Calendar

Jun
22
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Jun 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Aug
24
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Aug 24 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Sep
17
Mon
Special Concert: An Evening in Vienna With Acclaimed Virtuoso Jan Jiracek von Arnim @ Ruggero Piano
Sep 17 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Special Concert: An Evening in Vienna With Acclaimed Virtuoso Jan Jiracek von Arnim @ Ruggero Piano

RALEIGH, N.C. (September 17, 2018) — Ruggero Piano will host “A Night in Vienna,” a unique and tasteful blend of classical music and conversation to be held on September 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

This first-time event will feature international concert pianist Jan Jiracek von Arnim, who is touring the United States this September on behalf of Ruggero Piano and Bösendorfer, one of the world’s finest piano manufacturers.

Hailed by BBC Magazine for his “formidable technique and playing of emotional depth,” the award-winning virtuoso invites all music lovers to join him for a program of short pieces, followed by stories about his life performing on the concert stage, teaching at the prestigious piano department at the Vienna School of Music and serving as Artistic Director of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna.

“I look forward to returning to the United States, this time getting to share with my audiences my love for Vienna, the City of Music,” said Mr. Jiracek. “I plan to present piano works that are especially close to my heart.”

“When it comes to classical music, there is simply no other city quite like Vienna,” he added. “To me, it seems like it is alive with the sound of music. And there are references to the great classical composers at almost every corner, which I find extremely inspiring.”

His instrument of choice for the evening will be the legendary Bosendorfer grand piano. “I am impressed by the new Bösendorfer pianos,” he says. “Each instrument carries in itself the memory of a wonderful Viennese music tradition and is particularly responsive to my ideas as an artist.”

Born to a musical family in Hanover, Germany, Jiracek von Arnim has achieved numerous career milestones. Following his debut at age 11, he has performed throughout the world with many of the world’s top ensembles, including the Berlin and St. Petersburg Philharmonics, the Cologne Chamber Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia of England. He has served on juries for many major competitions, including the London International Competition, the Lev Vlassenko Competition Brisbane, the International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition and many others, and is currently Artistic Director and Jury Chairman of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna.

Jiracek von Arnim’s ascension as an artist inspired widespread acclaim and an especially heartfelt appreciation from Van Cliburn, who noted “the marvelous Jan Jiracek von Arnim thrilled the world so greatly when we first heard him and he is continuing his brilliant career both in the United States and abroad.”

A distinguished pedagogue, Jiracek von Arnim is the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna’s youngest-ever tenured professor. He is also an Honorary Professor at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. He conducts frequent lecture concerts at the Vienna Musikverein on the great composers and delivers talks on a variety of musical topics throughout the world.

Ruggero Piano is located at 4720 Hargrove Road, #120 in Raleigh. To RSVP for “A Night in Vienna” or to learn more about this unique event, please contact [Ruggero Piano at [919-839-2040]. For more information about Jan Jiracek von Arnim, please visit https://www.jjpianist.com/#vita

Sep
28
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Sep 28 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Oct
26
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Oct 26 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Jan
25
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Jan 25 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Feb
23
Sat
NC Bach Festival Annual Youth Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Feb 23 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Mar
15
Fri
Henry Hsieh Individual Recital (Open to Public) @ Ruggero Piano
Mar 15 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Henry Hsieh Individual Recital (Open to Public) @ Ruggero Piano

Henry Hsieh Individual Recital. This individual recital is free and open to the public.

Mar
22
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Mar 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

MDM Trio

Myra Michot* – vocals, Mark Underwood – bass, David McAllister – piano

Program

Song list:

  1. Struttin’ with some Barbeque – Louis Armstrong, Lil Armstrong
  2. Darktown Strutters Ball – Shelton Brooks
  3. I Got Rhythm* –  George Gershwin
  4. Do You Know What it Means – Eddie DeLange, Louis Alter
  5. I Can’t Give You Anything* – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields
  6. Some of These Days – Shelton Brooks
  7. Georgia on my Mind* – Hoagy Charmichael, Stuart Gorrell
  8. On the Sunny Side of the Street* – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields
  9. Moonglow – G Will Hudson, Irving Mills, Eddie DeLange
  10. Someone To Watch Over Me* – George and Ira Gershwin
  11. Sweet Georgia Brown – Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, Kenneth Casey
  12. Pennies From Heaven – Arthur Johnston, Johnny Burke
  13. Here’s That Rainy Day* – Jimmy Van Hensen, Johnny Burke
  14. Take the A-Train – Billy Strayhorn
  15. Girl from Ipanema – Antonio Carlos Jobim, Norman Gimbel
  16. Stormy Weather* – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
  17. Satin Doll – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
  18. Don’t Blame Me – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields
  19. A Foggy Day – George and Ira Gershwin
  20. Honeysuckle Rose* – Fats Waller, Andy Razaf

Apr
26
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Apr 26 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

Program coming soon!

Jun
28
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Jun 28 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

You’re Invited to a very special Fourth Friday Concert at Bosendorfer Hall in honor and celebration of Eric Hale for 16 years of dedicated service as emcee, booking agent, performer, and friend! Don’t miss Eric’s final performance!

Fourth Friday Concert Program

Eric Hale, baritone
Sue Timmons, piano
  • Pink Fish by Alan Menken
Ann Forsthoefel, soprano
S.K. Shipley, Pianist
  • Vissi d’arte from Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
  • Lucy’s Aria from The Three Penny Opera by Kurt Weill
  • To This We’ve Come from The Consul by Gian Carlo Menotti
Richard Reid, piano
  • Prelude in B flat major, Op. 23, Number 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
  • Etude-Tableaux in a minor, Op. 39, Number 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
  • Etude-Tableaux in b minor, Op. 39, Number 4 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
  • Prelude in g sharp minor, Op. 33, Number 12 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
  • Liebesfreud by Fritz Kreisler (arr. Sergei Rachmaninoff)
Monica Szabo-Nyeste, mezzo-soprano
Eva Mengelkoch, piano
Beyond the Guarded Gate music by Juliana Hall with poetry by Margaret Widdemer.
  • The Net
  • A Mother to the War Makers
  • The Old Suffragist
  • The Modern Woman to Her Lover
  • The Women’s Litany
Aug
23
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Aug 23 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

Program coming soon!

Sep
27
Fri
Special Edition Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Sep 27 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Special Edition Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

Special Edition Fourth Friday Concert featuring The North Carolina Chamber Music Institute

Now celebrating its 6th year, NCCMI has been recently awarded its first government grants from the City of Raleigh and the United Arts Council of Wake County. The September concert will include many favorite works from the classical repertoire performed by NCCMI’s leading String Quartets and Piano/String mixed ensembles. Students will introduce their music and share their learning experiences with NCCMI in an enjoyable and entertaining program.

The North Carolina Chamber Music Institute-NCCMI was founded by NC Symphony musicians Elizabeth Beilman and Jimmy Gilmore with the mission of inspiring young artists of the future through the medium of great chamber music. Chamber Music as an art form for small ensembles like string quartets and piano trios that teaches musical and technical skills as well as leadership and confidence in a unique way. Based in Raleigh with events spread throughout the Triangle area, this comprehensive program operates during the academic year.  In partnership with Chamber Music Raleigh and the North Carolina Symphony, NCCMI offers students (primarily aged 7-19) the benefits of weekly sessions, master classes, workshops and programming with world-class musician/ teachers including members of the NC Symphony and visiting artists. Financial aid is available to those in need.

Oct
25
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Oct 25 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Nov
22
Fri
Solo Piano Concert featuring Dmitri Shteinberg @ Ruggero Piano
Nov 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Jan
24
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert featuring the NC Master Chorale Pop Singers @ Ruggero Piano
Jan 24 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert featuring the NC Master Chorale Pop Singers @ Ruggero Piano

Program coming soon!

Feb
28
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert featuring UNC Greensboro Faculty and Students @ Ruggero Piano
Feb 28 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Mar
27
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert featuring the Triangle Youth Philharmonic Concerto Winners @ Ruggero Piano
Mar 27 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Apr
24
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Apr 24 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

Program coming soon!

Jun
9
Tue
Hal Leonard Workshop @ Ruggero Piano
Jun 9 @ 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Hal Leonard Workshop @ Ruggero Piano

More information coming soon!

Jun
26
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano
Jun 26 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert @ Ruggero Piano

Program coming soon!

Oct
9
Fri
Fall Course Live Stream – Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians – How to Naturally Stay Healthy in the Neck, Shoulders and Spine for Piano Teachers featuring Chip Moseley, MPT, OCS, CSCS, Clinician
Oct 9 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Fall Course Live Stream - Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians - How to Naturally Stay Healthy in the Neck, Shoulders and Spine for Piano Teachers featuring Chip Moseley, MPT, OCS, CSCS, Clinician

Fall Course Live Stream – Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians – How to Naturally Stay Healthy in the Neck, Shoulders and Spine for Piano Teachers featuring Chip Moseley, MPT, OCS, CSCS, Clinician

Teachers and musicians of all disciplines are often challenged by chronic tension in the neck, shoulders and back. Learn how to prevent pain and teach and perform more healthfully with these approaches, stretches and exercises. In the comfort of your home or studio, try out these exercises!

Chip Moseley earned his Masters in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor’s  Degree  in Chemistry from the University of  North Carolina at  Chapel Hill.  Chip is one of a few Board Certified   Orthopedic Specialists in Physical Therapy in North Carolina. In addition, he has a specialty in strength and conditioning. Chip has earned hundreds of  hours of continuing education in Biomechanics of movement and manual therapy. Chip has been with Total Motion PT in Durham for almost two decades. He has been a physical therapist since 1988.

These workshops are complimentary – simply click here and enjoy!

Dr. Carol Ann Larry , Workshop Coordinator

Oct
30
Fri
Fall Course Live Stream – Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians – Defining and Teaching Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique featuring Barbara Lister-Sink, Ed.D.
Oct 30 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Fall Course Live Stream - Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians - Defining and Teaching Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique featuring Barbara Lister-Sink, Ed.D.

Fall Course Live Stream – Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians – Defining and Teaching Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique featuring Barbara Lister-Sink, Ed.D.

Pianists of all ages and levels are often frustrated and even tragically hindered by discomfort, pain, and injury related playing.  Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink, author of the MTNA-award-winning DVD IFreeing the Caged Bird–Developing Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique, will offer an accessible but scientifically informed look into the heart of injury-preventive piano technique.  She will demonstrate basic biomechanical principles that can constitute a “basic form” for pianists of any age or level;  define how the body is designed to work best with the instrument; and discuss risk factors for injury.  Finally, she will offer practical tools for teaching the sensations of good coordination and freedom.

Internationally acclaimed pianist and acknowledged global leader in injury-preventive keyboard technique, is a graduate of Smith College, the Utrecht Conservatory and holds an Ed.D. from Columbia University.  A Steinway ARtist since 1977, Lister-Sink has performed and given workshops throughout North America, Europe and Australia.  As the current Artistic Director of the Salem College School of Music and Director of the Graduate Music Program, she has  also taught on the Eastman School of Music Artist Faculty and was keyboardist for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.  A previewer for Oxford University Press, Lister-Sink was chosen by Musical America Global as one of America’s “30 Top Professionals of 2018” as an innovator, independent thinker, and visionary leader.

These workshops are complimentary – simply click here and enjoy!

Dr. Carol Ann Larry , Workshop Coordinator

Nov
6
Fri
Fall Course Live Stream – Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians – The Alexander Technique for Pianists – In Introduction featuring Suzanne Faulkner
Nov 6 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Fall Course Live Stream - Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians - The Alexander Technique for Pianists - In Introduction featuring Suzanne Faulkner

Fall Course Live Stream – Wellness for Piano Teachers & Musicians – The Alexander Technique for Pianists – In Introduction featuring Suzanne Faulkner

The Alexander Technique  (AT) is the investigation of how intention and habit affect physical coordination and learning capacity.  AT has a long history of helping instrumentalists perform with less stress and likelihood of injury.  With a mixture of lecture and experiential learning,  this workshop will introduce you to the tools and foundations of AT.  These tools can be applied to your particular issues regarding injury recovery and prevention, or as a way to deepen your relationship to your instrument and enable a bit more freedom in all that you do.

Over the years Suzanne Faulkner has worked with a wide variety of instrumentalists both amateur and professional.  Some sought her AT teaching to get relief from injuries or to improve sound performance issues, others have come out of sheer curiosity.  Suzanne has been studying AT since 1987 and for 25 years has been an active member and recognized teacher of The American Society of TEachers of the AT.  She continues her studies and development of this technique with Ruth Kilroy and the dynamic AT community in the Boston area.

These workshops are complimentary – simply click on the link and enjoy!

Dr. Carol Ann Larry , Workshop Coordinator

Sep
10
Fri
Live Stream Concert – A Recital of Gratitude and Thanksgiving featuring Dr. Carol Ann Barry @ Ruggero Piano Live Stream
Sep 10 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Dr. Carol Ann Barry is a Nationally Certified member of MTNA. Her piano training has included several degree programs as well as study abroad. Sel​ected to serve as a Rotary International Fellow, she studied at the Goethe Institute in Munich, and the Hochschule für Musik und Darsteleende Kunst in Hamburg, Germany. Dr. Barry is interested in the pedagogical work of internationally renowned pedagogue Abby Whiteside. Her doctoral work included extensive studies in New York City with pianist Sophia Rosoff.

Dr. Barry is a frequent presenter at music conferences at the state and national levels. Her creative teaching style has enhanced her ability to work with children with diverse learning needs. Dr. Barry served on the organizational committee of the 2005 WPPC Conference in Anaheim, California, and has presented several papers for the organization, including the lecture, Outlining-A Crucial Practice Technique, at the 2009 national conference in Arizona. A lecture recital featuring the Preludes, Op. 64, by Cesar Cui, was presented at the College Music Society national conference in 2010.
Between 1995 and 2000, Dr. Barry served as the Director of Keyboard Studies at the Columbia Institute of Fine Arts, in Falls Church, Virginia. During her tenure at Columbia, she developed and directed the Columbia Pedagogy Series, which served as an outreach to teachers and musicians throughout the Washington area. She was the founding director of the Columbia Concert Series at CIFA, which presented some of Washington’s finest artists and performance ensembles.
Orchestral appearances have included the McLean Symphony, Reston Community Orchestra, and the Columbia Orchestra in performances of Addinsell’s “Warsaw” Concerto, and the Carnival of the Animals, by Camille Saint-Saens,. She also performed Mozart’s Concerto in D Minor, K. 466 and Chopin’s F Minor Piano Concerto. Dr. Barry spends significant time teaching in her private piano studio, located in Cary, N.C.
A collaborative pianist, Dr. Barry currently serves as an accompanist for the widely diverse voice department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the fall of 2015 she performed a piano trio concert with local artists Samford Enseln and violinist Petia Radneva Mantalova. Solo performances have included an all-Beethoven program featuring the piano sonatas of Beethoven’s middle period.
Dr. Barry received a Baccalaureate degree from Old Dominion University, a Masters of Music in Piano from the University of Louisville School of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Oct
1
Fri
3rd Annual Fall Course Series Part 1 of 3, featuring Dr. Dylan Savage @ Ruggero Piano
Oct 1 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
3rd Annual Fall Course Series Part 1 of 3, featuring Dr. Dylan Savage @ Ruggero Piano

Dr. Savage will demonstrate stylistically correct performance practice of music in the Baroque and Classical periods using commonly-known intermediate, advanced-intermediate, and advanced level repertoire representing a wide range of composers. Playing numerous examples, Dr. Savage will cover: articulation, phrasing, dynamics, pedaling, ornamentation, tone quality, tempo markings, Urtext versus edited scores, expanded practices, and the reasons (musical logic) behind each. Additionally, he will demonstrate specific techniques for how to develop and practice different levels of articulation with a simple, easy-to-remember system. Known for his clear, fun, informal delivery which is jam-packed with information and helpful tips, Dr. Savage will welcome questions and audience interaction throughout the presentation.

About the Presenter 

Dylan Savage is a Bösendorfer Concert Artist, a Capstone Records Recording Artist, and a winner of the Rome Festival Orchestra Competition. He is author of the book The Transposed Musician: Teaching Universal Skills to Improve Performance and Benefit Life, GIA Publications. It is the first book to present a comprehensive and systematic method for teaching universal skills within the context of the music lesson. Dr. Savage is co-author of the piano pedagogy book A Symposium for Pianists and Teachers: Strategies to Develop the Mind and Body for Optimal Performance, Heritage Music Press. He is the author of numerous articles found in Clavier, Clavier Companion, American Music Teacher, and Pianoforte magazines.

Dr. Savage pioneered the use of slow-motion video analysis to help pianists improve performance and minimize injury. His research in biomechanics, wellness, and entrepreneurship has resulted in numerous master-classes at top music schools and national / international conferences. For decades, Savage has used live music performance to teach in-depth practices of universal skills and continuous improvement to people in non-music disciplines. Applying universal skills to the study of music and to life is the foundation of his studio teaching at UNCC. His work has been featured in television spots on NBC and PBS affiliates.

Dr. Savage is Professor of Piano at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He has degrees in piano from the Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Drawing inspiration from the outdoors, he can often be found skiing, hiking, biking, or canoeing.

About the Series – Creating Young Artists, Teaching Style for Students in Early Intermediate through Early Advanced Levels

We value the commitment of piano teachers to serve our students with professionalism and teaching expertise.  Committed to education, we proudly present this complimentary three lecture series on wellness. To ensure the health and safety of our clinicians and participants, this year’s programs will be available to attend in-person and via live stream.

Students who are available to participate due to flexible remote learning schedules are also welcome to attend! The live stream link will be available on our website at ruggeropiano.com  prior to each presentation. These workshops are complimentary – we invite you to join us in-person or via Live Stream!

Oct
15
Fri
3rd Annual Fall Course Series Part 2 of 3, featuring Dr. Vincent van Gelder @ Ruggero Piano
Oct 15 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
3rd Annual Fall Course Series Part 2 of 3, featuring Dr. Vincent van Gelder @ Ruggero Piano

The Romantic Era was an inevitable result of developments in the Classical era. In this presentation I will discuss, with examples, works by Beethoven, Clementi, and others that foreshadowed the era. This will be followed by a look at the specific stylistic traits of the era, as well as the boundaries of it. Pushing the boundaries would eventually lead to new styles. Another important part of the presentation will deal with the era’s developments in piano technique, piano schools (French, Russian), and how we can apply this to teaching intermediate to (early) advanced works to our students.

About the Presenter 

Dr. Vincent van Gelder was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

He has won top prizes in many national and international piano competitions, including the Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition, New York Artist International Competition, and St. Louis Artist Presentation competition. He has performed in several countries in Europe, and in many states in the US, including a well-reviewed solo recital at Carnegie Hall. In 2008 he nearly lost the index finger to his left hand but thanks to a successful surgery he made a near full recovery. He has been a soloist with several orchestras. As a chamber pianist he performed with musicians like Dmitri Sitkovetski, members of the Ciompi Quartet, Red Clay Quartet, and his wife, Inara Zandmane. He has collaborated with several composers including the Argentinean composer Alejandro Rutty, who wrote a piano concerto for him that he premiered with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Symphony orchestra.

Recent highly acclaimed performances were in London, England and at the Van Cliburn Festival. Upcoming concerts include Harpa Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland where he will play the world premiere of one of his own works, a large multi movement piece based on Icelandic legends, this will be accompanied by art work from his 13 year old daughter, Natalie van Gelder.

Their new project “Ardenuir-The Stone in the Sword” will begin its world premiere later this year.

Vincent’s recordings have been played on radio and tv stations in the US as well as The Netherlands.

Dr. van Gelder studied in Holland, Latvia, and the US, receiving two masters and subsequently a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance, from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. His most influential teachers were Leslie Howard, Czerny-Stefanska, Teofils Bikis, Arnis Zandmanis, Wilfred Delphin, and Richard Cass.

He has been a member of the piano faculty at Duke University. He is founder and president of the Triad Institute for Young Musicians.

About the Series – Creating Young Artists, Teaching Style for Students in Early Intermediate through Early Advanced Levels

We value the commitment of piano teachers to serve our students with professionalism and teaching expertise.  Committed to education, we proudly present this complimentary three lecture series on wellness. To ensure the health and safety of our clinicians and participants, this year’s programs will be available to attend in-person and via live stream.

Students who are available to participate due to flexible remote learning schedules are also welcome to attend! The live stream link will be available on our website at ruggeropiano.com  prior to each presentation. These workshops are complimentary – we invite you to join us in-person or via Live Stream!

Oct
22
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert Series @ Ruggero Piano
Oct 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Oct
29
Fri
3rd Annual Fall Course Series Part 3 of 3, featuring Dr. John Salmon @ Ruggero Piano
Oct 29 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
3rd Annual Fall Course Series Part 3 of 3, featuring Dr. John Salmon @ Ruggero Piano

Sometimes younger piano students have a difficult time relating to musical styles of the 20th and 21st centuries. This workshop will present an array of “modern” compositions that might be appropriate and attractive to students in early intermediate through early advanced levels. An enormous variety of compositional idioms were used between 1900 and 2021: neoromantic, impressionistic, atonal, neoclassical, aleatoric, jazzy, and on and on. This workshop will cover an assortment of works from this time period, organized according to three difficulty levels—early/mid intermediate, mid intermediate/late intermediate, and early advanced. Composers of the canon, such as Bartók and Prokofiev, will be juxtaposed against lesser-known composers such as Nikolai Rakov (1908-1990) and distinguished composers of a younger generation such as Lera Auerbach (b. 1973). Piano music from Africa and the African diaspora, China, and the Americas will be covered as well. Of course, there is no way to cover 120 years of worthwhile music in a two-hour workshop. But, hopefully, this event will ignite curiosity and spark further exploration of this gigantic topic.

About the Presenter 

Pianist John Salmon (johnsalmon.com), on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has distinguished himself on four continents, as both a classical and jazz artist. His performances have been heard on many radio stations in the U.S., including National Public Radio, WNYC in New York, WFMT in Chicago, and KUSC in Los Angeles; and on the national radio stations of Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Ukraine. Salmon is a frequent guest performer at festivals in the U.S. and Europe, having appeared at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival (Charleston, South Carolina), Piano Festival Northwest (Portland, Oregon), Interlochen Piano Festival (Interlochen, Michigan), Festival for Creative Pianists (Denver, Colorado), Festival Internacional de Música del Mediterráneo (Cartagena, Spain), and the International Bartók Festival (Szombathely, Hungary). He has toured China six times, with concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Hangzhou. Other special appearances include an all-Liszt recital in Mexico City for the American Liszt Society and an all-Brubeck recital in Washington, DC for the Music Teachers National Association, after which he jammed at two pianos with Dave Brubeck in a spontaneous version of Duke Ellington’s “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be.” He has also been the featured artist for the Music Teachers National Association state conferences in California (CAPMT), Virginia (VMTA), and Minnesota (MMTA). He has recorded four compact discs of Dave Brubeck’s classical piano music, on the Phoenix, Naxos, and Albany labels. Brubeck dedicated two compositions to Salmon—“The Salmon Strikes” and “Bach Again.” Salmon’s CD of piano pieces by Nikolai Kapustin is also on the Naxos label, and his CD of his own jazz compositions, Salmon Is A Jumpin’, was released by Albany Records in November 2010. As guest lecturer, Salmon has spoken on a wide array of topics including “Beethoven’s Shadow” (The Juilliard School), “September 1828: Schubert’s Last Three Piano Sonatas” (Boston Conservatory), and “Adding Notes to Classical Scores” (Conservatorio de Música, Morelia, Mexico). As author, he has covered such subjects as “What Brubeck Got From Milhaud” and “Urtext, que me veux tu?” and his articles have appeared in American Music Teacher, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Clavier, College Music Society Newsletter, Piano & Keyboard, and Piano Today. His book The Piano Sonatas of Carl Loewe is published by Peter Lang. Add On Bach (addonbach.com), called “playful, creative, and unique” by Clavier Companion, contains Salmon’s added lines, varied reprises, and cadenzas to keyboard works of J.S. Bach. Jazz Up the Inventions (jazzuptheinventions.com) and Jazz Up the Sinfonias (jazzupthesinfonias.com) have Salmon’s jazzy accompaniments to J.S. Bach’s Two-Part Inventions and Three-Part Inventions. Jazz Standards (salmonstandards.com) has his arrangements of twelve classic pieces from the American songbook, including “All of Me,” “Blue Moon,” and “Over the Rainbow.”

About the Series – Creating Young Artists, Teaching Style for Students in Early Intermediate through Early Advanced Levels

We value the commitment of piano teachers to serve our students with professionalism and teaching expertise.  Committed to education, we proudly present this complimentary three lecture series on wellness. To ensure the health and safety of our clinicians and participants, this year’s programs will be available to attend in-person and via live stream.

Students who are available to participate due to flexible remote learning schedules are also welcome to attend! The live stream link will be available on our website at ruggeropiano.com  prior to each presentation. These workshops are complimentary – we invite you to join us in-person or via Live Stream!

Mar
25
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert Series – Friday, March 25th, 2022, 7:30PM @ Ruggero Piano
Mar 25 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Apr
22
Fri
Fourth Friday Concert Series – Friday, April 22nd, 2022, 7:30PM @ Ruggero Piano
Apr 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Fourth Friday Concert Series – Friday, April 22nd, 2022, 7:30PM @ Ruggero Piano
Apr 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

*Subject to credit approval. Monthly payments of $55.56 per $1,000 borrowed for 18 months at 0% APR. On purchases of new and in-stock qualifying Yamaha pianos from April 1, 2024, to June 3, 2024.

*Subject to credit approval. Monthly payments of $55.56 per $1,000 borrowed for 18 months at 0% APR. On purchases of new and in-stock qualifying Yamaha pianos from April 1, 2024, to June 3, 2024.

Customer Reviews

I was extremely pleased with Ruggero Piano, where my church purchased our piano. They are a family business. I dealt with wife, husband, son and even at times a salesman. All were very helpful in various ways at various times. They were all about as close as you can get to the “perfect salesperson/s.” My initial contact was with the wife by phone. She took time to listen to my “story” about what we were looking for, told me the exact brands and sizes they had on the floor, and understood when I said we only wanted to purchase from the owner. If she didn’t know the answer to a question, she wouldn’t hesitate to say so preferring that I speak with her husband about the question. On our first visit, the salesman was there but totally backed off unless he could answer a question or assist. He also relayed messages via phone on several occasions in the absence of the owners. We were encouraged to play all of the pianos in the store to our hearts content (we did), even the ones too large and expensive for consideration. There were no high-pressure sales tactics. They just let the pianos “speak for themselves.” The son gave us a tour of the rebuilding area and is also very knowledgeable. All of our comments, good and bad, were taken seriously. No price negotiations took place at the first visit, only later in several conversations with Richard via phone/email. It was a pleasant experience, and I believe a fair price was reached. When I explained that we felt we should look at other brands of pianos, they offered suggestions and directions to dealers of brands they didn’t carry. They never spoke badly about another brand of piano or dealer. They provided me a temporary cover for our piano until ours arrived. Their movers were expert! I was amazed.

In short, Ruggero Piano in Raleigh, NC has done everything possible to make sure we are happy with our new piano. We couldn’t be more pleased. - Brenda Carey

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