Portland Piano International—July 12-19

Van Cliburn silver-medalist featured artist

By JILL TIMMONS

article created on: 2009-00-25T00:00:00

Weathering the economic storms of the past few months, Portland Piano International continues its summer piano festival with a stellar line-up of artists and events that will dazzle even the most discerning of audiences.

For starters, this year’s weeklong schedule (July 12-19) includes cutting-edge recitals; lectures and master classes for pianists of all ages; pedagogy forums; and even a piano marathon.

As part of its on-going educational mission, these events are designed to enrich and inform those who study piano, those who are developing performing careers, and especially those local and regional piano instructors, the life’s blood of the piano industry. The festival’s wide range of offerings will also delight those who simply love music.

Portland Piano International’s history is intertwined with Portland State University and the work of retired professor and founding member of the Florestan Trio, Harold Gray. Gray, now artistic director of Portland Piano International, originally conceived and launched the Piano Recital Series in the early 1980s. This nationally prominent piano series expanded in 1999 by adding a weeklong summer piano festival. By 2005, the Portland Piano Recital Series and the Portland International Piano Festival became Portland Piano International, a non-profit separate from PSU.

Now in its eleventh season, the Portland International Piano Festival has plenty to celebrate. A virtual “Who’s Who in Piano,” this richly textured event has consistently hosted pianists from the world stage who are seasoned veterans, as well as newer stars from around the globe. According to Harold Gray, “The mission of this summer festival is not only to include great performances by leading artists, but also to nurture young talent, and to provide a forum for continuing education in the field of piano pedagogy.”

The piano festival has included leading international artists such as Leon Fleisher, Jerome Lowenthal, Jon Kimura Parker and Paul Roberts; music scholars such as Alan Walker and Maurice Hinson; and historic films that capture the grandeur of legendary pianists who have come before.

The 2009 festival will be a capstone year for the film presentations since two giants of the 20th century will be featured: Artur Rubinstein and György Sebök.

Rubinstein and Sebök share a number of common traits. Both were born in Eastern Europe, Rubinstein in Poland and Sebok in Hungary. Both achieved a place among the panoply of great pianists of the 20th century and both were Jewish. Although Rubinstein performed many times in Portland, it was Sebök who chose to have a retreat for pianists for 14 years here in Oregon.

Each June, between 1982 and 1997, Sebök spent a week at Linfield College where artists from around the world would immerse themselves in the study and performance of piano repertoire. During World War II, Sebök was a prisoner of the Nazis and for three years, prior to his daring escape, he was assigned to crushing rock in the Carpathian mountains to make gravel for road-building. According to Sebök, the horrors of forced labor under the Nazis taught him to reduce things to zero and start from scratch.

He referred to this process as “self-demolition and rebuilding” and he often used this concept in his teaching and in coaching, directing artists in self-transformation. Sebök went on to become one of the leading artist/teachers in the world, influencing an entire generation of pianists. The festival’s film, “György Sebök: A Music Lesson,” is not to be missed.

The roster of artists, workshops, lectures, films and concerts is a veritable feast for the music lover. Included among others will be Jeremy Denk, Andrew Russo, and Paul Roberts, a popular artist with the Portland community.

South Korean Yeol Eum Son, the silver medalist at this year’s Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, will also be featured.

On Saturday, July 11, Sherman Clay will host a piano marathon for pianists of all levels who study with a member of the Oregon Music Teachers Association.

For the pedagogy-minded, Gail Berenson (past president of the Music Teachers National Association), Catherine Kautsky, and Jessica Johnson will provide innovative ideas for enhancing and enlivening the private piano studio.

Included in the rich mix of master classes and lectures is a display in Cheatham Hall (World Forestry Center) of mixed-media paintings by Collin Murphy, visual artist for the 2009 festival brochure.

It’s the sense of joy, excellence and community, however, which truly distinguishes this festival, according to interim executive director, Widney Moore. “When I first attended the Portland International Piano Festival several years ago, I was not only impressed by the caliber of artists and educators, but also the overarching enthusiasm and sharing of ideas that permeated the weeklong event.”

Whether you are an aspiring pianist, a music educator, or simply an avid music lover, the Portland International Piano Festival will have something to offer your palate. Celebrate this summer with a visit to the World Forestry Center where you will hear passionate performances, inspiring ideas, and pianists of all ages in one of the finest summer music festivals in the United States—entirely devoted to all things “piano.” Truly we have here in Portland “one of this city’s musical treasures” (The Oregonian).

All events will take place at the World Forestry Center’s Cheatham and Miller Halls. The World Forestry Center is located at 4033 SW Canyon Road, adjacent to the Oregon Zoo. Call 503-228-1388 for wheelchair accessibility information.

Free parking is available in the Oregon Zoo and World Forestry Center lots for all activities in Miller and Cheatham Halls.

For a complete schedule and description of all festival events, visit the Portland International Piano Festival web site at portlandpiano.org or call for tickets at 503-228-1388.

Jill Timmons, artist-in-residence at Linfield College, performs internationally as a piano soloist and ensemble artist. She is currently at work with her husband Sylvain Frémaux on a translation of French author Joseph Lewinski’s biography of Swiss-Oregonian-Jewish composer Ernest Bloch.