Off the Hook Arts features renowned pianist Shai Wosner in the October 20th installment of Virtual Virtuosos, their series of on-line conversations with prominent musicians, conducted by Bruce Adolphe. The program will take place at 7:00-8:00p.m.; the $20 tickets are available now at offthehookarts.org. Ticket holders will be sent a Zoom link to join in the interactive conversation.
Shai Wosner, who delighted local audiences in February during Off the Hook Arts’ WinterFest, is the recipient of the Lincoln Center Martin E. Segal Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. He has been described as a “Schubertian of unfaltering authority and character” by Gramophone, but has performed a broad range of repertoire, including the music of today, with orchestras and chamber groups from around the world. Bruce Adolphe is Artistic Director for Off the Hook Arts in addition to being Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Concerts of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York. They know each other well from times performing together at the Lincoln Center and are sure to engage in a fascinating discussion on what music means to each of them, life before the pandemic, the current condition of the performing arts, and the personal impact on Mr. Wosner’s own pursuits. Audience questions will be welcome.
Virtual Virtuosos is a fundraiser for Off the Hook Arts Academy Programs, which bring low-cost music education to students in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. In a normal year, much of the funding for these programs comes from WinterFest and SummerFest. With SummerFest 2020 cancelled for public health reasons, Off the Hook Arts has pursued creative fundraising alternatives, such as their Garden Concert Series featuring Mark and Myles Sloniker, Jayme Stone and Paul Fowler, and the Grande Orquesta Navarre. Virtual Virtuosos is another way in which the organization is seeking to sustain the diversity of musical experience for local supporters of arts and culture, this time from the comfort of their own homes.
Virtual Virtuosos will continue on November 5, when Adolphe will engage in conversation with Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, and on December 3 with Jeffery Kahane, pianist and conductor. Tickets for these events will be available soon at offthehookarts.org. The series will continue in 2021.
