Oakland University, CMS Detroit partner to present pianist Stewart Goodyear

icon of a calendarFebruary 25, 2019

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Oakland University, CMS Detroit partner to present pianist Stewart Goodyear
Stewart Goodyear
Pianist Stewart Goodyear.

Oakland University has partnered with the Chamber Music Society of Detroit to present Canadian pianist Steward Goodyear, who will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10 at OU’s Varner Recital Hall in Rochester Hills.

Praised as “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times, Goodyear will perform a program that pairs a late Beethoven treasure, Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, with the spectacular color of Ravel (Sonatine and Alborado del gracioso) and the majesty of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

The concert is part of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit’s new Regional Partner Series, which is being presented in partnership with Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Tickets to the performance are $10 for students, $25 for seniors, and $30 for the general public and can be purchased online at startickets.com.

“This has been another outstanding year for Oakland University’s partnership with the Chamber Music Society of Detroit,” said Joseph Shively, associate professor of music education and interim director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. “Having pianist Stewart Goodyear performing will provide a memorable finale to our 2018-2019 CMSD/Oakland University series that music lovers should not miss.”

Described as "one of the best pianists of his generation" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Goodyear is an accomplished young pianist as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer. He has performed with major orchestras of the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Bournemouth Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Known as an improviser and composer, Goodyear has received commissions by orchestras and chamber music organizations, and performs his own solo works.  Last year, he premiered his suite for piano and orchestra, Callaloo, with Kristjan Jarvi and MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig, and last summer, the Clarosa Quartet premiered his Piano Quartet. A new work for piano and orchestra commissioned by the Toronto Symphony was just premiered in January.

Goodyear's discography includes Beethoven's Complete Piano Sonatas (which received a Juno nomination for Best Classical Solo Recording) and Diabelli Variations for the Marquis Classics label; Tchaikovsky and Grieg Concerti, and Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos No. 2 and 3, both recorded with the Czech National Symphony and released to critical acclaim on the Steinway and Sons label. Also for Steinway and Sons is Goodyear's recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky's complete Nutcracker ballet, which was chosen by the New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015.

 

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