Among the Festival’s 46 events, The Gilmore is proud to present 14 in partnership with arts organizations across Michigan. These collaborations reflect our vision to inspire and shape the future of piano artistry. By working with like-minded organizations, we’re able to share more music, more broadly, with communities throughout the state.
One standout collaboration is The Complete Philip Glass Piano Etudes, co-presented with the University Musical Society at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, taking place today, Saturday, April 18.
Get tickets here.
Few composers have had a greater impact on contemporary music than Philip Glass. Over the course of his extraordinary career, he has written more than 30 operas, 14 symphonies, 13 concertos, numerous film scores, string quartets, and a wide range of works for solo piano and organ. His influence reaches far beyond classical music, through collaborations with artists including Twyla Tharp, Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Cohen, and David Bowie.
Glass describes himself as a composer of “music with repetitive structures” and says that “If I’m to be remembered for anything, it will probably be for the piano music, because people can play it.” He conceived his 20 piano etudes as works that would strengthen both his pianistic and compositional technique. Deeply personal and inventive, the etudes form a kind of musical self-portrait and stand among the most intimate works in his catalog.
This special performance brings all 20 etudes to the stage, performed by 10 different pianists, each offering a distinct perspective on Glass’s singular musical voice.
Among them is Gilmore Young Artist Janice Carissa, who has continued to build an impressive career since receiving the award in 2022. In an interview with Concentrate Media, Carissa described the project as “such a unique opportunity,” noting that “Every étude is very different, and every pianist that plays them brings their own twist to the narrative.” She will perform Études No. 3 and No. 4, which she says contrast sharply in character: one carries the “raw, passionate energy of resilience,” while the other, you’ll have to hear for yourself.
The other pianists featured include Timo Andres, Inon Barnatan, Vicky Chow, Aaron Diehl*, Lara Downes*, Lisa Kaplan (of Eighth Blackbird, performing at The Festival on May 5), Daniela Liebman*, Christian Sands*, and Justin Snyder.
*Past Festival Performers
For those who can’t make it to Ann Arbor this weekend, the concert will also be streamed live at ums.org/live and will remain available on demand for 10 days after the performance.
And UMS is only one of many partners this season. Explore all of our Festival collaborations below.
Kalamazoo
April 16-26 | Good Night, Oscar | Farmers Alley Theatre
Set in 1958 during the golden age of late-night television, Good Night, Oscar centers on Oscar Levant’s unforgettable appearance on The Jack Paar Show—a performance as brilliant, funny, and volatile as the man himself. By turns sharp-witted and deeply moving, the play explores the uneasy line between genius and instability, and the cost of turning personal pain into public entertainment.
Get Tickets | Performance Info
May 8 | An Afternoon with Sara Davis Buechner | Ladies’ Library Association
An Afternoon with Sara Davis Buechner
Ahead of her Festival theatrical performance, Of Pigs and Pianos, pianist Sara Davis Buechner will speak about her experience as a transgender woman and classical pianist. Presented with the Ladies Library Association and OutFront Kalamazoo, the event will also include information about LGBTQ+ community resources and a light reception.
Register
Gilmore After Dark Events in Kalamazoo
When the day’s last Festival concert ends, Gilmore After Dark begins–Kalamazoo invites you to step out and make an evening of it! Enjoy relaxed musical events featuring Gilmore Festival Fellows, WMU Jazz Faculty, graduates, and students, as well as treasured local talents who are a part of our vibrant music scene here in Kalamazoo, throughout the great state of Michigan, and beyond. See the full list of Gilmore After Dark events below.
- April 29 | Bob Mervak: Gilmore After Dark | Crawlspace Comedy Theatre | Learn More
- April 30 | Grant Rupp Trio: Gilmore After Dark | Dabney & Co. | Learn More
- May 1-2 | Andrew Rathbun: Gilmore After Dark | Crawlspace Comedy Theatre | Learn More
- May 4 | Mr. Radar: Gilmore After Dark | Stamped Robin | Learn More
- May 5 | Bill Cessna Trio: Gilmore After Dark | Dabney & Co. | Learn More
- May 8-9 | Keith Hall: Gilmore After Dark | Crawlspace Comedy Theatre | Learn More
- May 10 | Edye Evans Hyde & Xavier Davis: Jazz Brunch | Dabney & Co. | Learn More
Jackson
April 25 | Jackson Symphony Orchestra with 2022 Gilmore Young Artist Janice Carissa | Harold Sheffer Music Hall, Potter Center
This program with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra opens with Brahms’ jubilant Academic Festival Overture, followed by Schumann’s deeply expressive Piano Concerto performed by 2022 Gilmore Young Artist Janice Carissa. The evening concludes with Mozart’s Requiem, bringing the concert to a close.
Get Tickets | Concert Info
Grand Rapids
May 8 | Kent Philharmonic Orchestra with 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu | St. Cecelia Music Center
2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu returns to Michigan to perform Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto with the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Libor Ondras. The program also features orchestral favorites by Brahms and Dvořák, making this an exciting opportunity to hear one of The Gilmore’s distinguished young artists in performance.
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May 20 | Meijer Gardens x Gilmore Piano Festival: Keys in The Garden | Utopia Room at Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
This special evening marks the beginning of a new artistic collaboration between the Gilmore Piano Festival and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, set amid the exhibition CHIHULY at Meijer Gardens Presented by Macatawa Bank. Featuring pianist Natalie Tenenbaum, the event pairs cocktails, dinner, and a performance with the chance to experience CHIHULY: Radiant Forms, creating a memorable blend of music and art.
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South Haven
May 9 | Elliot Wuu, 2018 Gilmore Young Artist | Peace Lutheran Church
Following his Festival appearance with the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra, 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu returns the next day for a solo recital in South Haven. Praised for his “power, speed and finesse of artists twice his age” (Tribune Star), Wuu will play an intimate program featuring works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Debussy.
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Benton Harbor
May 9 | Southwest Michigan Symphony with Stanislav Khristenko | The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College
In collaboration with The Gilmore, the Southwest Michigan Symphony presents a program featuring pianist Stanislav Khristenko, whose performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 closing off the evening. Khristenko also appears elsewhere in the Festival as the pianist for the new opera American Sputnik featured in the first half of From the Cliburn to Kantorow, A Celebration of Tchaikovsky, making this a great chance to hear him in both concerto and theatrical settings.
Get Tickets | Concert Info
