New Piano Collective
Ghost Variations - New Piano Collective Inaugural Concert I
Jeffrey LaDeur, Founder & Artistic Director; Johnandrew Slominski, piano; Bobby Mitchell, piano; Owen Zhou, piano
Franz Schubert Fantasy in C, D. 760
George Tsontakis Ghost Variations
Robert Schumann Fantasy in C, Op. 17
Tonight marks the beginning of an exciting artistic alliance: Alumni of the Eastman School of Music, the artists of New Piano Collective represent the true essence of the 21st Century musician—artistry, collaboration, and innovation. Sought after as soloists, chamber musicians, and pedagogues, each pianist excels in the standard repertoire from Rameau to Rzewski, while embracing a unique area of interest that distinguishes him as an authority in the profession. Tonight's performers include American pianist Johnandrew Slominski, who enjoys a distinguished reputation as a performer and pedagogue. His elegant and sophisticated playing has earned praise from composers and critics alike. Slominski seamlessly navigates the landscape of a varied and thriving career as a soloist, chamber musician, music theorist, author, pedagogue, and speaker. He has recorded for Centuar Records and Oxford University Press, and broadcast for National Public Radio. Slominski is an Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music. Owen Zhou is a pianist of eloquence, commitment, and power. Zhou’s repertoire includes contemporary masterpieces as well as beloved classics. Dr. Zhou’s New York City debut featured the Scriabin Piano Concerto with the New York Concerti Sinfonietta. A native of Canada, Owen is active as a freelance musician and teacher in the Denver metropolitan area as well as founder and CEO of Opus Zero Recording & Audio. Bobby Mitchell is a young American pianist whose interests are embedded in the here and now of music as performance art, as well as the more standard classical repertory of centuries past. A frequent performer of new and rarely heard works, his interests lie mainly with the contemporary music canon and combining these works with the standard repertoire in an illuminating fashion. He is active as a solo and collaborative concert pianist on modern and historical instruments (fortepiano and harpsichord).