A graduate of the Gnessin Academy in Moscow, Dmitry Ablogin has been championed by the press as “one of the most brilliant and creative keyboard artists of his generation.” His marked interest in historical pianos led him to the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, where he studied fortepiano and historically informed performance with Jesper Bøje Christensen. A prize winner of numerous competitions, Ablogin brings to the Frost Chopin Academy and Festival a fresh perspective on a beautiful program centered around the Viennese tradition of Classical masters. Opening the concert with two waltzes by Chopin and Schumann’s Forest Scenes, is one of the most promising Polish pianists of the young generation, Kamil Pacholec. A finalist in the most recent Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Pacholec now studies with Kevin Kenner at the Frost School of Music. The Gramophone critic, Jed Distler has claimed that “many established pianists would be happy to claim Pacholec’s effortless fingerwork and idiomatic flair for themselves.” Do not miss this amazing opening concert of the 5th Frost Chopin Festival! Fryderyk Chopin - Two Waltzes Robert Schumann - Waldszenen, Op. 82 Joseph Haydn – Piano Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI: 20 Ludwig van Beethoven – Rondo in C major, Op. 59 No. 1 Franz Schubert – Impromptus Op. 90, Nos. 2 and 3 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Sonata in C major, K. 545
Kenneth Hamilton has been described as a "pianist, author, lecturer and all-round virtuoso" (The Guardian). His wide range of recordings and active career as a writer have garnered him critical acclaim. Author of the best-selling book After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance, Hamilton will present lectures open to the public focusing on the music of Chopin and its interpretation.
Kevin Kenner, has been hailed by The Financial Times as a "player of grace, subtle variety, and strength with a mature grasp of dramatic structure and proportion.” In this program, he takes the audience on a sonic and scenic journey through the nine awe-inspiring movements of Liszt’s Years of Pilgrimage: Switzerland. Franz Liszt – Années de pèlerinage: Suisse, S. 160
Every year, the Frost Chopin Academy offers students the opportunity to study with the world’s leading pedagogues. As they work on the music of Chopin and learn from masterclasses, lectures, and guest artist concerts, they will also get the chance to showcase their talent in the program “Rising Stars of the Academy” as we place a spotlight on this year’s selected participants.
An outstanding international musician of our time, Vietnamese - Canadian pianist Dang Thai Son was propelled to the forefront of the musical world in October 1980, when he was awarded the First Prize and Gold Medal at the 10th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. It was also the first time that a top international competition was won by an Asian pianist. He returns to the Frost Chopin Academy and Festival with a program of delightful character pieces by Gabriel Fauré and Frédéric Chopin. Program: Gabriel Fauré - Nocturne in E-flat minor, Op. 33 No. 1 Barcarolle in A minor, Op. 26 No. 1 Fryderyk Chopin – Three Ecossaises, Op. 72 No. 3 Three Waltzes: F minor Op. 70 No.2, A minor Op. Posth., A-flat major Op. 34 No. 1 Four Mazurkas, Op. 24 Rondo a la Mazurka in F major, Op. 5
An award-winning educator with over 40 years of leadership in higher education, Shelly Berg is Dean and Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Named in 2000 by the Los Angeles Times one of three “Educators for the Millennium,” he has written textbooks on Jazz improvision, and has appeared as a performer and lecturer throughout the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Japan, Romania, and Venezuela. Shelly Berg is also a Steinway piano artist and multi-Grammy nominated arranger and producer.
Join us for the closing concert of the fifth Frost Chopin Academy and Festival as we wrap up a terrific week of events in proper 19th-century salon fashion. Enjoy a mélange of piano, piano four hands, and vocal works performed by the festivals inspiring teaching artists, hosted by the festival’s artistic director, pianist Kevin Kenner.