Hudson Valley Welcomes PianoSummer at New Paltz

NEW PALTZ — PianoSummer at New Paltz, an international piano institute and festival at SUNY New Paltz, will be held July 9 through August 3 and will include a concert series with six events.

PianoSummer is a carefully crafted combination of intensive piano training and public performances by distinguished artists. During the month-long program, emerging young pianists work with faculty from around the world, led by PianoSummer founder and artistic director Vladimir Feltsman, a renowned pianist, conductor and teacher who holds a distinguished chair at the State University of New York.

PianoSummer at New Paltz engenders a special atmosphere of creativity and discovery, which is evident in the concert series and the various free recitals. Concerts to remember performed by musicians at the top of their form, a close proximity between audience and artist, and the youthful vitality of PianoSummer students, allow music lovers the opportunity to revel in all-inclusive programming constructed around a favorite instrument.

The final concert of the PianoSummer series, on Aug. 3, is a performance conducted by Feltsman with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra and the winner of the Jacob Flier International Piano Competition.

The Jacob Flier International Piano Competition is a PianoSummer event created by Feltsman to honor the art and memory of his teacher, Jacob Flier, who was a distinguished Russian pianist who taught at the Moscow Conservatory. PianoSummer students who enter this competition perform a Bach prelude and fugue, a piece of the contestant’s choice, and a concerto. This year’s competition will be held on Monday, July 30, at the Nadia and Max Shepard Recital Hall.

As with the various student recitals held throughout PianoSummer, the Flier competition is free and open to the public. In addition to the recitals, master classes are offered each day of PianoSummer and are open to the public for a one-time audit fee of $50.

The concerts are scheduled for July 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and Aug. 3. More information about PianoSummer is available online at www.newpaltz.edu/piano, or by calling (845) 257-3860. Concert tickets are available by calling the SUNY New Paltz box office at (845) 257-3904.

For more information about recital dates and times, and master classes, contact the SUNY New Paltz Music Department at (845) 257-2700.