Yamaha Selected as Official Piano by Maverick Concerts
BUENA PARK, CA (January 21, 2005) Maverick Concerts, established in 1916 in Woodstock, NY, is the oldest continuous summer chamber music concert series in America, and its concert hall is a National Historic Site. Handcrafted from rough-hewn pine felled in the surrounding Catskills forests by Hervey White and a group of "maverick" artists, the distinctive hall is rustically charming. Light streams in
through 50 angled six-paneled windows, and the stage is graced by John Flannagan's heroic 18-foot chestnut sculpture of The Maverick Horse. Woodland breezes, bird songs and summer rains, not cell phones and city traffic, complement the Maverick's uniquely peaceful character. From June 26 through September 5, nearly 4,000 audience members, attending 22 weekend "Music in the Woods" concerts, experienced a decidedly modern addition to the hall's bucolic ambience: a Yamaha Disklavier DC7 Pro.
 Willetta Warberg, concert pianist and member of Maverick Concerts' Board of Directors. |
"In a hall like Maverick's, which is semi-exposed, it's a very good choice, very reliable," says Susan Rizwani, chairperson, Board of Directors. "All the pianists performing here said it's a definite improvement over our other piano."
Pianists featured in Maverick's inaugural "Yamaha Piano Series" included Yamaha artist Pedja Muzijevic, Ursula Oppens (with Rossetti String Quartet), Scott Dunn, Ruth Laredo (with Shanghai String Quartet), Babette Hierholzer, and Lydia Artymiw (with Miami String Quartet). Following her performance, Artymiw said, "Your Yamaha is a wonderful instrument, one of the best Yamaha pianos I have ever played!" Pianists Elinor Freer (with Ying String Quartet), Nina Lugovoy and Alpin Hong also performed on the Disklavier.
Other highlights of the Maverick's illustrious 89th season were a special benefit concert by the Tokyo String Quartet and performances by The Peabody Trio, Alvin Epstein and Beth Anne Cole; the St. Lawrence String Quartet; Ysaye String Quartet; Dorian Wind Quintet; Zuill Bailey; American String Quartet; and Borromeo String Quartet. Four free Young People's Concerts once again introduced the next generation to the Maverick, and members of Sequitor Chamber Orchestra, with alto Julia Bentley and tenor Mark Schowalter, returned to perform "Mahler Revisited," under the baton of music director Alexander Platt, who marked his third season.
"We have been thrilled with the Yamaha DC7 Pro as our official piano," says Platt. "We've enjoyed activating the Disklavier we recorded Pedja's glorious recital on it, and have had great fun learning how to use it but what has been most wonderful about having the Yamaha is to hear the different colors that our various pianists have brought out of this beautiful instrument. From the incisive fireworks of Scott Dunn and Alpin Hong, to the tonal brilliance of Ursula Oppens and Lydia Artymiw, to the burnished eloquence of Pedja Muzijevic and Ruth Laredo, each guest artist magnificently made the Yamaha their own, both in chamber music and solo recitals."
Maverick's 2005 season will celebrate works by Hudson Valley composers Aaron Copland, Charles Griffes, Joan Tower and John Corigliano, as well as Woodstock's own Henry Cowell, Robert Starer and Peter Schickele.
"I certainly look forward to another collaboration with Yamaha," says Platt. "As with this year, our Yamaha Piano Series will include both Yamaha and non-Yamaha artists. I'm also planning to invite recent winners of Yamaha's exciting Piano-e-Competition to join us for our 90th season."
In 2003, Chamber Music America recognized Maverick Concerts with the prestigious CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Visit www.maverickconcerts.org for more information.
To learn more, write Yamaha Corporation of America at P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; or telephone (714) 522-9011.
Pianists featured in Maverick's inaugural "Yamaha Piano Series" included Yamaha artist Pedja Muzijevic, Ursula Oppens (with Rossetti String Quartet), Scott Dunn, Ruth Laredo (with Shanghai String Quartet), Babette Hierholzer, and Lydia Artymiw (with Miami String Quartet). Following her performance, Artymiw said, "Your Yamaha is a wonderful instrument, one of the best Yamaha pianos I have ever played!" Pianists Elinor Freer (with Ying String Quartet), Nina Lugovoy and Alpin Hong also performed on the Disklavier.
Other highlights of the Maverick's illustrious 89th season were a special benefit concert by the Tokyo String Quartet and performances by The Peabody Trio, Alvin Epstein and Beth Anne Cole; the St. Lawrence String Quartet; Ysaye String Quartet; Dorian Wind Quintet; Zuill Bailey; American String Quartet; and Borromeo String Quartet. Four free Young People's Concerts once again introduced the next generation to the Maverick, and members of Sequitor Chamber Orchestra, with alto Julia Bentley and tenor Mark Schowalter, returned to perform "Mahler Revisited," under the baton of music director Alexander Platt, who marked his third season.
"We have been thrilled with the Yamaha DC7 Pro as our official piano," says Platt. "We've enjoyed activating the Disklavier we recorded Pedja's glorious recital on it, and have had great fun learning how to use it but what has been most wonderful about having the Yamaha is to hear the different colors that our various pianists have brought out of this beautiful instrument. From the incisive fireworks of Scott Dunn and Alpin Hong, to the tonal brilliance of Ursula Oppens and Lydia Artymiw, to the burnished eloquence of Pedja Muzijevic and Ruth Laredo, each guest artist magnificently made the Yamaha their own, both in chamber music and solo recitals."
Maverick's 2005 season will celebrate works by Hudson Valley composers Aaron Copland, Charles Griffes, Joan Tower and John Corigliano, as well as Woodstock's own Henry Cowell, Robert Starer and Peter Schickele.
"I certainly look forward to another collaboration with Yamaha," says Platt. "As with this year, our Yamaha Piano Series will include both Yamaha and non-Yamaha artists. I'm also planning to invite recent winners of Yamaha's exciting Piano-e-Competition to join us for our 90th season."
In 2003, Chamber Music America recognized Maverick Concerts with the prestigious CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Visit www.maverickconcerts.org for more information.
To learn more, write Yamaha Corporation of America at P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; or telephone (714) 522-9011.
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