The Art of the Piano: Stephen Runge and Adam Sherkin
COPLAND 2015: The Complete Works for Solo Piano
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 7:30 pm
$30; $25 Seniors; $20 Students
Aaron Copland was a fine pianist: he premiered his own "Jazz" Piano Concerto in 1926. As he continued to write for the instrument throughout his illustrious career, he increasingly turned to other pianists for the interpretation of his music. On Wednesday, December 2nd, pianists Stephen Runge and Adam Sherkin present Copland's complete piano music in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the composer's death. This performance includes two intermissions and alternates large-scale and minor works in chronological order. Running time is approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes, including both 20-minute intermissions.
Stephen Runge
Pianist Stephen Runge has been heard across Canada in recital, as chamber musician, and with orchestra and is demand across the country as teacher, adjudicator, and clinician. Stephen came to national attention when he was awarded first prize in the piano category of the National Music Festival. Since then he has been the recipient of several important awards, including prizes at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, the International Stepping Stone of the Canadian Music Competition, the C.F.M.T.A. National Piano Competition, the Roberto and Mary Wood Competition, the Shean Piano Competition, and the B.C. Young Artists' Piano Competition.
Dr. Runge enjoys performing lesser known repertoire and new works. In 2000, he gave the Canadian premiere of Lowell Liebermann's Piano Concerto No.2 with the Regina Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and the University of Victoria Orchestra. Dr. Runge has been broadcast nationally on CBC Radio Two and La Chaîne Culturelle de Radio-Canada. He has received special recognition for his frequent performances as chamber musician and art song collaborator, and is a founding member of the Beausejour Trio. He is currently undertaking a major recording project of the large works for solo piano by Robert Schumann. As a clinician, Dr. Runge has given workshops at provincial and national teaching conferences on topics such as effective practice methods, approaching piano technique holistically, and performance practices for Baroque and Classical music.
Adam Sherkin
Composer and pianist Adam Sherkin(MMus, BMus, AdvPerfDip, A.R.C.T.) is a dynamic and versatile musician who commands a multi-dimensional approach to performance and composition. A native of Toronto, Adam graduated from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory and the Royal College of Music, London. His works have been premiered at the Glenn Gould Studio, the Luminato Festival, the Spotlight Festival (Waterloo), the King’s Lynn Festival (Norfolk), The Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), The Warehouse and the National Portrait Gallery in London. Adam has appeared in performance at the Four Seasons Centre, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, The St Lawrence Centre for the Arts, St Martin-in-the- Fields, Covent Garden and the Royal Albert Hall. Sherkin’s debut solo album, As At First, was released in November of 2012 on the Centrediscs label.
