MUSIC

The Houston Symphony presents Rhapsody in Blue.  Friday, January 15, 2010, Saturday-Sunday, January 16 & 17. 

Fresh after today’s announcement of his winning the prestigious 2010 Gilmore Artist Award, Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein (pictured) will join the Houston Symphony on January 15, 16, 17 to perform Gershwin’s beloved American classic, Rhapsody In Blue, as well as Ravel’s Concerto in G Major. These performances will be his first with an orchestra since his win. One of the most prestigious honors for pianists, the Gilmore Artist Award is presented every four years on a non-competitive basis to an exceptional pianist who, regardless of age or nationality, has the potential to sustain a career as a major international concert artist. Mr. Gerstein will receive $300,000 in support of his musical and career goals over the next four years. Previous recipients of the Gilmore Artist Award are Ingrid Fliter (2006), Piotr Anderszewski (2002), Leif Ove Andsnes (1998), Ralf Gothóni (1994), and David Owen Norris (1991).

“I am extremely honored and humbled to have been chosen as the 2010 Gilmore Artist,” said Kirill Gerstein. ”It feels very gratifying and flattering to have my work recognized and supported by such a distinguished panel of experts in the classical music world. I'm quite overwhelmed by the myriad of projects that this award could make possible, and I’m looking forward to working with Dan Gustin and his staff at The Gilmore to realize some of my creative dreams. It’s with great appreciation that I accept this incredibly generous award.”

About Kirill Gerstein

Born in Russia, thirty-year-old Kirill Gerstein studied piano at a special music school for gifted children and taught himself to play jazz. He came to the U.S. at 14 to continue his studies in jazz piano at Boston’s Berklee College of Music while continuing to study the classical piano repertoire. Following two summers at the Boston University Young Artist program at Tanglewood, Mr. Gerstein moved to New York City to study with Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music where he earned both his Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees by the age of 20, then continued his studies in Madrid with Dmitri Bashkirov and in Budapest with Ferenc Rados. Now an American citizen, Mr. Gerstein divides his time between the United States and Germany, where he has been a professor of piano at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart since 2006.

Mr. Gerstein has been praised for his masterful technique, musical curiosity, and probing interpretations. He won first prize at the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv and was chosen as Carnegie Hall’s “Rising Star” for the 2005–06 season. Mr. Gerstein is the first Gilmore Artist to also have received the Gilmore Young Artist Award, which he was awarded in 2002.

The Gilmore Artist Award is given by the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, established in 1989. Operating under a unique selection process, candidates for the Gilmore Artist Award are nominated confidentially by a large and diverse committee of music professionals. The nominated candidates are then unknowingly evaluated for their pianism and musicianship in various live concert performances by an anonymous six-member Artistic Advisory Committee. The intention is to evaluate the candidates’ work over a sustained period of time, rather than judging their achievement during the course of a highly concentrated and competitive set of conditions.

The Gilmore Artist receives a $50,000 cash grant to be used at the artist’s discretion and $250,000 typically disbursed over a four-year period for projects and activities that will enhance the artist’s musicianship and career.

Mr. Gerstein, along with former Gilmore Artists Ingrid Fliter, Piotr Anderszewski and David Owen Norris will appear at this year’s Gilmore International Keyboard Festival taking place April 17 to May 8, 2010 throughout West Michigan. More information can be found at www.gilmorekeyboardfestival.org.  

Conductor: Hans Graf
Guests: Kirill Gerstein, piano

Programs:
Milhaud: Le boeuf sur le toit
Ravel: Concerto in G major
Milhaud: La création du monde
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue for Piano and Jazz Band