Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota Presents
“Piano Grand”
October 9 at the Sarasota Opera House
Artist Series Concerts’ launches its 21st season with a concert featuring five world-class pianists performing such favorites as Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, Sabre Dance by Khachaturian, and Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever.
(Sarasota, Florida) Five world-class pianists—Don Bryn, Joseph Holt, Andrew Lapp, Rich Ridenour and Jonathan Spivey—take the Sarasota Opera House stage with five Steinway & Sons grand pianos for “Piano Grand,” a concert featuring a wide range of timeless favorites and familiar light classics October 9, 3 p.m., at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $45 and are available at 941-306-1202 or www.artistseriesconcerts.org. Student tickets are available at the door.
Dr. Joseph Holt, director of artistic programs for Artist Series Concerts, explains that the concert is centered around exciting arrangements for 10 hands and five pianos featuring works by 13 composers, including Grieg, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Rimsky-Korsakov and Joplin. “As the new director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts, I wanted to start the season with a bang,” says Holt. “And there’s nothing quite like five pianists banging away on five grand pianos. Let the cacophony commence!”
Holt says the genesis of the multi-piano concert comes from a series of performances he organized when he played with the Army Band. “We had 10 players on five pianos. Multi-piano performances have been around for a long time. They’re entertaining for the audience and a novel experience for pianists who typically don’t perform with each other. Since we enjoy string quartets and wind quintets in performance, why not bring together five fabulous pianists and present a concert featuring a quintet of pianos?” He adds that audiences will enjoy light, classical favorites including “The Blue Danube” waltz by Strauss, the “Waltz of the Flowers” from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” marches by Sousa and ragtime pieces by Joplin.
Joseph Holt has enjoyed a wide-ranging musical career as conductor, pianist, chamber music performer, arts administrator, educator and arranger. Holt serves as director of artistic programs for Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota; as artistic director of Gloria Musicae, Sarasota’s professional choral ensemble; and as director of music at Faith Lutheran Church. He was principal pianist with The United States Army Chorus, performing for U.S. presidents, dignitaries from around the world, and military officials for more than 20 years.
Sarasota Orchestra principal pianist Jonathan Spivey is also a founding member of Tampa’s Arioso Trio and a national finalist in the Music Teachers’ National Association Auditions. His concert appearances include Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall; Trondheim, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; and Seoul, Korea. Spivey also performs with Belle Canto, the Sarasota Piano Quartet and has been an associate faculty member of the Sarasota Music Festival since 1992.
A Steinway Artist since 2013, 27-year-old pianist Andrew Lapp has appeared as a soloist with the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, Venice Symphony Orchestra, and the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. Andrew tours nationally and in 2010 debuted as an accompanist at Carnegie Hall.
Critics hail pianist Rich Ridenour as amazingly versatile, masterfully musical and wickedly funny. A Steinway Artist, Ridenour established his career performing his own musical arrangements of classical masterworks and today’s popular piano favorites. With hundreds of engagements to his credit, Ridenour has performed with dozens of orchestras and collaborated with such renowned performers as Martin Short, Carol Lawrence, Robert Guillaume and Smokey Robinson.
Pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, Don Bryn splits his time between playing, writing, and teaching. He plays and conducts over 300 shows a year—with such performers as Burt Bacharach, Lorna Luft, Nestor Torres, John Raitt, Jim Nabors, and Charo. Bryn has been a musical director and arranger for a variety of shows for the Pittsburg Playhouse and Gargaro Productions in Pittsburgh. He has also performed with the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.
Tickets for Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota’s 2016-2017 season are on sale now. Visit www.artistseriesconcerts.org to view the full brochure and ordering information, or call 941-306-1202 to request information by mail.
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota was formed in 1996 as the Artist Series of Sarasota. The group is a non-profit corporation based in Sarasota, FL, that prides itself on presenting several major national and international varieties of concert, opera, orchestral, Broadway and film performances throughout their season. The majority of the performances are staged at the restored Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling.
