Volunteer Needs:

20 Usher/Greeter/Scanners

6 Reception

2 Information Station

TBD Transportation

Description:

Already beloved for his solo piano interpretations, 2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein unveils another facet of his musical life for Festival audiences: his role as conductor. In one evening with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Gerstein both plays and conducts not one, not two, but three of Beethoven’s beloved Piano Concertos, a mind-boggling feat that must be seen to be believed. Beethoven himself frequently performed his own concertos while conducting from the keyboard, so Gilmore audiences will experience these masterworks in much the same way that audiences would have in Beethoven’s day.

Pre-concert talk at 6:30 pm with Dr. Zaide Pixley in Room 130

Volunteer Needs:

6 Usher/Greeter/Scanners

3 Reception

1 Information Station

TBD Transportation

Description:

Pauline Viardot was an accomplished pianist, a world-renowned mezzo-soprano, and a talented composer who studied with Franz Liszt, yet Viardot’s name is largely unknown today. In their dual recital, pianist Charlotte Hu and soprano Raquel González re-introduce Viardot to her rightful place alongside the greatest of Romantic composers, notably her friend and colleague Frédéric Chopin. Their program spans solo piano works by both Chopin and Viardot, Viardot’s piano-and-voice arrangements of Chopin’s mazurkas — which Chopin himself advised on and was pleased with — and some of Viardot’s own original songs for soprano and piano.

Pre-concert talk at 1 pm with Dr. Zaide Pixley in the Lecture Hall at Dalton Center

Volunteer Needs:

5 Usher/Greeter/Scanners

2 Reception

1 Information Station

TBD Transportation

Description:

Marc-André Hamelin, “a performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” according to The New York Times, is revered worldwide for his thoughtful interpretations and utter mastery of the most challenging works in the piano repertoire. His Gilmore recital opens with Haydn’s Piano Sonata in D Major, followed by Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 3, an early work dedicated to Haydn. The second half is devoted to Russian piano works, with short pieces by Nikolai Medtner, a younger contemporary of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, as well as Rachmaninoff’s moody and intense Piano Sonata No. 2.

Volunteer Needs:

2 Usher/Greeters

1 Hospitality

TBD Transportation

Description:

Festival artists share their talents and wisdom with Festival Fellows, who perform and learn from their teachers at Gilmore Festival master classes. Witness the creative process in action and gain insight into the dedication required to become an exceptional pianist. All master classes are free and open to the public.