Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

April 25–May 12, 2018

18 days 62 Concerts 88 keys The world’s greatest piano virtuosos visit Kalamazoo for the Gilmore Keyboard Festival

Revue Arts SPECIAL EDITORIAL SECTION

Letter from the Editor

E

very two years, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival takes over Kalamazoo for two and a half weeks, filling the city’s concert halls with the sounds of pianos, accordions, harpsichords and more.

The festival brings in masters of their craft from around the world, from classical champions to jazz geniuses. And every four years, the Gilmore awards one promising pianist a $300,000 Artist Award. For 2018, that pianist is the Russian-German Igor Levit, 31 years old.

This year, the Gilmore and Revue have come together to create the special section you’re reading right now. While they provided the funding, we’ve done all the reporting, writing and editing ourselves. Together, we want to get the word out about a one-of-a-kind festival.

Our goal is to pull back the curtain a bit and give you a deeper look into the festival, the people behind it, and — perhaps most importantly — the extraordinarily talented musicians performing. We want to help you know exactly which shows are up your alley, although trying something new is always a great way to go.

In the pages ahead, you’ll find interviews with musicians of all kinds, a look into the inner workings of the Artist Award, a comprehensive calendar of performances and events, and more.

But our work here isn’t done — when the festival rolls around, keep an eye out for our extensive review coverage, taking a critical look at the Gilmore’s daily performances.

—Josh Veal, Managing Editor

Q&A: Gilmore’s Pierre van der Westhuizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Late Night with Leonard Bernstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Igor Levitz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lori Sims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Gilmore Keyboard Festival Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Q&A: Gilmore’s Dan Gustin . . . . 6

Kirill Gerstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Julien Labro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Calendar of Concerts and Best Bets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Orion Weiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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Master Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Birthday Celebrations . . . . . . . . . 9

Gilmore Keyboard Festival Film Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Classical Music’s Stealthiest Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Emmet Cohen Trio . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

| Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

Contributing Writers Dana Casadei Samara Napolitan Marin Heinritz Jane Simons

Find us online: Website: revuewm.com Twitter: twitter.com/revuewm Facebook: facebook.com/revuewm Instagram: instagram.com/revuewm

A REVUE ARTS special editorial section Revue ARTS is published monthly by Revue Holding Company.

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Co nte nts

Leon Fleisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Editorial Publisher Brian Edwards Associate Publisher Rich Tupica Editor Joe Boomgaard / joe@revuewm.com Managing Editor Josh Veal / josh@revuewm.com Design Kim Kibby / kim@revuewm.com

Concert Reviews Throughout the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Revue will be sending writers to visit as many performances as we can. We’ll be taking an honest look at these events, reviewing the quality of each performance through the eyes of experienced critics.

Since launching our review program in 2017, we’ve reviewed more than 100 theater, dance, jazz and classical music events. We aim for a well-rounded perspective, taking into account the music’s past and modern context, the artist’s history/repertoire, the general atmosphere, the audience reception, and more.

Once the festival begins, visit Revue’s Facebook page or revuewm. com/gilmorekeys daily for new Gilmore reviews.

revuewm.com/ gilmorekeys

Filling Shoes A chat with Pierre van der Westhuizen, the Gilmore’s new director

by Dana Casadei

Becoming the new director of an internationally renowned festival just a few months before performers and the audience show up would be a daunting task for anyone, especially when filling in the shoes of a well-known predecessor.

For Pierre van der Westhuizen — who has served as director of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival since January — the transition has been a smooth one, thanks in part to the man whose shoes he’s filling, Dan Gustin, being there to help guide him.

Van der Westhuizen already has big plans for the future. He talked with Revue about those plans, why having a variety of artists is critical, and how he feels about Kalamazoo.

Is there anything that you’ve been surprised by so far?

I wouldn’t say surprised, but … maybe about how really complicated and intricate this is. But we have an incredible team here. And so, I’ve just been blown away by how wonderful they are in putting everything together.

From your experience as executive director of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, what lessons do you anticipate being the most useful in your new role?

Definitely this idea of putting puzzle pieces together. But the other portion that I really did a lot of in Cleveland that I look forward to continuing here is collaborating. There are a lot of collaborations between the Gilmore and organizations in town. And I look forward to continuing that, to even expanding that — not just the community, but the outlying region, other cities, the state, etc. — because I think this can be a very powerful tool to forge relationships with other cultural organizations.

What kind of organizations do you hope to expand to?

For me, the sky’s the limit, really. I’d like to reach out to a coffee shop and see if they have the space. And maybe we put on a full-on baroque program in a coffee shop. Or put on a Chopin recital in a club. Or in a craft brewery.

What are you most excited for at this year’s festival?

I’m excited just meeting the audience, from this side. This is something that’s so unique. I’m excited to meet the audience and see how they’re going to experience this, because

I truly believe that all of the musicians that are coming here are just incredible.

Are there any particular artists that you’re really excited to see perform?

I hate to call out certain ones, but I’m really excited about Murray Perahia. He’s one of my childhood heroes and I’ve never heard him in person. So he is one that I’m really excited about. And then Igor Levit, who was just named the Gilmore artist.

How important do you think it is to have this wide variety at a festival like this?

It’s critical. If you don’t reflect the variety of the community that you’re in and the people that you’re playing for, you lose touch. And so I think it’s critical to remain relevant to be as varied as possible.

What are your plans for the Gilmore once this year’s festival is over?

My plans will be focused on the ’19-’20 season. Again, (bringing in) a wide variety of musicians and genres and representative groups, and also to draw in different parts of the community to make it feel like a multi-disciplinary, full immersion experience. And one thing I did want to say with my plan for the 2020 festival or for the Gilmore beyond is really to engage much more with technology and the online community. We’re only now starting to livestream some of the performances. But I feel like there’s so much we can do there.

Is there anything that you find intimidating about entering this role?

Yes. Dan has left very big shoes to fill. He has done such an amazing job. And I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s intimidating, it’s just something that I’m respectful of and mindful of. And I want to make sure that I take good care of that moving forward.

Are there any qualities that Gustin brought to the role that you want to be sure to carry on?

Yes, for sure. Dan has an incredible eye and ear for putting together programs that really complement each other and make sense overall. And that is something I would like to continue and not just have it look and feel like a random collection of artists together. And then, the really wonderful care he took with the musicians themselves. Just the attention to detail. It’s very important.

Lastly, what have you enjoyed the most about Kalamazoo?

Kalamazoo has surprised me so much in the depth of cultural offerings. But beyond that, what my family and I really enjoy about Kalamazoo is the people. You see a lot of the same people. And they’re just open and friendly and welcoming, and have reached out to us to meet. It’s a very unique, warm, friendly community. ■

Pierre van der Westhuizen

courtesy photo

“Kalamazoo has surprised me so much in the depth of cultural offerings.

But beyond that, what my family and I really enjoy about Kalamazoo is the people. ... It’s a very unique, warm, friendly community. ”

Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018 |

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The People’s Pianist 2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit cultivates human connection through music

by Samara Napolitan

Igor Levit’s performance mindset changes day to day, but it always factors in one significant element.

“I care about people. That’s what drives me. Not necessarily places or pianos, but people,” he said.

This humanist perspective, along with staggering technical abilities and intellectual depth, has helped propel the 31-year-old to the heights of the classical music world.

Being named the 2018 recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award is the latest manifestation of Levit’s eminence. Every four years, one lucky recipient receives this MacArthur “genius” grant of the music world, which includes $300,000 and a spotlight that can be transformative. “(Receiving this award) is a mixture between a great deal of joy and a great deal of surprise,” Levit said.

After four years of deliberation, the Gilmore believes it’s well deserved.

“For me, he’s a phenomenally gifted artist and someone who is not only connected to the heritage of classical music, but also committed to contemporary composers,” said Gilmore Director Emeritus Dan Gustin. “He’s very open and thoughtful about changing times, so I think that an artist like that really bodes well for the future of music.”

When Levit was eight, his family emigrated from Nizhny Novgorod in Russia and settled in Hanover, Germany. He was recognized as an artist to watch even before completing his piano studies at the Hannover Academy of Music, Theatre and Media in 2009 (with the highest academic and performance scores in its history). Today, he has established an international following through concert performances around the world, and has released several universally acclaimed recordings for Sony Classical.

For his debut recording project with Sony in 2013, Levit selected Beethoven’s last five sonatas — ”two hours of sublime riddles, the realm of such erudite masters as Maurizio Pollini and Mitsuko Uchida,” said New Yorker music critic Alex Ross in his review of the album.

“After a few minutes, I was transfixed,” Ross said. “Here was playing of technical brilliance, tonal allure, intellectual drive, and an elusive quality that the Germans indicate with the word Innigkeit, or inwardness.”

Levit’s 2015 release was even more ambitious: a three-CD album comprised of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, and The People United Will Never Be Defeated! by American composer and pianist Frederic Rzweski.

“Variations have been my most beloved, desirable musical form,” Levit said of his decision to use the three colossal works for the record.

The inclusion of The People United alongside Bach and Beethoven was a deliberate gesture by Levit. Rzewski is best known for his works that address sociopolitical themes, such as the plight of prisoners and struggles of the working class. The People United, for instance, uses a Chilean liberation anthem as its starting point.

Ever since first discovering the work as a student, Levit knew he wanted to record it alongside the Goldberg and Diabelli variations, and that it was deserving of the same exaltation.

“I really think these are the three greatest, most essential variations that we have,” Levit said. “It’s such incredible, storytelling music.”

2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit. photos: Robbie Lawrence

Teaching and Transforming For WMU’s Sims, career as a pianist instills flexibility

by Jane Simons

Politics not only pervade Levit’s repertoire, but also complete his identity as a musician and a global citizen. He regularly and unabashedly speaks his mind on Twitter (@igorpianist). Pinned to the top of his profile is a pre-concert statement he gave on Nov. 9, 2016, in which he declared, “We must speak out and do what we can to keep our societies humane and just. … We can raise our voice, and we should raise our voice.”

“It’s the single most important part of my life that I can possibly remember,” Levit said of his political awareness and responsibility. “We live in very, very difficult times, with no way to foresee if it will turn out well or not. But giving up is not an option.”

This year, Levit makes his Gilmore Keyboard Festival debut, playing the Goldberg Variations in the Stetson Chapel on May 9. A collaborative staging of the work at New York’s Park Avenue Armory with performance artist Marina Abramovic garnered attention in 2015. At

Igor Levit, 2018 Gilmore Artist

Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 9, 2 p.m., $30

Festival Finale: Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra with Igor Levit, 2018 Gilmore Artist Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 12, 8 p.m., $35-$65

each performance, audience members were asked to surrender their belongings (including mobile phones), don noise-cancelling headphones, and sit in silence for 30 minutes. Only then did Levit begin to play.

Levit’s Gilmore Festival performance makes no such request of its attendees. However, he says the Abramovic collaboration gets at the heart of what he hopes to experience with all of his audiences.

“It’s about the people first, and the project with Marina brought out exactly this,” Levit said. “It was about all of us together. We all had time, and a sort of innate, emotional faith to focus on ourselves.”

At the festival finale, Levit performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.

“This piece is an incredibly improvisational one,” Levit said. “It incites a super free, personal, subjective voice within the group. It’s very difficult and requires a great deal of trust between you and the orchestra musicians.”

Levit is still determining what winning the Gilmore Artist Award means for him. This includes his plans for the prize money.

“On a daily basis, I’m thinking about how to use this award, but I am certain I will not use it in an egoistic way,” Levit said.

On March 3, he revealed on Twitter that he is recording again (although he didn’t reveal the repertoire). In the meantime, he draws inspiration from his travels and the people he interacts with along the way.

“I remain as much of a curious person as I’ve always been, and I try to maintain that,” Levit said. ■

Lori Sims’ ability to embrace new possibilities as a concert pianist has given her opportunities to broaden the appeal of classical music to the youngest concertgoers.

While Sims’ performances have spanned the U.S., Europe and China, the professor of music at Western Michigan University thinks youths around the globe hold the future of music in their hands.

“It’s fantastic to teach college students, but I look at teaching little kids as broadening the audience and keeping music alive,” Sims said.

This year, Sims will perform as part of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival for the eighth time. In 2000, she was the first local artist to be featured at the festival, and this year’s concert honors distinguished composer William Bolcom’s 80th birthday and includes works from his teachers, Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen.

“I always feel like I’m warmly received and I’ve done some of my best concerts here,” Sims said. “Some people really don’t like to play on their own turf — I enjoy it.”

A Colorado native, Sims grew up with parents who both played the piano and traced their first meeting back to a music camp. They were her first teachers. Later, she studied with Larry Graham, Leon Fleisher, Daniel Pollack, Claude Frank and Arie Vardi.

These days, Sims balances teaching with more regional performances while raising a 12-year-old son whose own busy schedule is factored into hers. She has short and long practice routines ranging between two to four hours.

“I’ve been playing the piano for 45 years,” Sims said. “At my age, it’s not particularly healthy to be knocking out five-hour-a-day practices.”

As the demands on her life and her own career trajectory took new turns, Sims has learned to be flexible to changes. If anyone had told her that at some point she

would spend half of her practice time on modern music, she would have laughed.

“For the longest time, I dedicated myself to 19th century Romantic music,” Sims said. “Now I’m turning to something new, and that’s doing more new and modern music by living composers.”

Although she feels that new music tends to be easily dismissed, she tries to present it in a way that’s accessible. She does not play favorites, preferring instead to explore a variety of composers and time periods.

This adaptability has translated well to her role as a teacher. She does not hold the mindset that the only successful outreach is one that gets thousands of people excited, instead measuring success one individual at a time.

“It’s education that brings people to music camps and concerts and supporting musicians,” Sims said. “I believe that some of my littlest students and college students will carry music into their professional lives in other ways.” ■

Lori Sims Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo May 11, 2 p.m., $15

Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018 |

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Q&A: Dan Gustin Gilmore Keyboard Festival Director Emeritus

by Josh Veal

When Dan Gustin joined the Gilmore Keyboard Festival at the turn of the millennium, the festival was nine days long. Since then, the event has grown to 18 days, expanded its education and community engagement programs, created an endowment, and increased its commissions of new keyboard music, all under Gustin’s leadership.

Gustin was recruited from the Boston Symphony’s Tanglewood festival, which is larger in budget and scope than the Gilmore. He said he was ready for a change, working with a smaller, more focused organization. “It might be a PT boat rather than a battleship, but when I turned the wheel, it actually changed course,” Gustin said. “I also saw what I thought to be a great potential for growth here.”

Now, after 18 years of growth with the festival, he’s ready to move on again.

Is there anything you might miss at the Gilmore as you step away?

Certainly putting together the festival, which is a great challenge, but to be in a position to put together a festival which focuses mainly on jazz and classical, balancing out newer music and some commissions — along with recognition of all of the great classical repertoire that we have — and focusing it all around the idea of a keyboard, is a great challenge, but it was also a great joy.

Focusing on this one group of instruments definitely is unique.

The keyboard literature, which goes way back to the 16th century right through to the present — and not just piano, but other forms of keyboard — it’s just so enormous. The literature that exists, the repertoire that exists — it’s just mind-boggling how much great music is out there. And to hear it performed on a very, very high level is a real treat.

How does someone like me approach the Gilmore?

Well, what you have to do is buy a ticket. You have to buy a ticket and then you go and you open your ears and

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| Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

listen, and that’s how the art form works, and you’re either moved or you’re not moved, or maybe you’re hungry or didn’t get enough sleep the night before. It all goes into one’s own perception of hearing music, but the discovery is that hearing music live, hearing it played for you, in a setting with others — it’s a very different experience than listening to it on the radio or on a recording. I mean, that’s what we at the Gilmore are trying to get people to do, is to go and hear it live, and recognize there’s nothing quite like it.

There really isn’t.

In my Boston days, I was traveling on the MTA and I heard two young college kids talking, and one said to the other, ‘Do you know Beethoven’s 6th Symphony?’, and the other one said, ‘Do I know it? I own it!’ That’s always haunted me.

I mean, I was glad to hear that he valued Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, but the fact he thought he ‘owned’ it because he had a recording … You know, you don’t ever own music.

It has to be performed for you, and if it’s frozen in a recording, that’s one way to enjoy it, but it’s not the best way.

The best way is to hear a live performance of it, to hear a performer bring his or her talent and artistry, and point of view, to reflect on a great masterpiece.

When it comes to the Gilmore, what do you think goes overlooked? What would people be surprised to find out they enjoy?

Well, I think there is a segment of the community who respect it and who value the fact that we have this great festival here, but who don’t get off their butts and go to concerts. I mean, they’re distracted, they’d have to get a babysitter, or the tickets are expensive, or something else goes on. If I have one frustration, it’s that I wish more people would take advantage of it. Also, people think they know what they like. … (But) what we do in this field is try to encourage people to go to performances and expose themselves to new stuff. It’s exciting. How many times have you been to a performance and been surprised and thought, ‘Geez, wow!’ I mean, there are disappointments too, but when you’re surprised, it’s a moment you treasure forever.

And the Gilmore is working to make these experiences accessible.

You know, I mentioned ticket prices, and people have this sense of, ‘Oh geez, I can get into a movie for $8 and you know, this is costing me $20.’ People in West Michigan need to understand that we take great pride and we work very hard to make sure that the ticket prices for the festival are modest or moderate. So, I think if I had any frustration, it’s the fact that I don’t think people realize what a great value it is. ■

Dan Gustin

photo: Mark Bugnaski

“You know, you don’t ever own music. It has to be performed for you, and if it’s frozen in a recording, that’s one way to enjoy it, but it’s not the best way. The best way is to hear a live performance of it, to hear a performer bring his or her talent and artistry, and point of view, to reflect on a great masterpiece.”

Julien Labro Photo: Anna Webber

New Perspective Julien Labro is redefining the accordion

by Jane Simons

When Julien Labro performs, he wants to change your mind about what the accordion can do.

And Labro will attempt just that with an April 27 performance at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Although he has performed numerous times in Michigan, this is his first appearance at the Gilmore, which he has thought was “very cool” for at least 10 years now.

“Now, it’s reality. I’m going to enjoy every minute for sure,” Labro said.

During the first half of his show, he will be accompanied by a pianist in more of a

chamber style featuring classical music.

“For the second part, I’ll be bringing my jazz quartet in and we will feature more of my own compositions and the jazzier side of things,” he said.

Composing is second nature to Labro, who is just as comfortable writing a concerto for the accordion as he is putting together arrangements for chamber music groups, modern jazz bands or orchestras.

If he’s not writing for himself, he’s usually writing for someone else.

While not everything he composes makes it onto the performance stage, Labro said he thinks anything is possible.

In addition to the accordion, he also plays the bandoneon, an instrument closely related to the accordion and considered an essential instrument in tango ensembles.

“I use my instrument as a tool and if I find a key that touches me profoundly, I

Julien Labro Quartet Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo April 27, 8 p.m., $15-$35

need to find ways to adapt the music,” Labro said. “The more you do it, you realize what works and what doesn’t. I try to make anything sound good on the accordion.”

Labro performs with other solo artists and musical groups, but he said there’s nothing quite like playing with an orchestra.

“The sounds of 50 musicians around you is so amazing. When you’re in sync with the orchestra, it multiplies the message,” Labro said.

The Winnipeg Press said in a review of his music that, “Labro plays the chromatic accordion with the style and verve of a rock musician, maintaining the European cabaret feel of Gypsy jazz, but adding a more modern, innovative touch. Who would have expected the accordion to sound so hip?”

His journey from a small town in France to performance venues around the world began when Labro saw a television program that showed a singer accompanied by an accordion player. He was nine years old at the time and captivated by the melodies created by the singer and her accompanist. His parents rented him an accordion and found an instructor.

Labro said he knew right away, “this was going to be something I wanted to do permanently. It was my life’s calling.”

Unlike many children who study an instrument, he said he never watched the clock while practicing and never thought of it as a chore. His mastery with the accordion got him into competitions that took him all over Europe.

“In Europe, there’s quite a culture of competition. It’s a little bit like the Olympics,” Labro said. “You might start at the regional level and if you do well, you go to nationals and then you compete internationally.”

After competing as a youth, Labro went on to attend the Marseilles Conservatory.

Following that, he enrolled at Wayne State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in classical accordion and master’s degrees in composition and jazz.

“I knew if I stuck with this, it could end up being a career for me,” Labro said.

His optimism was bolstered by the popularity of the accordion in Europe.

Labro said he had a number of professional accordion players who were his mentors.

“Because we have many more accordion players in Europe, they’ve been able to break the stigma surrounding the instrument,” Labro said. “In the United States, when anybody mentions the accordion, they think of Lawrence Welk. What I’ve been trying to do is very different than that.

“People are still amazed at what that instrument can do. I love the fact that I’ve been able to change peoples’ minds about it.” ■ Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018 |

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Helping Hand

Master pianist Leon Fleisher explains his love for teaching, music and conducting

by Marin Heinritz

When Leon Fleisher was four years old, his mother gave him two choices: he could become the first Jewish president of the United States, or he could become a great pianist.

“In those days, the presidency really speak. I stay away from those, but I deal seemed a lot farther out than it does today, with the ones that I can deal with,” he said. so I chose music, not that I knew what the Fleisher will be performing at The hell I was choosing,” he said.

Gilmore Keyboard Festival as part of an Fleisher, who will turn 90 this year, is all-Mozart program on May 9. widely regarded as one of the finest piaFleisher was the featured pianist, along nists of the past century. He now considers with Van Cliburn, at the very first Gilmore himself lucky that his mother had such high festival in 1991, where he performed a aspirations for him more than 85 years ago. newly written piano concerto by American “I think this was one of those rare cases composer C. Curtis-Smith with the Kalamawhere the ambition of the parent just hapzoo Symphony Orchestra. He has returned pens to coincide with whatever gift the twice since, most recently in 2014. child might have,” he said. “That doesn’t Dan Gustin, director emeritus of The happen too often.”

Gilmore, worked closely with Fleisher Though he became a greater and more when they were both directors at the renowned musician than his mother could Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Mass. have possibly imagined, he was struck a Gustin described him as “one of my musiterrible blow at 36, amid cal heroes.” the apex of his career as “Fleisher is the last pera concert pianist. An injury forming ‘member’ of the to his right hand eventuimportant wave of Ameri“In those days, ally was diagnosed as can pianists that flourished the presidency focal dystonia, an incurfor several decades beginreally seemed able condition that caused ning in the middle of the his fingers to stiffen and last century,” Gustin said. a lot farther curl, rendering playing the “We are very honored that out than it keyboard impossible. Givhe will be here during the en the forced limitations, festival for a master class does today, so he turned his attention to and a performance of the I chose music, conducting, teaching and beautiful Mozart’s Piano not that I knew playing the left-handed Concerto, K. 414, a work repertoire. that I know is very special what the hell I His decades-long to him.” was choosing.” journey of recovery and The program will also triumphant story has been include the overture to documented in the 2006 The Marriage of Figaro and Oscar-nominated film Two Hands, as well Symphony No. 35, conducted by Grand as his 2010 memoir, My Nine Lives.

Rapids Symphony Music Director Marcelo The condition continues to affect him, Lehninger, as well as the Mozart Two-Piano though with experimental treatments, inConcerto, K. 365, performed by Alon Goldcluding Botox and Rolfing, among others, stein and Yury Shadrin, two of Fleisher’s Fleisher has been able to play with both prominent students. hands since the 1990s.

Fleisher is passionate about teaching, a “I can deal with certain kinds of music, phenomenon which he credits to his own and other kinds of music from a pianistic teacher, Artur Schnabel, who’s part of a point of view are more recalcitrant, so to lineage of student-mentor relationships

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Leon Fleisher, who will turn 90 this year, is widely regarded as one of the finest pianists of the past century. photo: Eli Turner traced back to Beethoven.

“My teacher, my great teacher, one of the great musicians of the 20th century, loved teaching,” Fleisher said. “It was an act of love in a way. I think I learned that from him.”

And teaching, of course, goes far beyond merely helping students learn technique.

“The aspect of mastering your instrument, that has very little to do with the gift, the talent for making irresistible music out of all these notes,” Fleisher said. “In music, one of our goals is to speak, is to be eloquent, is to be moving.”

Fleisher continues to move audiences as well as students all over the world with a grueling schedule that includes teaching, conducting and performing — often with his wife, Kathy, a former piano student of his, in what he describes as split concerts: “I play the first half myself and on the second half we play four hands, one piano — of which there’s an extraordinarily large and beautiful repertoire.”

Just as Fleisher views his practically forced entry into piano as a child, he sees his continued ability to immerse himself professionally in music — despite the physical limitations of his right hand — as a great fortune.

“I’ve been somewhat limited just in terms of making music on the piano. Music is still there. I can make it as a teacher. I can make music as a conductor. I still have it available to me,” he said. “It’s a core part of my life. It’s not exclusively relegated to making two-handed music on the piano.

For that, I’m really just unspeakably lucky.” ■

Leon Fleisher

Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 9, 9 p.m., $18-$38

Round Two

Former Young Artist Award winner Orion Weiss returns with new music

by Dana Casadei

Pianist Orion Weiss is making his return to the Gilmore Keyboard Festival for the first time in over a decade.

The reason it’s taken so long for the 1999 Gilmore Young Artist Award winner to return: “I don’t want to be a party crasher.”

“Now, they’ve asked me to come, which I think is the correct way to show up at the festival as a performer,” Weiss said.

On May 7, Weiss will put on a concert with violinist Benjamin Beilman, who Weiss has known for years. Their performance will include two Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano and Bartók’s sonata from 1922. It also will feature the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by American composer Frederic Rzewski, who wrote the four-movement sonata specifically for the duo.

Weiss noted it’s a difficult piece to play for both him and Beilman, but it’s

going to take the audience on an emotional journey.

“It’s got a story to it, there’s a powerful narrative that I think will come across,” Weiss said.

Weiss will not only perform at this year’s festival but also will teach one of the festival’s master classes on May 7. It’s a chance for the acclaimed pianist to share his process and discuss how he’s developed his capabilities, ideally with people who are younger than he is. Weiss, 36, has been offering master classes at festivals since his late teens.

“It’s a loose term, master class,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that I’m like Obi Wan Kenobi.”

His sense of humor and immense talent have made Weiss one of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of American musicians, by orchestras all around the world. Although he started playing the piano at age 3, Weiss says he didn’t really enjoy playing until he was a pre-teen. By the time he applied to colleges, his sole focus was on getting into a music school, which is how he ended up at Juilliard.

Through it all, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival still holds a special place in his heart, he said. Receiving the Gilmore Young Artist Award at age 17 helped kickstart his career. Now he’s excited to come back more seasoned than he was during that first performance in 2000.

“That’s what we do as performers, we keep playing to try to get better and grow as an artist,” Weiss said. “I think especially to get to share one’s growth with an audience over years of time, they can see how you’ve changed, and happily reunite with them.” ■

Master Class: Orion Weiss May 7, 9:30 a.m., FREE

Benjamin Beilman, violin; Orion Weiss, piano May 7, 8 p.m., $15+ Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo

Orion Weiss. photo: Jacob Blickenstaff

Happy Birthday!

Leon Fleisher

Celebrating the lives of musicians

Leonard Bernstein

During the festival, music isn’t the only cause for celebration. The performers, composers and conductors who make music possible matter just as much, which is why the Gilmore is celebrating their birthdays. Check out the list below to see which composers and pianists will have their big day commemorated. by Dana Casadei

Late Night with Leonard Bernstein Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001 May 3, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Leonard Bernstein was well-known for many things, including his night owl tendencies, hence the title for his 100th birthday celebration. The program follows Bernstein’s journey from a prodigiously gifted undergraduate to his early efforts as an aspiring composer and music arranger, all woven together by a video slideshow and narration by his eldest daughter, Jamie. Considered an affectionate, multimedia portrait of the maestro’s personal side, Late Night will feature pianists John Mus-

to and Michael Boriskin, along with acclaimed soprano Amy Burton.

Michael Brown Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204 May 4, 2 p.m., $15 Winner of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the talented pianist-composer Michael Brown will continue the celebration of Bernstein’s 100th birthday celebration. The New York Times described Brown as “darkly alluring … a confident young composer with a talent for precision.” He will celebrate the life of Leonard Bernstein with works from the legendary composer and two of his own works.

Leon Fleisher’s Birthday Celebration Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave. May 9, 8 p.m., $18-$28 One of the world’s greatest pianists, Leon Fleisher, is celebrating his 90th birthday doing what he does best: playing the piano. The all-Mozart evening will include performances

by Fleisher; two of his prominent students, Alon Goldstein and Yury Shadrin; and the Gilmore Festival Chamber Orchestra. Having made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1944, Fleisher isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

Lori Sims Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204 May 11, 2 p.m., $15 Celebrating composer William Bolcom’s 80th birthday will be renowned pianist Lori Sims, currently the John T. Bernard Professor of Music at Western Michigan University..

Works by Bolcom, as well as Bolcom’s teachers Milhaud and Messiaen, will be included in her performance, adding to her long list of appearances at the festival. Bolcom’s first symphony will be played by the Kalamazoo Symphony the following evening.

Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018 |

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’s c i s u M l a c i s Clas

h t l a e St

f o s e n e c s e h Behind t

by Marin Heinritz

Winning the Gilmore Artist Award is lifechanging, and yet no one sees it coming.

There’s no competition to enter — it can only be earned by being one of the greatest young pianists in the world.

The $300,000 award is purposefully shrouded in mystery so no one can tip the scales. Then, when one artist is chosen to receive it every four years, his or her life can suddenly shift course in a major way.

Shortly after Igor Levit was announced as this year’s Gilmore Artist Award winner, the New York Times ran a 2000-word profile on him that took up an entire page of newsprint in the paper’s massively circulated Sunday edition. The kind of exposure Levit has already received is exactly what the award was designed to do: shine a spotlight on emerging, promising talent.

“It’s a major boost to a young artist,” said Dan Gustin, director emeritus of the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based nonprofit that administers the quadrennial award.

Gustin said the design of the award is to “recognize somebody who has the potential to create a major career in music as a performing artist.”

The Gilmore Award remains unique among the approximately 800 piano competitions the world over—not just for the enormity of the prize money, but because no one actually competes for it.

Even as the number of traditional piano competitions continues to grow, one criticism that’s often leveled against them is that they fail to launch careers because judges value homogeneity rather than individual style. Not surprisingly, many artists find this stifling. In 2009, Italian virtuoso Roberto Prosseda told The New York Times he had quit the competition game because juries want a “standard” performance, adding, “The public doesn’t want us to play the standard way perfectly. The public wants us to make them cry.”

d r a w A t s e i h

n o i t i t e p m o c no n a g n i n n i f w The Gilmore, however, celebrates and seeks out that individual style. Somewhat akin to the so-called “genius grants” awarded by the MacArthur Foundation, the Gilmore Award winners have no idea they’ve been contenders.

“This is an award, it’s not a prize. It’s not something you compete for and win,” Gustin said. “That’s very important to the whole psychology of the process itself. There are no losers. I mean, any pianist worth his salt hopes that he or she is being looked at, but nobody knows.”

Every four years, The Gilmore appoints an anonymous group of five people from the international music community to elicit nominations of pianists from around the globe. For the past 15 years, the committee has included artistic directors from places such as Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony as well as Grammy Award-winning producers of classical music and musicologists, among others.

“They’ve come from all over,” Gustin said. “I have people who are musical generalists on it, who are involved in the international music scene in significant ways. They’re not academics. They’re not piano teach-

Every four years Gustin has appointed an anonymous group of five people from the international music community who elicit nominations from all over the world. The committee has included artistic directors from places such as Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony as well as Grammy Award-winning producers of classical music and musicologists, among others.

ers. And they’re not, for the most part, pianists. So they have a certain independent point of view.”

The group of five, along with Gustin, consider the nominations as well as finalists from previous years, and then spends two years traveling the globe, attending concerts, sometimes even surreptitiously arranging performances. They listen to and watch recordings of live performances, conferring with one another on what they’ve observed.

This is much the way it’s been done since the award was designed 30 years ago by David Pocock, the Gilmore Festival’s first artistic director. However, now the committee also has the benefit and ease of technology, including a private website through which they communicate and exchange information such as live performance recordings.

“We used to exchange CDs,” Gustin said. “Now it’s all done electronically, and we’ll reference and talk to one another on the website, or when we meet, about this performance compared to that performance, and we can reference it right away — immediately — and demonstrate the thing that we wanted to point out.”

However, overall it’s still an expensive and timeconsuming process, and the committee members are not compensated for participating, but it’s the only way to thoroughly evaluate a more complete picture of each musician’s potential.

“Not based on the snapshot of a competition where there’s one or two performances playing a certain kind of repertoire that’s told to them in advance, but rather, in the natural setting for a performer, that is the concert hall, playing different repertoire to different audiences on different instruments,” Gustin said.

“You’re able to get a much broader sense of who the artist is if you hear them in a number of different circumstances over time.”

“It’s the total musician,” said Zaide Pixley, a musicologist and Kalamazoo College Professor Emerita on the board of The Gilmore Festival. “Not just the way they do it, but the range of things they can do.”

The painstakingly thorough process also leads to the discovery of well-rounded musicians who might otherwise be overlooked.

“They’ve tried to find people who were extremely promising, but were on the cusp of their careers. So in some ways, they were taking a chance or kind of sensing that this person really has something special,” she said. “You’re not competing for it, so people can really see you.”

Gustin said the winner always emerges by consensus and the committee has never taken a vote.

“We just come to consensus, and I’m very proud of that because we don’t have a set of criteria where we give somebody 75 percent or an A there and a B there. Nothing like that,” he said.

The award serves as the center of the hub of the overall festival, which has more than doubled in size since it began, with more than 35,000 attendees in 2016, and an estimated economic impact to Kalamazoo County of more than $4 million.

“It’s fun, it’s a secret, who is it? People want to know,” Pixley said. “It’s a focal point. It helps put the rest of it in a context.”

Once a winner is chosen, the prize money is carefully dispersed in keeping with the award’s desire to help deliberately guide and further promising pianists’ careers. Or, as Gustin quipped, “so they don’t just go out and buy a Maserati.” After an initial sum of approximately $50,000 is given, the rest of the $300,000 is spent in collaboration with the Gilmore organization “on projects and aspects of their career development, or their education, that will help them advance their career,” Gustin said.

And the impact for the recipient in terms of exposure is undoubtable. Ingrid Fliter, who won the award in 2006, described it in an email as “life-changing.”

“Before it, everything was more of a lonely fight. After the Gilmore, the doors of the world opened to me.

I got everything I dreamt of professionally,” she said.

That has included an important recording contract with EMI Classics, and new agents in the United States and Europe who have helped book a greater number and quality of concerts for her.

The first female to be awarded the Gilmore, Fliter will be returning to this year’s festival as a performer.

“It was a very challenging moment in my life, but deeply enriching,” she said. “And very importantly, I felt supported and trusted by an incredible group of people which became a sort of an extended family for me!” ■ Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018 |

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Bell’s brews up special beer for Gilmore Keyboard Festival

W

hen legendary jazz pianist Dave Brubeck was asked if jazz was dead in a 1989 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, the musician quickly defended the genre’s viability, saying it was quintessential to the U.S. music scene, if not America itself.

“Jazz stands for freedom,” Brubeck was quoted in the report. “It’s supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise, and take chances, and don’t be a perfectionist — leave that to the classical musicians.”

That penchant for improvisation and embrace of risk-taking parallels the rise of the also uniquely American craft beer movement, among the early pioneers of which was Bell’s Brewery Inc. in Kalamazoo.

In a show of community support and its commitment to the arts, Bell’s partnered with the hometown Gilmore Keyboard Festival this year for a limited-release beer “made in the key of hops, barley and yeast.”

The Golden Ale clocks in at 5 percent alcohol by volume, and features a light straw color and low bitterness.

Tasting notes for the one-off beer describe it as crisp, clean and balanced — the perfect complement to a celebration of the festival’s world-class music.

Available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles, this beer only will be distributed in the Kalamazoo area to coincide with the Gilmore Keyboard Festival.

— Reported by Joe Boomgaard

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| Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

Inspired by Insomnia Late Night with Leonard Bernstein honors a musical icon

by Samara Napolitan

Whether it’s a kitchen table, the fireplace or in front of the television, people gravitate toward certain spaces to connect, share and live. In the home of Leonard Bernstein, the piano acted as that social magnet to draw family and friends together.

“My dad would naturally drift over to the piano and play music related to whatever we were talking about,” said Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of Leonard Bernstein.

“He might play the jingle from some ad that we saw on TV, or a pop song we heard on the radio. (The piano) was the place where stuff got worked out that was in the soundtrack of our lives.”

Late Night with Leonard Bernstein at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival brings these moments of creativity and camaraderie to life on May 3 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Narrated by Jamie, the multimedia cabaret recreates night owl work sessions and wee-hour soirees that occured in the Bernstein household.

“The whole idea of the evening is that it’s a kind of guided tour inside my father’s insomniac brain,” Jamie said.

Knowing that Leonard “had a motor in his mind that he couldn’t shut off” helps explain the monumental creative output during his lifetime. His fame is in part derived from his long tenure as conductor at the New York Philharmonic.

He led the orchestra for 11 seasons as music director and was the first American-born-and-trained conductor to do so. As a composer, he is known for his work in many forms — from the beloved Broadway musical West Side Story and his operetta, Candide, to his second symphony, The Age of Anxiety.

Leonard was also a great communicator and was the first conductor to give televised lectures on music for children and adults.

“Everything he did was a kind of teaching, imparting information and sharing whatever it was he was excited about,” Jamie said.

Michael Boriskin, John Musto, Jamie Bernstein and Amy Burton, in Leonard Bernstein’s apartment in the Dakota, New York City.

Photo: Richard Bowditch

Humanitarianism was also important to her father.

“He devoted his entire life to trying to make the world a better place, and when he saw injustice, he spoke out,” she said.

Late Night honors all of these dimensions of the maestro’s personality and legacy. The event launched with soldout performances at Lincoln Center and Copland House in 2011. Now, it’s coming to The Gilmore Festival to celebrate what would have been Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday.

The program features the talents of two pianists, Michael Boriskin and John Musto, and a soprano, Amy Burton, as it traces Leonard’s journey back to his beginnings as a gifted undergraduate student and aspiring composer. Alongside Jamie’s narration and video excerpts,

Late Night with Leonard Bernstein Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo May 3, 8:00 p.m., $15-$35

the musicians perform several compositions by Copland, Schubert, Grieg and others.

“He was this very outgoing, social person who loved to be the center of the party,” Jamie said. “So some of the material in the show includes showboating piano pieces he would love to play to amuse everyone.”

While the program nods to Leonard’s gregariousness, it also captures his contemplative side.

“He composed late at night when the rest of the world was asleep, and there were no interruptions,” Jamie said.

The results of these work sessions were often piano sketches dedicated to important people in his life.

“We like including these piano sketches because they evoke that quiet, personal side of his personality,” Jamie said.

Leonard Bernstein aficionados may be surprised by rare video clips, zany musical gags and the unveiling of scrapped ideas — all intended to evoke his mischievousness and deep fondness for music.

“The atmosphere I grew up in was lively and informal, with funny songs and word games,” Jamie said. “We basically swam in music.” ■

Found in Translation

A great interpreter returns with music just for the Gilmore

by Samara Napolitan

Kirill Gerstein’s repertoire spans a breadth of styles, yet his masterful fingertips reveal the unique depth and inner beauty of every piece.

A background in jazz, a discerning intelligence and a naturally curious mind make the Jewish-American/Russian pianist uniquely attuned to composers’ intentions — bringing clarity and poetic insight to a variety of works. His unique interpretative style has propelled him to the top of the classical music world, with honors including the first prize at the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and the 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award.

In 2010, Gerstein was named winner of the Gilmore Artist Award and has returned to perform at the festival ever since as an audience favorite. He has supported creative projects and commissioned numerous works through the prize, including an untitled Oliver Knussen piece with the Gilmore in 2016. Gerstein talked with Revue about recent projects as well as his plans for the 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival.

How has your life changed since receiving the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award?

It has grown and expanded in all directions. A good part of that is owed to the award in terms of the things that it enabled me to do creatively, such as commission new pieces from composers and have funds for various artistic projects. And the prestige of the award is something that helps to further open doors — to create possibilities. It is up to the artist to walk through the doors, but the award is certainly very helpful in both of those ways.

Photo: Marco Borggreve

In 2015, you recorded the 1879 version of Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” instead of the popular, posthumously published 1894 version. Similarly, your newest recording reflects new attitudes toward George Gershwin’s music. Why take on projects that consider composers’ original intentions?

The main impulse is really from curiosity.

As an interpreter, I think it’s necessary to try to be informed about what it is you’re trying to interpret. Today we have an availability of information like never before. It’s there to be mined, understood and then put together in some way that is hopefully interesting. When you uncover that for a hundred years we’re not playing what the composer originally wrote, the next nor-

mal step is to ask: What did he write? Was it so bad that it needed fixing? There have been a lot of well-wishers along the life span of these pieces. The well-wishing was fine, but it didn’t necessarily help.

What sounds and ideas do you explore in your 2018 Gilmore Festival solo recital, which includes works by Bach, Debussy, Chopin, Thomas Adés and a rarely heard sonata by Schumann?

It interests me to contrast Bach and Chopin with the works of Debussy. There’s a juxtaposition of a certain Germanic objectivity with this French world of impressionism at the turn of the century. And if there was ever a German composer that Debussy admired, it was Bach. In the second half,

Kirill Gerstein

Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo May 2, 2 p.m., $15 Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo May 4, 8 p.m., $15-$35

I play three waltzes by Chopin. Very often, these waltzes are either followed or interspersed with Chopin mazurkas. I didn’t want to do the obvious thing, so I play three mazurkas by Thomas Adés, a great living British composer. The Schumann sonata is a wildly imaginative piece. If there are 19th century composers that speak to somebody like Adés and other living composers, Schumann would be it. So, there are many connections that abound.

You’re also doing a unique performance with works that respond to the World Wars, including a piece by Nazi concentration camp victim Viktor Ullmann.

Why are you compelled to perform these works?

Music doesn’t exist in isolation — you can trace whatever was happening in the world through the response of composers.

I think these pieces retain that strength, particularly the piece by Ullmann. It’s for narrator and piano, in the words of the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke. I absolutely adore the combination of the speaking voice and music, which is a genre that was very popular in late 19th century and then later overlooked. I also like the idea that at a festival, things occur that you ordinarily wouldn’t experience anywhere else. Every time I come to the Gilmore Festival, I always try to combine familiar concert formats with something that’s a bit more unusual. ■

Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018 |

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Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

Events calendar 4.144.28 Gilmore Family Concerts

For two weeks, the Gilmore present s it s Family Concerts, which are fun for child and adult alike. Visit thegilmore.org for more information.

4.21 Chasing Chopin with Alpin Hong Little Theatre 883 Oakland Dr., Kalamazoo April 21, 7:30 p.m., $5 adults, kids free Most pianists don’t have a background in extreme sports, martial arts and videogames, but Alpin Hong

isn’t most pianists. As a true showman, he drives crowds wild with his enigmatic charm, engaging movem e nt s a n d u n co m m o n humor. Now, the Michigan native is bringing Chasing Chopin to the Gilmore. It’s a unique mashup of autobiographical storytelling and dazzling piano performance, exploring personal moments through comedy, tragedy and poignancy.

There’s truly nothing like it, and it’s family-friendly to boot.

4.25 Opening Night Dinner and Performances Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo April 25, 6 p.m., $160 The 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival will kick off with an incredible celebration, featuring 2006 Gilmore Artist

Best Bets

Jazz:

Christian TrioFestival 2018 14 | Sands Gilmore Keyboard

Ingrid Fliter, the young accordion master Julien Labro, a n d p i a n i s t /c o m p o s e r Gregg Kallor.

4.255.10 Master Classes

Throughout the festival, respected and renowned artists will work one-onone with local college piano students to “reveal the fine details of great music making.” These sessions are free and open to the public. Visit thegilmore.org for details, or see sidebar on page 19.

4.26 Christian Sands Trio See: Best Bet.

Bell’s Brewery, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo April 26, 6:30 p.m. (sold out) & 9 p.m., $30 At the 2012 Gilmore Festival, Christian Sands captivated audiences with his invigorating take on standard repertoire and extensive vocabulary within the language of jazz. This year, the 28-year-old pianist returns with his trio for two shows at Bell’s Brewery.

Sands is a Steinway Artist and a five-time Grammy nominee who says his music “is about teaching the way of jazz and keeping it alive.” From stride to swing, bebop to fusion, Brazilian to Afro-Cuban, Sands’ use of diverse jazz styles is masterful and fluid. Sands’ 2017 major record label debut, Reach, not only exhibits his diverse technical prowess, but also an energetic flair for composition and arranging. Sands’ original songs on the record offer an innovative palette of sounds, from the precise, Iberian-tinged opener “Armando’s Song” to the moody, sci-fi odyssey “Freefall.”

Trio members Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Marcus Baylor on drums contribute to the record’s spunk and spirit.

4.27 Fliter & Friends Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204, Kalamazoo April 27, 2 p.m, $15 (sold out) The 2006 Gilmore Artist, Ingrid Fliter, is returning to perform with clarinetist Anton Dressler, violinist David Bowlin and cello player Amir Eldan. The group will perform the Quartet for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen.

Wei Luo First United Methodist Church 212 S. Park St., Kalamazoo April 27, 7:30 p.m., $10 This 2018 Gilmore Young Artist recipient has been playing the piano for more than a decade, and she’s not even 21 yet. Born in Shenzhen, China, Wei Luo started playing at five years old and performed her debut recital in Hong Kong at

Ingrid Fliter only six. Since then, she’s won numerous competitions all over her home country and the world, playing with symphonies like the Kansas City Symphony and Denver Philharmonic along the way. Luo will continue exploring her depth of core repertoire at her three solo concerts, performing pieces by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.

Julien Labro Quartet Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo April 27, 8 p.m., $15-$35 The French-born Julien Labro “plays the chromatic accordion with the style and verve of a rock musician,” according to the Winnipeg Free Press, and performs in genres ranging from classical to folk and jazz. Deemed a triple

Glitz & Glamour:

Liberace!

Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo April 27-May 13, $30-$35, farmersalleytheatre.com There has never been anyone quite like Wladziu Valentino Liberace. The child prodigy became the highest-paid entertainer in the world during the ’50s, known for his outrageously flamboyant showmanship and astonishing skill. At the same time, he was criticized for his loose interpretations of songs, consistently making them more dramatic than the original composer likely intended. As the late Liberace once said, “I don’t give concerts, I put on a show.” Liberace!, the one-man show presented in conjunction with Farmers Alley Theatre, explores the highs and lows of the titular star’s glamorous life. It’s a moving and entertaining tour de force, filled with

a wildly diverse piano score, from Chopin to Rachmaninov to ragtime. Starring David Maiocco, Liberace! celebrates — and captures the essence of — an iconic performer like no other.

Best Bets

threat for his work as a brilliant technician, poetic melodist and cunning arranger, Labro has earned worldwide acclaim for the unique and creative artistry he brings to the stage.

Grand Rapids Symphony with Rafał Blechacz DeVos Performance Hall 303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids April 27, 8 p.m., $18+ It’s no small feat to take home first place in the International Chopin Piano Competition, an event that attracts the greatest talent in the world. Since doing just that in 2005, and then becoming the Gilmore Artist in 2014, Rafał Blechacz has achieved world fame in the world of music. His profound skill with Chopin’s work will be on display when he performs the composer’s first piano concerto with the Grand Rapids Symphony for two nights. The team is also performing Canto by Adam Schoenberg and Symphony No. 2, Op. 73 by Brahms.

4.28 Murray Perahia Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo April 28, 8 p.m., $18-$38 Having a career that now spans more than 40 years, pianist Murray Perahia is definitely a legend in the piano world, and one of the greatest pianists of our time. The native New Yorker — who began playing at four and attended Mannes College — has received two Grammy Awards and several Gramophone Awards.

His worldwide recognition as a musician of rare musi-

cal sensitivity is showcased in his extensive discography and seen at his performances all over the world. He also holds honorary doctorates at Juilliard School, Oxford University, Royal College of Music, Leeds University, Duke University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Wei Luo Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo April 28, 2 p.m., $25 See April 27 entry.

Grand Rapids Symphony with Rafał Blechacz DeVos Performance Hall 303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids April 28, 8 p.m., $18+ See April 27 entry.

4.29 Daniil Trifonov See: Best Bet.

Wei Luo First Congregational Church 345 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo April 29, 4 p.m.

See April 27 entry.

Bill Charlap Trio Williams Theatre 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo April 29, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., $25-$35 Formed in 1997 by jazz pianist Bill Charlap, this trio is making its return to the Gilmore Keyboard Festival stage this year. Last seen in 2004, the dynamic trio is performing its own renditions of Leonard Bernstein’s songs at this performance.

Called “one of the best

piano trios ever” by The Guardian, the group has been nominated for three Grammy Awards since its inception, including in 2018 for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Charlap is also the artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival and well-known for his interpretations of American popular songs.

4.30 Leif Ove Andsnes Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo April 30, 8 p.m., $18-$38 The 1998 Gilmore Artist, Leif Ove Andsnes brings commanding technique to the stage, whether by performing recitals, chamber music or concertos in the world’s leading concert halls. The Norwegian pianist not only has honorary doctorates from The Juilliard School and Norway’s University of Bergen, but he was also inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame in 2013.

One of his most ambitious achievements so far in his career is The Beethoven J o u rn ey, a fo u r-s e a s o n focus on the master composer’s music for piano and orchestra, which took him to 108 cities. Andsnes’ performance at the festival will feature works by Beethoven and Schubert, and several of Sibelius’ lesser-known piano works.

5.1 Lawrence Brownlee Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 1, 2 p.m., $25

Lawrence Brownlee may not pl ay piano, but his world-renowned bel canto tenor pairs perfectly with the ins trum e nt , or any instrument, for that matter. Brownlee is one of the greatest operatic singers alive, with NPR describing his voice as “an instrument of great beauty and expression.” Last year, he was n a m e d M ale S i n g e r of the Year by the International Opera Awards. This year, he’ll perform with pianist Myra Huang, singing Schumann’s poignant song cycle Dichterliebe and a new work, Cycles of My Being, depicting the experience of being a black male in America.

Ingrid Fliter & Katherine Chi Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 1, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Ingrid Fliter and Katherine Chi have each become festival favorites, but have never performed together at the Gilmore. Fliter was named Gilmore Artist in 2006, raking in awards and praise for her recordings both before and after. Chi won the prestigious Honens International Piano Competition in 2000, and was described as having “a lovely knack for making each and every note sing out” by the Grand Rapids Press. The duo will perform an incredible evening of two-piano, four-hand duets.

5.2 Kirill Gerstein Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204, Kalamazoo May 2, 2 p.m., $25

Solo Pianist:

Daniil Trifonov Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo April 29, 2 p.m., $15–$35

“He has everything and more. … He has tenderness and also the demonic element. I never heard anything like that.” These words were spoken by legendary pianist Martha Argerich about Daniil Trifonov, shortly after his winning performance at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Argerich’s praise for the young Russian pianist has since been validated by numerous performances with the world’s most esteemed orchestras and venues, as well as recognition as Gramophone’s 2016 Artist of the Year and two Grammy nominations. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, Trifonov is consistently recognized for his diabolical yet elegant technique and transcendent artistry.

For his 2018 Festival appearance, Trifonov traverses the 20th century, playing a seminal work from each decade. The cultural and political tumult of the 20th century shook up the musical establishment, generating styles and structures that challenged traditional notions of rhythm, tonality and energy — and paved the way for the new sounds we hear today.

Trifonov’s 2018 Festival performance not only highlights the idiosyncrasies of composers like Berg, Ligeti, Stockhausen, John Adams and others, but also the vast connections and patterns among them.

It’s been eight years since Kirill Gerstein became the 2010 Gilmore Artist, and eight years before that, he was named a 2002 Gilmore Young Artist. Since then, his rise through the ranks of classical music has only accelerated. The multifaceted Russian pianist used his prize to commission in-

novative new works by Timo Andres, Chick Corea, Oliver Knussen and more. At the age of 14, Gerstein became the youngest student ever to attend the Berklee College of Music, studying jazz piano. This has led to a more interpretive, energetic and expressive style in his classical playing. His Gilm-

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Events calendar (continued)

ore performance includes a varied repertoire, ending with the rarely heard Sonata No. 3 of Robert Schumann.

Benjamin Grosvenor Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 2, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Benjamin Grosvenor has accomplished an astonishing amount for a 24-year-old, winning the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2004 and the first-ever Ronnie and Lawrence Classical Piano Prize in 2016. The Los Angeles Times said he displays “exquisite dynamic control, crisp articulation and sustained lyricism,” while The Independent described his sound as “poetic and gently ironic, brilliant yet clear-minded, intelligent but not without humor.”

His Gilmore performance showcases a diverse repertoire, including Brahms’ Four Pieces, Op. 119, Debussy’s L’apres midi d’un faune, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, among others.

5.3 Late Night with Leonard Bernstein See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

5.4 Michael Brown See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

Elliot Wuu Marshall High School Auditorium 701 N. Marshall Ave., Marshall May 4, 7:30 p.m., $12 adults, $5 students The rising star and 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu has already performed all across North America, Europe and Asia; been featured on NPR’s From the Top; and won numerous awards, including being last year’s winner of the National YoungArts Competition.

Wuu’s becoming known for

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his colorful tones, sensitive musicality and emotional depth in his music, which will be on full display at his performance through pieces by Chopin, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff.

Kirill Gerstein Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 4, 8 p.m., $15-$35 See May 2 entry.

5.5 Battle Creek Symphony w/ Wei Luo W.K. Kellogg Auditorium 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 5, 7:30 p.m., $8-$45 The Battle Creek Symphony will close out its season performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini with 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Wei Luo.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 5, 8 p.m., $25-$65 The Spanish Harlem Orc h e s t r a i s a t wo - t i m e Grammy Award-winning salsa and Latin jazz band with 13 world-class musicians, setting the standard for excellence with authentic, New York-style salsa.

Dr. Lonnie Smith

5.6 Elliot Wuu Vicksburg Performing Arts Center 501 E. Hwy St., Vicksburg May 6, 3 p.m., $12 See May 4 entry.

Dr. Lonnie Smith Williams Theater 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo May 6, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., $25-$35 Dr. Lonnie Smith has been a master and guru of the B-3 organ for the past five decades, but he’s also a composer, performer and recording artist, blessed

with the gift of music at an early age. Smith is credited as a forefather of acid jazz due to his interest in music outside of what many would call the mainstream of jazz. He has been winning awards since 1969, when DownBeat magazine named him Top Organist of the year.

He was also named Organ Keyboardist of the Year from 2003 to 2014 by the Jazz Journalists Association. His Gilmore show will be performed as a trio, with

Jonathon Kreisberg on guitar and Xavier Breaker on drums.

5.7 Emmet Cohen Trio Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 7, 12 p.m., $15 At only three years old, Emmet Cohen became a Suzuki piano student and a recognized prodigy, al-

Jazz/Funk:

Snarky Puppy State Theatre 404 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo May 11, 8 p.m., $39-$49

It’s hard to put a label on Snarky Puppy, but that’s OK — we don’t need to. All you do need to know is that the jazz/pop/R&B/fusion/blues/etc. quasi-collective big band won three Grammy’s in four years, both for R&B performance and pop instrumental album. Its members come from all around the globe, spanning Japan, Argentina, Canada, Europe and more. The group’s live performances are electrifying, having as many performers as necessary onstage and all vibing perfectly together. It’s fun, it’s innovation, it’s collaboration. As Snarky Puppy puts it: “It’s music for the brain and the booty.”

Photo: Stella K

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| Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

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though his playing matured quickly and he eventually used his music as a way to make connections with audiences and other musicians. Cohen has been recognized for his piano artistry by placing first in both the Phillips Piano Competition in 2011 and the American Jazz Pianists competition in 2014. Cohen’s skillful artistry with the piano will be on display when he plays with the other members of the trio, bassist Russell Hall and drummer Evan Sherman, for two nights.

Jeremy Siskind & Justin Kauflin W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 7, 12 p.m., $15 A piano duet is a special treat — twice the hands, twice the talent and, in this case, twice the performances. Jeremy Siskind was once a faculty member at Western Michigan University, but the pianist and composer has since gone on to win major competitions and lead the “house concert” movement, performing in 100 homes since 2012. Meanwhile, Justin Kauflin is a pianist, composer and producer mentored by legendary trumpeter Clark Terry, as depicted in the award-winning documentary Keep On Keepin’ On. Kauflin began performing jazz professionally at 15 years old, just four years after losing his eyesight completely.

Elliot Wuu Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 7, 2 p.m., $25 See May 4 entry.

Benjamin Beilman and Orion Weiss Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 7, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Pianist Orion Weiss has been winning awards as a young artist for more than a decade, having been named a 2000 Gilmore Young Artist and the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year in 2010. It’s no wonder Weiss is one of the most soughtafter soloists and young American musicians of his generation. As part of a new generation of classical artists, Weiss pursues the use of cross-genre collaborations. Joining him in this performance is violinist Benjamin Beilman, who is recognized as one of the fastest-rising stars of his generation. For the Gilmore performance, this duo will play a Beethoven sonata as well as a new work commissioned by Frederic Rzewski specifically for them.

5.8 James Francies Trio Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 8, 12 p.m., $15 James Francies is a star on the rise, still generating buzz while performing with artists like The Roots, Julian Lage, Joel Frahm and more. DownBeat magazine has recognized him twice for composition and jazz arrangement, and The New York Times wrote of a “liquid dynamism in his touch.”

Francies enjoys performing with all kinds of collaborators, especially hip hop and jazz, performing on Chance The Rapper’s hit single, No Problem, which won two

Grammy Awards in 2017.

Now, he’s bringing his melodic and insightful styling to the Gilmore, along with bassist Bill Muter and drummer Jeremy Dutton.

Emmet Cohen Trio W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 8, 12 p.m., $15 See May 7 entry.

Kim Heindel See: Best Bet.

Paul Lewis Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 8, 8 p.m., $15-$35 N ot eve r yon e c a n c all themselves Commander of the Order of the British Empire, but British pianist Paul Lewis earned the right after being appointed in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Lewis is regarded internationally as a leading musician of his generation.

His career in recital has brought him to venues such as London’s Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris, Tonhalle Zurich, Oji Hall in Tokyo, Melbourne’s Recital Centre and the Sydney Opera House, among others. Lewis returns to the Gilmore Festival for a solo recital, where he will play music by some of his favorite composers: Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms.

5.9 Jeremy Siskind & Justin Kauflin Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 9, 12 p.m., $15 See May 7 entry.

Lautenwerk:

Kim Heindel Wellspring Theater, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo May 8, 2 p.m., $15 Ah yes, the lautenwerk, an instrument we all know and love. Who are we kidding? Almost no one knows what a lautenwerk is! But once you hear it in the hands of Kim Heindel, you’ll come to love it, at least.

The lautenwerk is also known as the lute-harpsichord, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. The keyboard instrument is very similar in structure to a harpsichord, but has gut strings rather than metal. Bach might have invented the lautenwerk and owned at least two, but none of the originals have survived, so Heindel performs on a reconstruction he commissioned himself. Critics have praised his interpretations as “instinctive and utterly right for each piece” (American Record Guide) and “exquisitely performed” (The American Organist). This is your chance to hear some of Bach’s greatest works the way they were meant to be heard.

James Francies Trio W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 9, 12 p.m., $15 See May 8 entry.

Igor Levit Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 9, 2 p.m., $30 Igor Levit is the 2018 Gilmore Artist Award recipient, having made his debut with the Gilmore only two years prior in the Rising Star Series. The Los Angeles Times said, “He moves as though he is made of rubber … stretching and contracting as he plays.”

At Hanover Academy of

Music, Theatre and Media in 2009, Levit completed his piano studies with the highest scores in academics and performance in the history of the institute. Levit will make his debut Gilmore Festival solo appearance at the Gilmore Festival as the 2018 Gilmore Artist, playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.

Gilmore Festival Chamber Orchestra With Leon Fleisher, Alon Goldstein, Yury Shadrin and Marcelo Lehninger See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

5.10 Nellie McKay Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 10, 12 p.m., $15 Few, if any, performers are as unique as the BritishAmerican singer-songwriter.

Nellie McKay is a former stand-up comedian, a recipient of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Humanitarian Award, and an actress, but on top of all that, she plays the piano and ukulele. Her humor and social commentary as a vocal advocate for feminism, civil rights and other issues can often be found in her songs. New York Nightlife magazine said,

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Master Classes Throughout the festival, respected and renowned artists will work one-onone with local college piano students to “reveal the fine details of great music making.” These sessions are free and open to the public. Visit thegilmore. org for more details.

Wellspring Theater

Dalton Center Recital Hall

359 S. Kalamazoo Mall # 204, Kalamazoo

Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo

Rafał Blechacz, April 25, 10 a.m.

Ingrid Fliter, April 28, 10 a.m.

Leon Fleisher, May 10, 9:30 a.m.

Leif Ove Andsnes, May 1, 10 a.m.

Katherine Chi, May 2, 10 a.m.

Lori Sims, May 3, 10 a.m.

Kirill Gerstein, May 5, 10 a.m.

Orion Weiss, May 7, 9:30 a.m.

Igor Levit, May 8, 9:30 a.m.

Paul Lewis, May 9, 9:30 a.m.

Dalton Multimedia Room Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo Bill Charlap, April 30, 10 a.m.

Gilmore Keyboard Festival Film Series The Gilmore is showcasing six films this year, all telling the tales of piano legends or illuminating lesser-known figures in the world of keyboard music.

Admission is free, and seating is first-come, first-served. Each showing starts at noon at the Mary Jane Stryker Theater in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum (230 N. Rose St., Kalamazoo).

Zuzana: Music is Life

April 30 This documentary tells the story of Zuzana Ruzickova, a harpsichordist who became world famous after surviving three concentration camps during the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

Keep On Keepin’ On

May 1 Clark Terr y was a jazz legend, performing in Duke Ellington and Count Basie’s bands, and mentoring Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old blind piano prodigy appearing at this year’s festival.

The Gilmore 2004: In the Key of G

May 2 A documentary from 2004 giving a behind-the-scenes look at the Gilmore Festival, from rehearsals to backstage nerves and final perfor-

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mances. It captures the personalities, artistry and drama of the festival.

Abbey Lincoln: You Gotta Pay the Band

May 3 Jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln grew up in Kalamazoo before beginning a career as a movie actress, civil rights activist and eminent jazz artist. The film interweaves shots from special performances and recording sessions with interviews of Lincoln and those who know her.

Double Feature: Warsaw Is My Name & Omnibus

Warsaw Is My Name is a short film conceived and directed by 2002 Gilmore Artist Piotr Anderszewski, unfolding with images of Warsaw and a slight narrative. Then, this Omnibus entry focuses on Leonard Bernstein and his down-to-earth analysis of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

| Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

Events calendar (continued)

“She writes lyrics like a gonzo Cole Porter and sings like an attitudinal Peggy Lee.”

Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 10, 12 p.m., $15 When it comes to stride, Stephanie Trick is in the top of her class. The Harlem stride piano style was huge in the ’20s and ’30s, with roots in swing and ragtime but more demanding, with more improvisation and movement — especially in the left hand. Trick is inspired by the greats of old, such as Dick Hyman and Fats Waller, channeling their spirit but with an immense talent of her own.

This year, she’ll perform with her husband and fellow pianist, Paolo Alderighi, for an especially engaging and fast-paced concert.

David Virelles Nosotros Bell’s Eccentric Cafe 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo May 10, 6:30 & 9 p.m., $30 Cuban-born pianist and composer David Virelles has caught the attention of critics around the world,

having been named the #1 Rising Star by DownBeat magazine in 2015. With influences like Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Virelles’ albums are full of life and soul. His 2014 release, Mbòkó, ended up on Best of the Year lists from The New York Times, NPR, The Village Voice and others. He’ll be performing with Roman Diaz, a master percussionist.

5.11 Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 11, 12 p.m., $15 See May 10 entry.

Nellie McKay W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 11, 12 p.m., $15 See May 10 entry.

Lansing Symphony Orchestra w/ Elliot Wuu Wharton Center for Performing Arts 750 E. Shaw Ln., East Lansing May 11, 8 p.m.

Nellie McKay

The Lansing Symphony Orchestra will close out its 2017-2018 season with 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu performing Rachmaninov’s se cond piano concerto, as well as Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Lori Sims See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

Snarky Puppy See: Best Bet.

5.12 Gilmore Festival Finale Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 12, 8 p.m., $35-$65 As the 2018 Gilmore Artist, Igor Levit is the name on everyone’s lips this year, so it only makes sense the festival would go out with him at the keys. The Russian-German pianist will close out the night with the Piano Concerto No. 4 from Beethoven, a favorite composer of his. Levit’s debut album of the last five Beethoven sonatas won awards from all over, including BBC Music, the Royal Philharmonic Society and ECHO Klassik. Performing with Levit is the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, joined by its director emeritus, Raymond Harvey, who left not too long ago. Together, they will also perform Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, inspired

by Beethoven’s cantata of the same title, and Symphony No. 1 by William Bolcom, a much-honored composer and pianist who taught composition at the University of Michigan for 35 years. ■

Universal Language Experiences drive Cohen’s passion for jazz

by Marin Heinritz

For celebrated Harlem-based pianist and composer Emmet Cohen, jazz and his passion for the music to which he’s devoted his life is all about connections.

The award-winning musician spoke of an experience in Italy playing “All The Things You Are” with musicians who otherwise didn’t speak the same language. Jerome Kern composed the now-classic standard in the 1930s for the musical “Very Warm for May.” “People can’t say one word to each other, but for some reason everyone knows the notes and the chords and the harmony and the structure that Jerome Kern wrote on that song,” he said. “It’s really remarkable that everywhere in the world you go, someone’s trying to play jazz. You’re able to play songs like that with them, and connect on that level. It really speaks to the cliche that it’s a universal language, but it can really help to bring the world together.”

Jazz itself “is such social music, and it’s meant to bring people together,” Cohen added.

Bringing people together through jazz is what Cohen does. Inspired by many of the great jazz trios, including those of Cedar Walton and Thelonious Monk, he started the Emmet Cohen Trio more than a decade ago.

“I really fell in love with that sound and tried to imitate, emulate and create new avenues for that instrumentation using slang and improvisation and blues and folk music and all different types of orchestration,” Cohen said.

The group began when he was in high school in New Jersey with drummer Evan Sherman. Cohen connected with bassist Russell Hall — who’s also featured on the

“Late Show with Stephen Colbert” — while in college in Miami. Now based in New York, the three of them have been a band for six years.

“One of the things that we try to do is integrate the different styles of jazz and take as many influences as possible and melt them into this melting pot of what’s possible in the piano trio setting,” he said.

“We really try to push the boundaries of the music history, and try to actually move the music forward by using our influences.”

Cohen’s commitment to connecting the present to the past comes from his discontent with the segregation among the different styles of jazz — as well as between older and younger generations of musicians — that he witnessed while starting out in New York.

“It’s part of our mission, and part of my playing and teaching mission, to integrate those styles and all of the great masters and musicians in history that have brought us to where we are today,” he said.

That’s why he produced and played on a set of recordings and interviews honoring living jazz masters. The “Masters

Legacy Series” is meant to “bridge the generation gap a bit and connect a whole bunch of musicians in their 20s and 30s to the living jazz masters who are carrying the torch and want to pass it forward, but may not necessarily know in which direction to pass it,” he said.

The project has given Cohen an opportunity to get to know such greats as Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Benny Golson, Tootie Heath, Barry Harris and Harold Mabern, among others.

“It’s been an amazing experience to understand their stories and their struggles, what they went through, and what they

Emmet Cohen Trio

Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 7, 12 p.m., $15

W.K. Kellogg Foundation 1 Michigan Ave., Battle Creek May 8, 12 p.m., $15

gave up to play this music,” he said. “It’s really powerful and can give it a whole other meaning, one that many people who fall in love with jazz don’t get firsthand.”

That deeper meaning emerges from what Cohen sees as the inherent connection between musician and music in jazz.

“I think that music and humanity and life are all tied together,” he said. “Jazz is one of the closest art forms that would mirror your life. All the things that make you who you are make you the jazz musician you are. Everything you’ve read, everywhere you’ve traveled, everyone you’ve met, every time you’ve been in love, every time you’ve had a heart break, every experience you’ve had with an older mentor, every experience you’ve had mentoring someone younger than you — it’s a melting pot of experiences that make you a musician.

“I think those are the things — the human elements — that really actually feed your music, and the depth of the palate of a jazz musician’s soul. It’s a deep thing.” ■

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