Sami Gershenhorn (12) Performs Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy

900 North Michigan Avenue,Chicago IL 60611

17 April, 2021

Description

Sami Gershenhorn — Pianist · Composer. 6th Grader - performs Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt and Debussy Live at 900N for Autism Awareness. “I have autism and I’m very proud of it. I’m proud of having autism because I think the world completely different than other people. I like to be different.” ~ Sami As a child, music reached Sami on a deeply emotional level. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (which he calls his superpower), Sami’s ability to hyper-focus translated to him creating classical children's pieces on piano. This rare gift led Sami’s parents to enroll him in New Music School, with its Founder, Francisco Ybarra as his teacher, along with Mary Sauer. Since then, Sami is diligently working towards a life in music as a pianist and composer. By six, Sami was learning complex works, including movements from Bach's Goldberg Variations. To date, he has performed in London, New York City, Miami, and Chicago. Recently, he was awarded the Judges Distinction Award for the 2021 American Protege International Concerto Competition, and won the 2021 NMS Concerto Competition with Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, and received an Honorable Mention for his performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 at Depaul University's Concerto Festival and has been invited to premier a new composition by Augusta Read Thomas. In 2020, Sami performed the first movement of Prokofiev's 1st Piano Concerto with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, made his radio debut on WFMT 98.7 as a soloist and on July 4th was featured as an American composer, alongside some of the great American composers over the last 200 years, performing Emotions on a COVID 19 Lockdown, and invited to perform in masterclasses with Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne. Performance Playlist Each block will be played intermittently throughout the 1-4 time slot for a total of 90 minutes of performance time. Block A (15 Minutes) Bach: Italian Concerto, BWV 971 (12') – 1st mvt Liszt: Etudes de concert, S. 144: No. 3, Un Sospiro (Allegro affettuoso) in D♭MajorBeethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in d minor, Op. 31 No. 2, "Tempest" (21') - 3rd mvtBlock B (15 Minutes) Chopin: "Fantaisie-Impromptu" in c-sharp minor, Op. 66Chopin: Etude, “Tristesse” Op 10, No. 3 in E MajorDebussy: "Estampes": "Jardins sous la pluie"