On April 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall, Simone Dinnerstein will give a piano masterclass to Mercyhurst students and staff.
Dinnerstein is a world-renowned concert pianist.
A masterclass is a chance for students to perform pieces of music they are working on and receive criticism from a skilled musician.
The students who will participate in the masterclass are Deven Shah, a home schooled high school student and staff accompanist at Mercyhurst; Abigail Whitman, sophomore Music Therapy major; and Christian Goulione, junior Composition major.
Shah, who has participated in Mercyhurst University piano masterclasses in the past, most notably with Emmanuel Ax in March 2017, said that he “always tries to incorporate everything during the masterclass that the teacher changes, even if I may not use it in a future performance.”
“I believe that every suggestion should be given its full consideration,” he said.
It is not enough for Shah that the audience merely enjoys the piece; he performs with the intention of making the listener want to hear more of his playing.
Shah has had strong connections to Mercyhurst University over the years.
He studies piano with Linda Kobler, whose husband, Albert Glinsky, is professor emeritus of Composition at Mercyhurst.
Shah said that joining the staff this year as an accompanist “has strengthened (his) connections to Mercyhurst.”
Shah had not yet decided on a performance piece for the masterclass.
Whitman will play “The Girl With the Flaxen Hair” by Claude Debussy.
She said she is excited to have the opportunity to play with Dinnerstein and is looking forward to working on techniques.
“I want to work on dynamics and balancing left hand right hand sound so the melody is always clear,” said Whitman.
Goulione will perform the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata no. 23 in A Major, a piece he will perform again on May 6 with the Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra as one of three winners of the Concerto/Aria Competition.
The Erie Philharmonic is sponsoring this masterclass.
Dinnerstein will perform with the Philharmonic as guest soloist on April 7.
This masterclass is free and open to the public.