for Susan and Rick

featuring pianists:
Gloria Cheng
Nic Gerpe
Aron Kallay
Thomas Kotcheff
Nelson Ojeda Valdez
Vicki Ray
Mark Robson

Piano Spheres’ founding pianist Susan Svrček was known for her elegant and insightful performances. Her untimely passing in 2022 foreshadowed the loss of her husband of 32 years, influential composer Frederick Lesemann who wrote much of his later music for her and whose music she championed. This concert is a rare opportunity to hear all of Piano Spheres’ Core and Emeritus Artists on the same stage at the same time! They will perform works by Charles Ives, Arnold Schoenberg and John Cage often performed by Svrček, as well as music by Lesemann written for her. This concert is a love letter from Susan and Rick’s colleagues, students and friends, three of whom (composers Donald Crocket, Thomas Flaherty and Bill Alves) have written pieces for this concert as part of the Piano Spheres ‘30 for 30’ commissioning program.

Concert Program:

Arnold Schoenberg – Introduction to the Gurrelieder – Vicki Ray, Nic Gerpe, Gloria Cheng, Mark Robson
Bill Alves – Just a Phase – Aron Kally and Thomas Kotcheff
Frederick Lesemann – Preludes (…after a tenor by Guilliaume Dufay) #1? – Mark Robson
Charles Ives – Three Quarter-tone Pieces – Vicki Ray and Aron Kallay
Donald Crockett – Chaconne – Mark Robson
John Cage – Dream – (with photos) – Vicki Ray
Thomas Flaherty – ConcorDance – Gloria Cheng
Frederick Lesemann – Barcode – Nic Gerpe and Nelson Ojeda Valdés

This concert is made possible by a generous donation by Susan and Rick’s good friends, Allan and Muriel Kotin.