NOON HOUR CONCERT
Date and Time
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday, June 29, 12:15 to 1 p.m.
Location
Calvary Lutheran Church
112 Park Ave. S
Park Rapids, MN 56470
Fees/Admission
No admission, free will offering
Website
Contact Information
Carolyn Spangler 218 252 9970
Send Email
Description
The Noon Hour Concert series will feature pianist Matthew Lorenz on Thursday, June 29th, 12:15 at Calvary Lutheran Church in Park Rapids. Matthew Lorenz is rising to prominence as a pianist in the American Midwest, aiming to usher the art and lifestyle of piano performance to the 21st century.
Matthew’s performance experience as a pianist extends from Bismarck, ND to Santa Rosa, NM, then Paris; and beyond. Currently based in Chicago, IL, he is engaged in solo performances and frequent collaborations. Often described as a “powerful” player with a unique perspective on the “big picture” of his music, Matthew also brings a heartfelt sensitivity and attention to detail that makes him just as comfortable playing Bach and Chopin as he is playing Rachmaninoff and Liszt.
Since the first days of his university education, Matthew has prioritized a diverse array of collaborative ventures and innovative programs (past concerts have included all-Ravel salons, Gershwin/Schubert crossovers, and early 20th Century German Kabarett). Matthew began his studies in Fargo, North Dakota at the age of 9 and made his debut in 2015-16 performing Liszt’s concerto Totentanz with 3 different regional orchestras. Some of his most important early collaborative work included an improvised piano duet using extended techniques with the award-winning pianist Sarah Cahill, 2018 residencies in Japan and China with ensembles from the University of North Dakota, and a 2019 month-long chamber music fellowship in Paris under the tutelage of Émile Naoumoff, Philip Lasser, and other Nadia Boulanger proteges.
After moving to Chicago to earn a Master’s degree at the Chicago College of Performing Arts under Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Junghwa Moon Auer, Matthew has found a wide variety of opportunities in solo and collaborative performance; most recently, making it to the finals of CCPA’s Aeolian Classics Emerging Artists Competition in January with his program Chopin & Rachmaninoff. He is now currently enrolled in CCPA’s Performance Diploma as a student of Adam Neiman. Educating piano students of all ages, Matthew is on the piano faculty at the New Music School, Chicago’s premier music academy, located in the Gold Coast, also serving as the NMS Liaison/Program Director at the GEMS international academy.
In the current season Matthew is promoting his recital Chopin & Rachmaninoff, which features the entire cycle of Rachmaninoff’s monolithic 13 Preludes Op. 32 in honor of Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday. This summer he will also be on the road with The Wild Stage, the cabaret troop he shares with soprano Brady Collins. Be on the lookout for his marathon program CONCERTO which will present the Rachmaninoff 1st Concerto, the Mozart 20th Concerto, and the Ravel G Major Concerto all in one sitting. You can keep up to date with Matthew and see more about his past work and upcoming performances at his website mlorenzmusic.squarespace.com!