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FARMINGTON — ArtsFarmington invites the public to join them online for Keyboard Festival, a three-performance virtual series, finishing us with the third performance on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. featuring – pianoforte, George Lopez, Beckwith Artist-in-Residence at Bowdoin College. $10 per household for an individual concert, or $25 for the series.
George Lopez has been a dynamic performer and educator for over 25 years. He is known on several continents for his performance of the standard repertoire as well as being a champion of newly written works. He recently premiered a piano concerto composed for him here in Maine and is comfortable in styles of music ranging from jazz and ragtime to more contemporary improvisation. He performs regularly to capacity crowds and conducts the Bowdoin Symphony Orchestra.
For his program, George will present a concert/lecture on the piano and perform the following pieces: Beethoven Eroica Variations op. 35 (1802); Schumann Humoreske op.20 (1839) and Rachmaninov Corelli Variations op. 42 (1931).
A brief talk will precede each piece discussing the significant changes that occurred from the time of Cristofori until the beginning of the 20th century. The talks will include a description of the escapement, tuning and fingering, expansion of the keyboard compass, the double escapement, the single iron caste frame, and cross-stringing. George last played in Farmington in 2019 when he presented the wealth of Cuban music to us with “A Night in Havana!” His concert on the 24th is not to be missed.
A recording of his concert will be available for one month following the initial showing. He will be available for questions and answers as part of the live Zoom panel discussion with the other two artists in the series on May 2 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
This will be a time to learn from the artists and ask questions. The discussion will be moderated by Aaron Wyanski, Assistant Professor of Music at UMF. This live event is available free of charge to those who register for the series or any individual concert. You will receive the necessary link to participate in the discussion by separate email 24-hours prior to the discussion date.
Each concert will be in the form of a lecture/recital performed on the initial presentation date with viewing available for 30 days. Sign up now for the whole series or individual concerts. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.artsfarmington.org
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