For lovers and students of the melodious ivories, SUNY New Paltz’s PianoSummer festival is a yearly dream come true. Headed by master pianist and artistic director Vladimir Feltsman, the three-week program of concerts and intensive lessons kicks off July 10. A July 15 with a faculty gala that includes performances by six members of the its internationally esteemed instructors.
Other highlights include a concert by the acclaimed young pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy (July 22) and another by the winners of last year’s Jacob Flier Piano Competition for pianists under the age of 35 (July 28). This year, the Flier Competition has a new first prize: a solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall. Designed to help lure the foremost emerging young pianists from around the world to come study and perform in the Hudson Valley, this year’s PianoSummer boasts another new attraction: free tuition.
“For years we have welcomed members and ticketholders with the wish that PianoSummer might someday be able to attract the top emerging young pianists from around the world based solely on their ability to play, not on their ability to pay,” says Feltsman, who was profiled in the April 2012 issue of Chronogram. “Each year, with their support, we have moved closer to reaching that goal. This year, we have finally achieved it!”
Here’s Rashkovskiy performing Chopin’s Etude in A minor, Op. 25 No. 11:
PianoSummer runs July 10-28 at SUNY New Paltz. For more information and to purchase tickets to these and other recitals and concerts, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/piano/.
