Announcing the 2017 Concerto Curriculum Schools
American Pianists Association names five Indianapolis-area schools to participate in its Concerto Curriculum program.
Each school will host a 2017 American Pianists Awards finalist for a three day residency and performance with student musicians.
Program brings world-class talents to share their knowledge with and serve as inspiration for young musicians; first residency starts September 2016.
The American Pianists Association has named five Indianapolis-area schools to participate in the Concerto Curriculum program as part of the 2017 American Pianists Awards. Congratulations to Broad Ripple Magnet High School, Heritage Christian School, Lawrence Central High School, Lawrence North High School, and Warren Central High School!
Concerto Curriculum is the American Pianists Association’s education and community outreach program. The objectives of the program are to bring the beauty of world-class music to new audiences and non-traditional venues, provide pedagogical growth for our artists, and inspire new generations of young musicians. As part of each American Pianists Awards competition, every finalist completes a residency with an Indianapolis-area high school orchestra or jazz band. Residencies typically span the course of three days and culminate in a joint public performance with the school musicians.
Finalists for the 2017 American Pianists Awards were announced in March. Following are the five schools that will take turns hosting a finalist in the 2016-17 school year:
- Heritage Christian School will now be known as the home of #TeamHenry! Henry Kramer, 29, has earned top prizes in the 2015 Honens International Piano Competition, the 2011 Montreal International Music Competition, and the 6th China Shanghai International Piano Competition. He was also a prizewinner in the 8th National Chopin Competition in Miami and received the 2014 Harvard Musical Association Arthur Foote Award. Henry holds both a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School and an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music. He currently pursues doctoral studies at the Yale School of Music He begins his residency at Heritage Christian on 9/26/16.
- Warren Central High School students can now be called #TeamSteven! Steven Lin, 27, was the recipient of Third Prize, as well as the Beethoven and Irish NSO special awards at the 2015 Dublin International Piano Competition. He earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at The Juilliard School and recently completed his curriculum at the Curtis Institute of Music. Steven, who has lived in the Los Angeles area, Taiwan and New York, currently resides in Philadelphia. He begins his residency at Warren Central on 11/7/16.
- Lawrence North High School is the home of #TeamSam! Sam Hong, 21, has been a Young Steinway Artist since 2010. He has been featured as a guest soloist with the Milwaukee, New York, Fort Worth, Richardson, Waco, Galveston, and Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestras. At the age of 16, Sam graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor’s of Music. Sam was born in Seoul , South Korea and currently lives in Baltimore while continuing his musical education at Johns Hopkins University. He begins his residency at Lawrence North on 12/5/16.
- Lawrence Central High School has been declared #TeamDrew! Drew Petersen, 22, a prizewinner in the Leeds International Piano Competition, has performed solo and concerto recitals in both Europe and the United States. Drew graduated cum laude from Harvard with bachelor of liberal arts in social science and earned a Diploma in piano performance from Juilliard. Born and raised in Oradell, NJ, Drew continues to call this borough near New York City home. He begins his residency at Lawrence Central on 1/30/17.
- Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities will serve as the Indianapolis headquarters of #TeamAlex! Alex Beyer, 21, was the recipient of Third Prize, as well as the Beethoven and Irish NSO special awards at the 2015 Dublin International Piano Competition. Alex lives in Fairfield, CT and is currently studying music at the New England Conservatory while also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in math and statistics from Harvard. He begins his residency at Broad Ripple on 2/27/17.
Feedback from prior years of the program has been consistently positive:
- “The audiences at Herron High School had never experienced a world-class pianist like American Pianists Awards finalist Christian Sands before. More students want to play piano, and they want to listen to Mr. Sands and performers of his caliber.” - John Horgeshimer, Jazz Band Director, Herron High School.
- "The three days that we spent with Andrew Staupe were nothing short of miraculous! The students were mesmerized! The underlying theme for all of his presentations was: Go after whatever your passion is in life, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve it! How powerful and insightful a message that was for our students to hear!"-Leslie Bartolowits, Orchestra Director, Broad Ripple High School
With this year’s program we hope to make many more great memories!