After a three-year hiatus due to Covid 19, the unique and popular concert performance known as THREE PIANOS – SIX HANDS TM finally returns to the McCallum Theatre on Monday, March 20th at 5:30 PM. The performance is unique because it features virtuoso pianists performing on three pianos all at the same time. The first rendition was performed in November of 2014 at the McCallum to a sold out crowd. The response was so strong THREE PIANOS – SIX HANDS TM became an annual favorite, with different pianists and differing selections of musical offerings.
This performance features four artists. John Bayless, concert pianist / composer / recording artist and PSIPC’s Artistic Director Laureate did the musical arrangements for the two works to be performed by the other three pianists: a Bach piano concerto and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Bayless himself with perform twice during the evening.
The other artists are Scott Cuellar, Norman Krieger and Lisa Nakamichi. Concert pianist / 2013 Virginia Waring Solo Winner Scott Cuellar is currently an assistant professor of applied music and piano performance at Syracuse University’s Seton School of Music. He received his Bachelors’ of Music from Oberlin, his Masters of Music from Juilliard and his Doctorate of Music from Rice University. This performance marks Cuellar’s third appearance in Three Pianos – Six Hands at The McCallum. Cuellar will perform Prokofiev and Schumann solos.
Concert pianist / recording artist Norman Krieger is professor of piano and chair of the Piano Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. A native of Los Angeles, he is one of the most acclaimed pianists of his generation and is highly regarded as an artist of depth, sensitivity, and virtuosic flair. He previously served as professor of keyboard studies at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music since 1997. His Bachelors and Masters of Music are both from Juilliard, and his Artist Diploma is from the New England Conservatory. Krieger will perform several pieces by Chopin.
Concert pianist Lisa Nakamichi is the founder of the Aloha International Piano Competition in Oahu, Hawaii. A Canadian citizen and a resident of Hawaii, Nakamichi regularly tours in the US and abroad, performing solo and with symphonies. Her Bachelors and Masters of Music are from Juilliard and her doctorate is from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She will perform Debussy and Gershwin solos, and will perform with Bayless on the popular Mother Goose Suite by Ravel.
The performance concludes with the jazzy “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, arranged by Bayless for three pianos.
The show starts at 5:30 pm, and concert only tickets range from $45 to $150 through the McCallum Theatre box office: www.McCallumTheatre.com or call 760-340-2787.
VIP seats that include both concert and an exclusive gourmet dinner afterwards at Morningside Country Club are $500 and $750. The $750 priced tickets are limited in number and include being seated with one of the artists. These VIP tickets are only available through PSIPC: email agreer@PSIPC.org or call 760-773-2575. Dinner only tickets are available for those who have already purchased a concert ticket.
Event chair is JoAnn Wellner. The first THREE PIANOS, SIX HANDS TM was presented in 2014, and was the brainchild of PSIPC’s late board chair, Peggy Cravens.
This concert marks the first production in Palm Desert by the new team of Artistic Director Robert Koenig and Board President Joe Giarrusso.
Presenting Sponsor is the Muriel McBrian Kauffman Family Foundation. Other sponsors are Lu Barnes, the City of Palm Desert, the California Arts Council, the Palm Springs Friends of the Philharmonic, Peggy and Peter Preuss, the Stephen Philibosian Foundation, and JoAnn Wellner. Venue sponsor is The McCallum Theatre. Call 760-773-2575 or visit www.psipc.org for more information. Funds raised by this concert fundraiser support PSIPC’s engagement outreach to local schools and the 2025 Junior and Intermediate Competitions for pianists 17 years and younger. The Competition was founded in 1983. The Palm Springs International Piano Competition (PSIPC) discovers, promotes, and inspires promising young classical pianists through biennial public competitions, offering monetary prizes and significant performance and career opportunities, while providing local community educational outreach and engagement. In addition, PSIPC showcases and highlights wide and diverse cultural musical offerings that serve the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley communities and beyond.
Mediaontact: Ann Greer
(323) 363-8243 – cell
agreer@psipc.org or anngreer@earthlink.net
