Art of the Piano's Return to Live Performances Features a Free Public Performance of All New Works

ART OF THE PIANO’S RETURN TO LIVE PERFORMANCES FEATURES A FREE PUBLIC PERFORMANCE OF ALL NEW WORKS

This year’s festival, founded by pianist Awadagin Pratt, focuses on multidisciplinary creativity and brings today’s most innovative performers and composers to work with diverse, young talent. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jun 15, 2022

CINCINNATI, OHIO — After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Art of the Piano Festival is returning July 6-24 and debuting the Stillpoint Project – an exploration of truth and beauty from Cincinnati-based global piano superstar Awadagin Pratt.

With pianists from around the world, the 2022 Art of the Piano festival promises exciting and affordable opportunities for audiences to witness top-level master classes where students receive personalized guidance and an exclusive set of solo appearances by artists sought by the world’s top orchestras.

Pratt believes in the power of sharing connections and rare opportunities for both participants and audiences, stating, “It’s a remarkable experience for anyone who’s passionate about music, and about excellence. I thought it was very important that we have a diverse group of composers and I really wanted to have the African-American voice represented throughout the performances and open dialogues.”

In 2018, Pratt asked his long-time friend and collaborator, Mark Rabideau, to create an album with him based on T.S. Eliot’s “Burnt Norton” from his Four Quartets.  The idea quickly gained momentum, and they had soon enlisted Judd Greenstein and several power-house composers and performers for what had become the Stillpoint Project.

Among those performances is a live preview of the Stillpoint album (due out in 2023 on New Amsterdam Records), with Awadagin at the piano. He’s joined by Grammy-winning vocal group Roomful of Teeth and the Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra A Far Cry.  This concert is free to the public and takes place on July 10, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Memorial Hall (OTR; reservations required).

The concert features all new works by MacArthur “Genius” Grant winner Tyshawn Sorey, Jessie Montgomery (a skyrocketing superstar whose work was programmed 400 times last season alone – read more about her in this recent New York Times profile) Judd Greenstein, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Paola Prestini, Alvin Singleton, and Peteris Vasks. Many of the composers will be in residence for rehearsals and the July 10 performance.

A long-time supporter and aficionado of new music, and thought leader on the creative process itself, Pratt has rounded out the Stillpoint-flavored season with a captivating, diverse group of composer-pianists who are at ease blurring the lines between old and new, between genres, and between improv and written: Conrad Tao, Stephen Prutsman, Aaron Diehl and Lera Auerbach, along with up-and-coming performers like Mikael Darmanie and Jeremy Ajani Jordan.  Rounding out the mix are audience favorites and “quiet maverick” (Daily Telegraph) Alexander Korsantia with the premiere of his Petrushka transcription, Michelle Cann (with cellist Thomas Mesa), as well as a multimedia experience courtesy Angela Kim and the Chaos Magick project.

The Young Artists, whose housing is provided thanks to our remarkable donors, will perform in their own series and take part in masterclasses and discussions with the composers and performers in residence for the festival. 

An all-festival pass gets you access to all concerts classes, and they’re currently on sale for $175. Single tickets are available for $25 in advance; $30 at the door.  

Can’t-Miss Highlights:

• The Stillpoint Concert: July 10, 2022 at 2 p.m. | Memorial Hall world premiere of several new works, performed by Awadagin Pratt, Roomful of Teeth and A Far Cry.
• “If I could, I’d hear every performance he plays.” (The San Diego Union-Tribune) Conrad Tao presents a mix of old and new at Werner Recital Hall on July 8, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
• Described as “one of the most innovative musicians of his time,” Stephen Prutsman performs July 14, 2022 at 7:00 pm | Memorial Hall. 
• At age 17, Aaron Diehl was a finalist in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition, where he was noticed by Wynton Marsalis. Soon after, Diehl was invited to tour Europe with the Wynton Marsalis Septet.  Diehl performs at Memorial Hall on July 17 at 2:00 pm. 
• African-American weekend July 15 – 17: Three young and gifted composer/arranger/pianists are in Cincinnati for a series of concerts flowing between old and new, written and improv, classical and jazz.  Jeremy Ajani Jordan: July 15; Mikael Darmanie: July 16; Aaron Diehl: July 17.
• Described as “staggering” by The New York Times and “a pianistic powerhouse” by The Washington Post, pianist and composer Lera Auerbach concludes the festival on July 24 at 2:00 pm (Memorial Hall, OTR), with a program including her own Suite for Piano and transcription of Mussorgky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Get complete artist, schedule and ticket information at: artofthepiano.org.

CONNECT:

Web: artofthepiano.org

Facebook: facebook.com/artofthepiano | @artofthepiano

Twitter: @artofthepiano

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CONTACT: 

Sara Danner Dukic, general manager | sara@artofthepiano.org

Segann March, March Creative Solutions | segann.march@gmail.com

Digital Presskit:

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