Rising Stars Piano Recital Series". Please join them for five unforgettable evenings.

Saturday, Oct. 3: Kwan Yi
Saturday, Nov. 14: Matthew Graybil
Saturday, April 10: Zsolt Bognar
Saturday, May: Tanya Gabrielian
Saturday, June 5: Gleb Ivanov

Summer 2009 Update
By Liliane Questel
Director, Rising Stars Piano Recital Series
Member, SCC Board of Directors

The 2008-2009 season of the “Rising Stars Piano Recital Series” was truly remarkable. Our events were consistently named “Best Bets” by the Southampton Press and we had record audiences come to listen stellar performances by this year’s dynamic musicians, Igor Lovchinsky, Vassily Primakov, Wei-Jen Yuan who presented exceptional and varied repertoire as well as Antonio Pompa-Baldi, a Pianofest Guest Artist.

Our new plasma screen, which we were able to purchase with the assistance of a grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, was another exciting feature of this season. We are now able to give the entire hall a perfect close-up image of the pianists’ hands as they command the keys.

The last performance of the season, given by Antonio Pampa-Baldi, was something of an exception for our Series and special treat. Mr. Pompa-Baldi is far from a “Rising Star.” He has won major competitions, has a huge international career and is a Professor at the Cleveland Institute. His Star has already risen and it shone brightly this past Memorial Day week-end when he gave a magnificent performance featuring works by Hummel, Debussy and Rachmaninoff. Despite a host of other musical options that night, including a performance by Liza Minelli in E. H., the Levitas center was full that Saturday night, and for that I would like to thank our loyal public.

I also thank Frank and Camille and Yamaha New York who helped make the evening so special by sending us a nine-foot concert piano for this occasion.

The funding for these recitals comes from my angels, our generous sponsors: The Ross Foundation. Ms. Annaliese Soros, Dr. David Dickoff, Ms. Ana Daniel and Mr. James B. Jeffrey and our donors: Dr. Arthur Canario, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Fear and Mr. Roger Samet.

Looking forward to the 2009-10 season, we are thrilled to present five acclaimed Pianofest Participants. We will start on October 3rd with a favorite from last summer's session, Kwan Yi, followed on November 14th by Matthew Graybil, a fine musician who was at Pianofest two years ago and is returning this summer. On April 10th we will have Zsolt Bognar who particularly delighted last summer's listeners with his interpretations of Brahms. Tanya Gabrielian, whose performances created quite a buzz in Southampton last year, will perform on May 1st and we will close the season on June 5th with Gleb Ivanov, a YCA winner with an impressive physique and amazing talent.

We are very proud to be able to bring you these wonderful pianists, who will each display something special and unique on the Cultural Center’s stage. So save the dates, put them in your iPhones, your Blackberries, or, if they still make them, your good old-fashioned calendars because these pianists will not disappoint you and are so happy to perform for YOU!

Special thanks to Anthony La Bruna at Madison Copy in H.B. who works speedily on our posters, flyers, publicity cards and programs.

Last but not least, I am grateful to Mayor Mark Epley who is on the board of the Cultural Center, for hiring Charles Styler who is assisted by his wife Virginia, to film these recitals which are broadcast on the SH local Educational Channel 22. These broadcasts are highly appreciated by the music lovers who are unable to attend the recitals. The schedule of the performances will be available on the
village of SH's website:www.town.southampton.ny.us Click on Sea-TV

I wish you all a wonderful summer, thank you for your support and enthusiasm and hope to see you all on October third.

Spring Update
By Liliane Questel
Director, Rising Stars Piano Recital Series
Member, SCC Board of Directors

The Rising Stars Piano Recital Series continues on Saturday, March 28 with Wei-Jen Yuan, a native of Tai-Yan who excelled at the Julliard School, Harvard and Yale.

Wei-Jen was taken very seriously by the Pianofest audience in 2007 and in 2008 and is a brilliant pianist and musician to be heard with great interest. He will perform Schubert’s Impromptu Op 142, the Chopin Fantasy and Beethoven’s spectacular Appassionata Sonata which has not been played in the Series yet. We are looking forward to his performance and are grateful to his sponsor Dr. David Dickoff from Westchester. We also thank Dr. and Mrs. Rober Fear for hosting Wei-Jen.

Antonio Pompa-Baldi, a Pianofest Guest Artist and star without the preceding word “Rising” has agreed to perform in our Series on Memorial day weekend. It is a very busy weekend for everyone but Mr. Pompa-Baldi who is from Italy, and won the First Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Silver Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then he has been teaching at the Cleveland Institute and manages a huge career which takes him around the world. Saturday May 23 was his only available date for us and we jumped on the opportunity! We are thrilled to have him perform in the Series: Antonio was never a Pianofest Participant but rather a mentor who taught many performers of the Series. He was at Pianofest for a week last July.
His performance will feature Hummel's Sonata in C Major, Debussy's Suite Bergamasque and Rachmaninoff's Sonata No.2 in B flat Minor.
We are grateful to Ana Daniel and James Jeffrey for sponsoring him and to Roger Samet for hosting him. We are looking forward to his participation in the Series and hope that the usual timing of our recitals from 7 to 8:15 PM will allow you, our faithful audience, to hear him and not miss your Memorial Saturday celebrations.

www.pompa-baldi.com

"Debussy's Suite Bergamasque took on new freshness in Pompa-Baldi's intensely refined, imaginative reading of this masterpiece - … a pianist who knows how to put together a program that sweeps an audience to its feet."
Star-Telegram, Forth Worth

"The effect made by Pompa-Baldi's meltingly beautiful performance of Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata was striking."
The New York Times

"Pompa-Baldi possesses a magical touch, rich in a thousand of nuances, a spectacular technique and an amazing finesse."
La Provincia, Como, Italy

“… Rachmaninoff Sonata No 2 confirmed that Pompa-Baldi is a superb musician.
Spotlight in Miami

"A potential pianistic messiah.”
Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)