Marc-André Hamelin
By Natasha Anderson
Brevard Music Center (BMC) announces the 2023/24 season of performances at Parker Concert Hall on its Brevard campus. The state-of-the-art venue overlooking scenic Lake Milner hosts a twelve-concert series beginning Tuesday, October 3, with celebrated artists Johannes Moser and Marc-André Hamelin in a cello/piano duo recital. Hamelin and Moser will perform works by Hamelin himself and by Nadia Boulanger, plus sonatas by Claude Debussy and César Franck.
Johannes Moser. Photo by Uwe Arens
“Our opening concert brings two of the world’s most compelling performers together in recital in our intimate, state-of-the-art space where every seat in the house is great and the acoustics are phenomenal,” says BMC artistic coordinator Alex Lane.
Moser won silver at the 2002 International Tchaikovsky Competition and has since had a phenomenal touring career, from soloing with the New York, Los Angeles and BBC Philharmonics and the orchestras of Chicago, London, Tokyo NHK and Bayerischen Rundfunks, to chamber appearances with Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Midori and Menahem Pressler. He is also a prolific recording artist and a champion of new music who is heavily involved in commissioning.
Hamelin is not only a pianist known worldwide for his unrivaled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique, he is a well-known composer with more than 30 pieces to his name, including the commissioned work for the 2017 Cliburn Competition. His discography spans more than 70 recordings which have earned him 11 GRAMMY nominations, seven Juno Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the German Record Critics’ Association.
Min Xiao-Fen and River Guerguerian
“This will be a unique opportunity to get up close to beautiful music with a distinctly French flavor, performed by two of the best musicians out there today,” says Lane.
Upcoming BMC performances also include the award-winning Eroica Trio, making its Brevard debut on Thursday, October 26, and the amazing pipa virtuoso Min Xiao-Fen, joined by percussionist River Guerguerian in a special showing of classic Chinese cinema with live instrumental accompaniment on Thursday, November 9.
“We were thrilled to include Xiao-Fen this past summer during the festival, but this is our first opportunity to feature her in a Parker Concert Hall show,” says BMC chief artistic officer and president-designate Jason Posnock. “Xiao-Fen is a fearless artist who integrates the traditional sound of the pipa with diverse musical genres from jazz to classical.”
Other season highlights include a Valentine concert with jazz vocalist Halie Loren, St. Patrick’s Day with the Derina Harvey Band and a rare recital appearance by world-renowned pianist Olga Kern.
All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $40. To learn more, visit BrevardMusic.org/tickets, call the BMC box office at 828.862.2105 or email boxoffice@BrevardMusic.org.
