Pianist Leon Bates to open Coastal Concerts’ new season Oct. 18
Leon Bates, one of America’s leading pianists, will perform solo pieces and will join the Portland String Quartet of Maine playing piano quintets, as Coastal Concerts begins its 16th season at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, in Lewes.
The collaboration of a celebrated pianist and an acclaimed string quartet promises to be a rare treat and a memorable evening of music.
A Philadelphia native who began his formal piano studies at the age of 6 and received early training at the city’s Settlement Music School, Bates has gone on to earn a place on the international concert circuit.
His performance schedule includes dates at prestigious venues in the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa. Whether in recital or as a soloist with orchestra, he is hailed as a major artist and one of America’s best.
Bates is also a notably accomplished body builder and weight lifter; he is also the recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award for his extensive work with children and early music education.
The Portland String Quartet, comprising Dean Stein and Ronald Lanz on violins, Julia Adams on viola and Paul Ross on cello, has played a pivotal role in the artistic renaissance of the City of Portland and the State of Maine.
The ensemble, long known for championing the works of American composers, including those in its backyard, continues to present critically heralded concerts and has issued more than two dozen highly praised recordings.
The program will begin with Bates offering three Impromptus from Franz Schubert’s Opus 90 collection, short works that are among the composer’s most popular. Afterward, all the musicians will present the first of two piano quintets, the richly melodic Opus 67 in F-sharp Minor written in 1908 by Amy Beach, one of this country’s most important composers and the first American woman to win wide respect for the quality of her music. That piece will be followed after intermission by Robert Schumann’s Opus 64 in E-flat Major, dedicated to his wife, Clara, and considered by many to be the pinnacle of all works in this genre.
The 7 p.m. concert will take place at wheelchair-accessible Bethel United Methodist Church Hall, Fourth and Market streets, Lewes. Tickets are $30. Ages 10-18, as well as one adult per youth, are admitted free with advance reservations; call 888-212-6458. Admission for $10 is available to students 19 years and older with a valid school ID.
For online tickets and more information, go to coastalconcerts.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance (all forms of payment accepted) or in advance (cash only) at the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and at Teller Wines, 1201 Savannah Road, in Lewes.
Coastal Concerts is a nonprofit organization promoting classical music appreciation in central Delmarva. This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
