(Jazz artist Adam BirnBaum | Photo courtesy of Sunriver Music Festival)
Up and coming New York City Jazz pianist Adam Birnbaum has been added to Bend’s two-day piano celebration April 12-13. This will be the third year for Sunriver Music Festival’s Piano Showcase: From Bach to Boogie to Jazz. This event, which combines public performances with music education, will now highlight jazz pianist Adam Birnbaum, popular boogie-woogie pianist Arthur Migliazza and classical pianist, Van Cliburn medalist, Sean Chen.
Jazz pianist Adam Birnbaum studied at the New England Conservatory of Music before being one of two pianists selected to participate in the Julliard School’s inaugural jazz studies program. In 2004 he won the American Jazz Piano Competition and became the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter fellow in Jazz. Since graduating from Julliard, he he has become a major presence on the city’s jazz scene as a leader and sideman, performing at top venues such as the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. He has also performed on many national and world stages, including the Kennedy Center, the Montreal Jazz Festival, The Spoleto Festival, The Red Sea Jazz Festival, The Rockport Chamber Festival, NPR Jazz Christmas, and the Capetown Jazz Festival. An accomplished composer and arranger, Birnbaum has released four highly honored albums. His wide-ranging versatility and artistry have also made him a popular sideman. He has performed or toured with jazz legends such as Al Foster, Greg Osby, Wallace Roney, Eddie Henderson, Eddie Gomez, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis.
Returning by popular demand, Arthur Migliazza is a member of the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame and was a finalist at the 2010 and 2014 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. In 2014 he received the Best of the Blues Award for Best Keyboardist in Washington State. His 2014 album Laying It Down, resided at #1 on the Roots Music Report chart for Washington in the the summer of 2014, and reached #20 on the national chart. During his 20+ years of performing he has played on the world’s greatest stages, including Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow as part of the sold-out Kings of Boogie Tour, the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, as well as on National Public Radio in the U.S. He also starred in the critically acclaimed Off Broadway show BOOGIE STOMP! Now he returns to Bend, but only for one weekend performing and leading workshops for pianists and enthusiasts of all ages.
American pianist Sean Chen has been hailed as a charismatic rising star with “an exceptional ability to connect with an audience combined with an easy virtuosity” (Huffington Post). He was the winner of the 2013 American Pianists Awards and a medalist at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was also named a 2015 fellow by the prestigious Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing Arts. Chen has performed with many prominent orchestras and served on the juries of such notable piano competitions as the Thailand International Piano Competition, Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, and Steinway competitions in Kansas City and St. Louis. Lauded for his natural charisma and approachable personality, Mr. Chen is particularly in demand for residencies that combine performances with master classes, school concerts, and artist conversations. A Steinway Artist, Chen has also contributed to the catalog of Steinway’s new Spirio system.
A two-day, all-inclusive pass for all concerts and workshop is $80 (Sign up by March 12 and the cost is $70). Students age 21 and under get the all-inclusive pass for $40. Individual concert tickets are also available for the Friday and Saturday night concerts at $35 each. The evening concerts are two completely different programs — you’ll want to attend both for the best Piano Showcase experience!
sunrivermusic.org • information@sunrivermusic.org • 541-593-9310