Southeastern Piano Festival kicks off with extravaganza concert
A dozen consummate pianists, five nine-foot Steinway Grands, and the South Carolina Philharmonic with Morihiko Nakahara will be on stage at the Koger Center for the Arts June 15 at 4 p.m. to kick off the 2014 Southeastern Piano Festival with a Piano Extravaganza. The festival runs June 15 – 22.
Music director Nakahara, guest artists, esteemed USC music faculty Marina Lomazov (festival artistic director), Joseph Rackers (festival program director), Phillip Bush, Charles Fugo and SEPF alumni Susan Zhang and Zachary Hughes present works by Bizet, Adams, Saint-Saëns, Chopin, Mozart and Prokofiev.
“We are honored to partner with the South Carolina Philharmonic to showcase an array of pianists performing dazzling repertoire,” said Lomazov. “The concert will feature amazing pianists from South Carolina and across the country.”
In addition to the arrival of notable guest artists and 20 competing young pianists from around the U.S., two of the five Steinways come to Columbia via jet from New York City. They will be picked up in Charlotte by festival supporter Rice Music House and delivered to the Koger Center just in time for rehearsals. Tuning all five Steinways requires the expertise of two piano technicians working simultaneously.
The festival continues all week with concerts around the city including at the Columbia Museum of Art, Trinity Cathedral and City Art Gallery. The week’s events culminate in an international piano competition on Friday and the winners’ concert on Saturday.
Find the complete schedule of events and ticket information online.
Related: Southeastern Piano Festival brings Leon Fleisher to South Carolina’s capital city
The Symphony League of the South Carolina Philharmonic sponsors the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. Sponsors of the 2014 Southeastern Piano Festival are Steinway & Sons, Rice Music House, Symphony League, South Carolina Philharmonic, University of South Carolina School of Music and Free Times.