The Canton Symphony Orchestra welcomes back Ohio native Spencer Myer for the third MasterWorks concert of their season. This concert, featuring Gershwin’s jazzy Piano Concerto in F and selections from Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, is on November 18, 2018 at 7:30pm at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall at the Zimmermann Symphony Center. This concert is sponsored in part by the generosity of Larry & Nancy Hoover and Leo & Linda Casey.
For the third MasterWorks concert, our theme is “Music of the People”. The two composers of the evening, George Gershwin and Pytor Tchaikovsky, wrote music to touch the souls of the people of their respective countries. Gershwin’s music accomplished this by combining the jazz and classical genres into something new and fresh. In creating this unique musical voice, Gershwin brought both classical and jazz listeners together to enjoy his music. This combination is noticeable in his Piano Concerto in F, performed on the first half by the evening’s soloist Spencer Myer. The second half of the concert features music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, one of his most well-known ballets, and a cornerstone of Russian music.
Along with Sunday’s performance, Mr. Myer will be giving a masterclass featuring local college pianists on Saturday, November 17th at 10:00am. The masterclass is free and open to the public, and will be held at the Randall Campus Center on Malone University’s campus, located at 2600 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, OH 44709.
Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by The Boston Globe and labeled “definitely a man to watch” by London’s The Independent, American pianist Spencer Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today’s concert stages.
Adding to his North American credentials, Spencer Myer includes in his current season debuts with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, The Omaha Symphony, Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra and Canada’s Windsor Symphony Orchestra, as well as return engagements with the Canton, Chattanooga and Richmond (IN) symphony orchestras. His solo recitals and chamber music collaborations take him throughout the United States, and he continues as half of the Daurov/Myer Duo, having teamed up with the award-winning cellist Adrian Daurov in 2012. An enthusiastic supporter of the education of young musicians, Spencer Myer has been a frequent guest artist at workshops for students and teachers, and has served on the faculties of the Baldwin-Wallace University and Oberlin College conservatories of music. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, The Juilliard School and Stony Brook University. In the fall of 2016, Mr. Myer was appointed Artist-Teacher in Piano and Collaborative Piano at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Tickets for the Canton Symphony Orchestra concert on November 18, 2018 range in price from $28-$48 and are available online at www.cantonsymphony.org, by phone at 330-452-2094 or in person at the Canton Symphony Orchestra administrative offices in the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2331 17th Street NW in Canton weekdays 9am-5pm.
Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 81st season and is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain residents of Stark County and beyond. The orchestra performs classical, holiday, and a variety of educational programs in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, 2323 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio, as well as other venues in Stark County. For more information, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org or call (330)452-2094. Administrative offices are located at the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton OH 44708.
