News Release
September 2005
Bethlehem, Pa., September 22, 2005—Pianists Helio Alves and
Joshua Pierce will perform at Moravian College on Thursday, October 13, 7:30 p.m. in
Peter Hall. The concert is the first in a series of Piano Masters at Moravian performances.
From Thursday night, October 13th through April 6, twelve of the world’s elite
pianists from the worlds of jazz, Brazilian and classical music will perform at the
historic Peter and Foy Halls of Moravian College.
A versatile and creative pianist, Helio Alves came to New York and
quickly became the much sought after accompanist for Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Gato
Barbieri, Paquito D’Rivera and Claudio Roditi to name a few. He began playing
classical piano at the age of six in his native Sao Paulo, Brazil , and attended the
Berklee College of Music in Boston. He studied composition performance, and John Coltrane’s
harmonic structures.
One of the more dynamic talents of the late 20th century, Pierce
is acknowledged as one of today’s most versatile, exciting and original pianists.
He has forged his own individual and unique style with a vast repertoire of music spanning
all eras of piano literature. His technical mastery has afforded him the ability to
move easily from the concerti of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, to the big works of Brahms,
List, Tchaikowsky and Rachmaninov, to the provoking sounds of John Cage, Charles Ives,
Toru Takemitsu and many others.
The season’s performers will include Renee Rosnes (October
27); Juan Jose Chuquisengo and Jung Lin (November 10); Benny Green and Eduardus Halim
(January 26); Joel Fan (February 9); Cyrus Chestnut (March 2); Frank Kimbrough and
Jenny Lin (March 30) and Nadejda Vlaeva (April 6).
“This exciting lineup offers Lehigh Valley residents a unique
opportunity to hear elite world-class pianists in an historic and acoustically pristine
environment,” said Genevieve Kaye, President of the Lehigh Valley Piano Society. “There
is no doubt that this is one of the most impressive collections of concert pianists
assembled in any one concert series. Benny Green is the jazz pianist picked by the
legendary Oscar Peterson as his protégé. Munich-based Peruvian pianist
Juan Jose Chuquisengo, whose Sony Classical recording Transcendent Journey was named
as recording of the month in August by the BBC, is a star performer. Jazz legends include
Renee Rosnes, Cyrus Chesnu, and Eduardus Halim—who is noted for being the last
student of the great master Vladimir Horowitz,” Kaye added.
Concerts are held Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 or $150
for any 5 concerts. Call 610-515-1025 or go online at www.pianoculture.com
The entire series will be taped for broadcast on WDIY-FM and made available
to affiliates through National Public Radio.
Series underwriters include John Zeiner and Sons, “4 Generations
of piano sales and service in Lehigh Valley;” Schimmel Pianos, and Mary Ellen Schuman
of Prudential Paul Ford Realtors in Easton.
Piano Masters at Moravian is a production of the Luce Group in association
with The Lehigh Valley Piano Society, which is dedicated to the presentation and preservation
of the music of the acoustic piano.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective liberal arts college
located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, it is recognized as
America's sixth-oldest college. Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu
