The Steinway Society’s 26th season picks up right where its spring season should have ended, with Federico Colli. The Italian pianist was slated to perform in the final concert of the organization’s 25th season last May when the pandemic derailed plans for the artist’s West Coast debut. Fortunately, Colli will make his virtual debut here as the inaugural performer in the Society’s new Home Concert Hall series.
According to Steinway Society President Kathy You Wilson, “We were so disappointed to have to cancel concerts this spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When we realized we would still not be able to host live performances in the fall, we decided if we couldn’t bring patrons to a concert hall, we’d bring the concert hall to them instead.”
The series presents specially produced live recordings specifically for Bay Area chapter of the Steinway Society that will not be available anywhere else on the web. Each concert has a premiere date (listed below), but content will be available for a four-day performance window, so viewers can pick and choose exactly when to see the concert, and will be able to view as many times as they like.
The concert segments will be augmented with short talks by each artist before the performance about their choice of pieces, their musical lives, and how the pandemic has impacted them. Bay Area classical music expert Dr. Gary Lemco will offer a preconcert lecture available for download as well.
Steinway Society concert tickets typically run between $40 to $60, but in order to encourage greater participation for everyone, the Home Concert Hall virtual tickets are priced at $20 per household per concert. As an added incentive to see the full series, a special four-concert subscription is available for just $60.
“We hope this will encourage classical music lovers in the Bay Area and around the world to join us for these exceptional performances, while we provide much-needed support to outstanding artists whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by the pandemic,” says Wilson.
Here’s the Home Concert Hall roster, with links to more information about the performer and program:
Oct. 30–Nov. 2 — Federico Colli
Nov. 13–16 — Zlata Chochieva
Dec. 18–21 — Vyacheslav Gryaznov
Jan. 22–25 — Andrew Li
More program notes here.
Ticket for all concerts are on sale now at the Steinway Society website or by contacting the Steinway Society box office at 408-300-5635.
