(Dan Tepfer, Sean Chen, Arthur Migliazza and | Photos courtesy of Sunriver Music Festival)
A dynamic two-day piano celebration returns to Bend’s Tower Theatre this April for its third annual performance. It is the Sunriver Music Festival’s Piano Showcase: From Bach to Boogie to Jazz featuring a trio of exceptional pianists celebrating the versatility and virtuosity of the piano.
This event, which combines public performances with music education, will highlight the exceptional talents of innovative jazz pianist Dan Tepfer from New York City, a return performance of the popular boogie-woogie pianist Arthur Migliazza, and the winner of the 2013 American Pianists Awards and 2013 Van Cliburn medalist Sean Chen.
Jazz pianist Dan Tepfer has made a name for himself as a pianist-composer of wide-ranging ambition, “a remarkable musician” in the words of the Washington Post. Born in Paris to American parents, Tepfer has performed with some of the jazz greats including saxophone luminary Lee Konitz. As an artist, Tepfer has crafted everything from probing solo improvisation and intimate duets to richly layered trio albums of original compositions. As a composer, he is a recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his works. Bringing together his undergraduate studies in astrophysics with his passion for music, he is currently working on integrating computer-driven algorithms into his improvisational approach. Awards include first prize and audience prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition, first prize at the East Coast Jazz Festival Competition and the Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association.
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 US. 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.
Hailed as a charismatic rising star with “an exceptional ability to connect with an audience combined with an easy virtuosity” (Huffington Post), American pianist Sean Chen 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.
sunrivermusic.org • information@sunrivermusic.org • 541-593-9310