Portland Piano International launches new recital series in Beaverton at The Reser
World-renowned pianists Paul Lewis and Jon Kimura Parker will commence this suburban initiative this spring. More events to be announced soon.
PORTLAND, OR – Portland Piano International (PPI) launches a new experiential, classical piano recital series in Beaverton, Oregon at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (The Reser). This new initiative is the first of its kind for PPI in collaboration with the newly-opened performing arts center.
With PPI concerts, events, and festivals usually taking place in and around Portland, this suburban outpost for the organization at The Reser provides a unique opportunity to reach a different audience with a new event format. The one-hour experience occurs on Thursday evenings at 6 PM, right after the workday featuring drinks, snacks, and a concert by a world-class pianist.
This spring, two pianists kickoff this initiative – British pianist Paul Lewis on May 5 and Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker on June 2. Performing at The Reser just two days before their scheduled full-length concerts in downtown Portland, these weekday concerts should inspire suburban Beaverton dwellers to hear the complete concerts on the weekend in the city. The full-length PPI concerts will still occur in downtown Portland at Lincoln Performance Hall on the campus of Portland State University.
This concept is the brainchild of PPI’s executive director Bill Crane, who wants to empower suburban homes to experience the transformative power of a live piano recital immediately after the standard work day while meeting like-minded people or reconnecting with friends. For local retired residents, these events provide a pleasant evening after weekday errands.
Tickets are priced at $31 and available through The Reser’s Box Office online at reser.org, or by phone at (971) 501-7722. The Reser is located at 12625 SW Crescent St., Beaverton, OR 97005.
PPI continues to present its season in downtown Portland with three more weekends of full-length concerts at Lincoln Performance Hall: Nicolas Namoradze (April 2 & 3), Paul Lewis (May 7 & 8), and Jon Kimura Parker (June 4 & 5). This 21-22 season is curated by celebrated Canadian concert pianist, Angela Hewitt, who performed at PPI last month.
PPI AT THE RESER – EVENT LISTING INFORMATION
Thursday, May 5 at 6 PM [MORE INFO / TICKETS]
Sublime; Never Ridiculous - Magical Piano Sonatas of Franz Schubert with Paul Lewis
SCHUBERT Sonata for Piano no. 7 in E flat Major, D568
SCHUBERT Sonata for Piano no. 17 in D Major D850
Thursday, June 2 at 6 PM [MORE INFO / TICKETS]
Americana! Dramatic Piano Classics and a Wizard of Oz Fantasy with Jon Kimura Parker
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 27. no. 2 (“Moonlight”)
CLARA SCHUMANN Scherzo No. 2, op. 14
BRAHMS Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, op. 24
HAROLD ARLEN / ARR. WILLIAM HIRTZ “Wizard of Oz” Fantasy
L-R: Jon Kimura Parker and Paul Lewis
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MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Eifert, 347.741.1913
jonathan.eifert@goldsoundmedia.com
HIGH-RES PHOTOS [DOWNLOAD]
PORTLAND PIANO INTERNATIONAL has presented more than 180 artists in recital and through outreach activities. Some of the greatest pianists in the world of music have played for Portland audiences because of this organization. While pianists have many opportunities to play the concerto repertoire, this is one of only a handful of recital series that remains devoted to the solo piano recital. Portland Piano International is a vital part of Portland’s quality cultural life and it has consistently garnered praise from both the local and national media, heralded a “consistently brilliant Piano Recital Series” (Willamette Week) and “one of this city’s musical treasures” (The Oregonian).
PAUL LEWIS is internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. His cycles of core piano works by Beethoven and Schubert have received unanimous critical and public acclaim worldwide, and consolidated his reputation as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the central European classical repertoire. His numerous awards have included the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year, two Edison awards, three Gramophone awards, the Diapason D’or de l’Annee, the Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana, and the South Bank Show Classical Music award. He holds honorary degrees from Liverpool, Edge Hill, and Southampton Universities, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
He works regularly as soloist with the world’s great orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony, New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw, Cleveland, Tonhalle Zurich, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Philharmonia, and Mahler Chamber Orchestras.
JON KIMURA PARKER performs this summer at festivals in Lincoln Center, Sarasota, Bridgehampton, Boulder, Toronto, Santa Fe, Ravinia and Orcas Island. He is an Officer of The Order of Canada and holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia and the Toronto Conservatory of Music.
Jon Kimura Parker has collaborated recently with Leonard Slatkin, Susan Graham, Cho-Liang Lin, Frederica von Stade, and Sanjaya Malakar. As a founding member of Off the Score, Jon Kimura Parker performs with legendary Police drummer Stewart Copeland. Mr. Parker also tours with the Montrose Trio, with violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith.
His YouTube channel features the Concerto Chat videos, promoting the piano concerto repertoire. He is the founding Artistic Advisor of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival and is the Artistic Director of the Honens International Piano Competition and Festival in Calgary, Alberta. Jon Kimura Parker is Professor of Piano at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
“Jackie” Parker studied with Edward Parker and Keiko Parker, Lee Kum-Sing, Marek Jablonski, and Adele Marcus. He won the Gold Medal at the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition. He is married to violinist/violist Aloysia Friedmann.