International Keyboard Institute & Festival Announces 21st Season July 14-28, 2019

INTERNATIONAL KEYBOARD INSTITUTE & FESTIVAL

With the Participation of YAMAHA & Yamaha Artist Services New York

 JULY 14 – 28, 2019

The 21^st Season of the International Keyboard Institute & Festival is made possible by COFRA Foundation and Bregal Investments

 MERKIN HALL at KAUFMAN MUSIC CENTER

HUNTER COLLEGE (CUNY) * NEW YORK CITY

 

Concerts, Lectures and Masterclasses are planned as part of the 2019 Twenty-first Season of the International Keyboard Institute & Festival, which will take place at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center and at Hunter College from July 14 – 28.  New in 2019, IKIF will present six Masters Series evening concerts in Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center during Week One of the Festival.  All Prestige concerts and other Masters Series concerts will take place in Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College.  IKIF will continue to use Music Department facilities at Hunter College for masterclasses and practice rooms.  The Prestige Series, featuring young artists, returns on selected weekdays at 6pm with six concerts in Lang Recital Hall.  Daily featured Masterclasses and weekend special events will also take place in Lang.

 

This year the Guest Artist Faculty includes distinguished pianists Vladimir Feltsman, Vadym Kholodenko, and George Li for recitals at Merkin Hall.  Founder/Director Jerome Rose will perform the opening concert at Merkin Hall.  Making Festival concert debuts are Cliburn finalist Sean Chen, Ian Fountain of the Royal Academy of Music, and IKIF 2018 Competition winner Martín García García. Hunter College Faculty members returning this year to IKIF are:  Geoffrey Burleson (Director of Piano Studies at Hunter College) for a solo recital, and Quynh Nguyen as a Faculty Artist.  Returning to give a recital and selected masterclasses are Jeffrey Swann (Merkin), Alon Goldstein (Merkin), Massimiliano Ferrati, Nina Tichman, and Ilya Yakushev. A free Lecture by Alan Walker on his new book:  “Fryderyk Chopin:  A Life and Times” will be held mid-festival on Saturday afternoon in Lang Recital Hall.  After the lecture Jeffrey Siegel gives a concert with commentary:  “Bach & Chopin”.  Yuan Sheng will then perform a Chopin recital. 

 

The IKIF Artists Recognition Scholarship Awards Competition is made possible by a donation from JMW Consultants Inc. The competition Finals will be held on the last Sunday of the Festival in Lang Recital Hall from 11am – 1pm and 2 – 4pm.  The Semi Finals will be held on the last Saturday of the Festival at 11am.  Participants in the Festival can compete for scholarships totaling $10,000.  In addition to a $5,000 scholarship award, the First Prize winner of the competition will be offered a concert on the IKIF 2020 Masters Series. 

 

Highlights of the two-week Festival include: 

• Opening Concert in Merkin Hall:  Founder/Director Jerome Rose performing Chopin, Schumann and Brahms

 

• Masters Series concerts in Merkin Hall:  Jeffrey Swann, George Li, Vadym Kholodenko, Alon Goldstein, Vladimir Feltsman 

 

• Prestige Series concerts at 6pm in Lang Recital Hall:  Aleksandra Kasman, Mao Fujita, Vyacheslav Gryaznov, Yinuo Wang, Vladimir Rumyantsev, and Aristo Sham.

 

• Lecture (free) in Lang:  Alan Walker on "Fryderyk Chopin:  A Life and Times" .  Concert with commentary by Jeffrey Siegel: “Bach & Chopin” plus a Chopin recital by Yuan Sheng  

 

• IKIF Artist Recognition Scholarship Awards Competition sponsored by JMW Consultants Inc.   Semi Finals (Saturday) and Finals (Sunday) in Lang Recital Hall

  

Faculty Artists who will teach and perform include MinJung Baek, Yakov Kasman, Yuri Kim, Emanuel Krasovsky, Nina Lelchuk, Steven Mayer, Pavel Nersessian, Quynh Nguyen, Michael Oelbaum, Ann Schein, José Ramos Santana, Victor Rosenbaum, Mykola Suk, Anastasya Terenkova, and Eduard Zilberkant.

 

Since 1999 the Festival has attracted students from around the world who have the opportunity to attend the Festival and study with Faculty Artists, participate in masterclasses, and attend concerts and lectures given by some of the world’s best-known pianists and scholars.  Over 200 video clips of past Festival events are posted on YouTube, and IKIF has a Facebook page.  See:  www.ikif.org

 

For a Schedule of Concerts, Lectures, and featured Masterclasses, please see our website at: www.ikif.org.   All Festival events are held either at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center or at Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College.

 

Concert tickets for Merkin Hall events can be purchased through the Merkin Hall box office at 129 West 67^th Street (Between Broadway and Amsterdam) in person, by phone at 212-501-3330 or online www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org.  Box office open:  Sun-Thu: 12pm – 7pm and 12pm-4pm in July; Friday 12pm – 4pm; closed Saturday.

 

Concert tickets for Lang Recital Hall events can be purchased through The Kaye Playhouse Box Office at Hunter College (East 68^th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues) in person, by phone at 212-772-4448, or online http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/kayeplayhouse/tickets

 

Merkin Hall Masters Series tickets:  $20 

Lang Recital Hall Masters Series tickets:  $20 

Lang Recital Hall Prestige Series tickets:  $10   

 

Special concert ticket discounts will be available for Hunter College students.  Concert tickets are not valid for Daily Masterclasses.  To attend Daily Masterclasses taking place at Hunter College, please see the application page of our website to sign up for a Daily or Weekly Auditor pass.

 

For Hunter College:

Closest Subway is 68th Street stop of No. 6. Closest buses are Lexington M101, 102, 103 or crosstown M66.

Kaye Playhouse box office entrance:  East 68^th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

Box Office Hours:  12pm – 7pm Mon – Fri. or one hour before event

Lang Recital Hall entrance:  East 69^th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues (4^th floor)

 

For press information please contact Julie Kedersha, Festival Director at 212-665-2446 or info@ikif.org

 

APRIL 2019