2023 FESTIVAL
THE 12TH ANNUAL PIANO FESTIVAL – 2023
Sondra Tammam and David Witten, Festival Co-Directors
Leshowitz Recital Hall, Cali School of Music and Livestream via Zoom
Montclair State University
June 23-25, 2023
FRIDAY, June 23, 2023
9:00am – 9:30 LOBBY REGISTRATION and Video: A Dorothy Taubman Master Class
9:30 - 9:45 Welcome and ZOOM INVITATIONS (Witten & Tammam)
9:45 – 10:30 Christina Paolucci - “Limber Tone” A session designed to augment one’s
study and awareness of body mechanics.
10:30 – 11:30 Father Paul Maillet – “Examples of the Walking Hand and Arm, and Shaping
in the Chopin Preludes, Opus 28”
11:30 – Noon Sondra Tammam - Question and Answers at the Keyboard with Musical
excerpts and Audience Participation
Noon – 1pm LUNCH BREAK
1:00 - 1:45 Dr. David Witten – “SHAPING – and the importance of CURVES in piano playing”
1:45 - 2:35 Masterclass – 1:45-2:05 Jason Zielinski (Ravel - Sonatine - 3rd Movement)
2:05-2:35 Alexander Liu - Pre-College Scholarship Award
(Mozart - Sonata in B-flat, K. 570)
2:35 – 2:45 BREAK
2:45 – 3:45 Ben Steinhardt - “Is it possible to rotate for every note at the piano? –
a whole–body look at the amazing power of rotation”
3:45 – 4:30 Dan Crisci - Playing Jazz from a Lead Sheet: Exploring Irving Berlin’s
4:30 – 5:30 Masterclass: Ben Steinhardt
4:30 Jayden Adams (Grieg - Notturno, Op. 54, No. 4)
4:50 Ilya Verashnia - (Sergei Taneyev - Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor)
SATURDAY, June 24, 2023
8:30am - 9:00 LOBBY REGISTRATION and Video: A Dorothy Taubman Master Class
9:00 - 9:15 Welcome and ZOOM INVITATIONS (Witten & Tammam)
9:15 – 9:45 Jackie Herbein – “Body Alignment principles on and off the bench” Part One
9:45 – 10:15 Sondra Tammam - “The Synergy of Memory and Interdependence
of the Hands”
10:15 – 10:30 BREAK
10:30 - 11:10 Masterclass – David Witten
10:30 -10:50 Isha Patel (Gillock - Autumn Sketch)
10:50 – 11:10 Arnob Mitra (Debussy - Arabesque No. 1)
11:15 – 11:35 Father Paul Maillet -
11:15 – 11:35 Malav Vachhani (Berkovich - Russian Song)
11:35 – 1pm LUNCH BREAK
1:00 – 3:15 Ann Schein - MASTER CLASS SCHOLARSHIP Recipients
Prof. Phillip Kawin Memorial Award to XIYUE HUANG
(Schubert - Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946)
Dr. Nozomi Yamaguchi Memorial Award to JISOO SHIN
(Haydn - Sonata in F Major, HOB.XVI:23)
3:15 - 4:00 BREAK
4:00 - 5:30 TIFFANY POON Solo Recital: Live in Leshowitz Recital Hall
SUNDAY, June 25, 2023
8:30am - 9:00 LOBBY REGISTRATION
9:00 - 9:15 Welcome and ZOOM INVITATIONS (Witten & Tammam)
9:15 – 10:00 Jackie Herbein – “Body Alignment principles on and off the bench” Part Two
10:00 - 10:10 BREAK
10:10 - 11:00 Open Lessons with David Witten
10:10 - 10:30 Shavani Patel - ZOOM (Mozart - Fantasia in D Minor, K.397)
10:30 – 11:00 Nicholas Kim - Pre-College Scholarship Award
(Rachmaninoff - Moment Musical Op.16, No. 4 in E Minor)
11:00 – NOON Nancy Modell – Lesser-Known Piano Gems for Children
by American Women Composers
Donovan Chiao, Everett Chiao, Ellie She, & Sebastian Soloff, participating students
NOON - 1:00 LUNCH BREAK
1:00 - 2:00 Solving Problem Spots in Repertoire, Examples from Participants –
Sondra Tammam
1:00- 1:20 Matthew Bongcaron (Burgmuller - Ballade Op. 100, No. 15)
1:20- 1:40 Mio Aw-Yong (Haydn - Sonata in D Major, XVI:37)
2:00 - 2:25 Open Lesson with Younger Students - Nancy Modell
Oliver Boyte, age 6 (S. Suzuki - Allegro)
2:30 – 3:10 Open lessons for the High School Student with Father Paul Maillet
2:30 - 2:50 Robert Zielinski (Chopin - Fantasie-Impromptu)
2:50 - 3:10 Arwin Ekobote – ZOOM (M. Nevin - Buzzing Bee)
3:15 - 4:00 BREAK
4:00 - 5:30 ANN SCHEIN Solo Recital: Live in Leshowitz Recital Hall
5:45 – 6:00 FACULTY AND STAFF – Farewell Remarks & CONCLUSION
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Dorothy Taubman’s approach to the piano presents principles of coordinated motion that unburden the hands and unleash the spirit.
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