Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists Dinara Klinton
Gives 92Y Debut

With the 2016/17 season marking its third installment, Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists reflects both 92Y’s and Sir András’s dedication to championing the next generation of international performers by inviting promising young pianists, who have already garnered critical acclaim overseas, to make their 92Y debuts in programs of their choosing. This season, Sir András has selected three pianists to perform in this intimate series in 92Y’s Buttenwieser Hall.

Presenting a virtuosic program of Scarlatti, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Liszt, Dinara Klinton makes her 92nd Street Y debut on March 1.  The Ukrainian-born, London-based pianist recently earned her Artist Diploma in Performance at the Royal College of Music.  Her discography includes a recording of Chopin and Liszt, released when she was just 16 years old, followed by another Liszt recording on the Genuin Record label released last year.  The latter recording was BBC Music Magazine’s Instrumental Choice of the Month in June 2016.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 8:30 PM
92Y - Buttenwieser Hall
Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists
Dinara Klinton, piano (92Y debut)

SCARLATTI: Sonata in B minor, K. 87
SCARLATTI: Sonata in D major, K. 96
BEETHOVEN: Sonata in F-sharp major, Op. 78, "À Thérèse"
TCHAIKOVSKY: Nocturne, Op. 10, No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY: Valse sentimentale, Op. 51, No. 6
LISZT: Selections from Transcendental Etudes, S. 139

Tickets: $25 (general admission)
Artist Website: Dinara Klinton

Art of the Guitar & D’Addario Present: Thibault Garcia, guitar &
the European Guitar Quartet

This special event spotlights the winner of the 2015 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artists Competition – and five previous international competitions – Thibaut Garcia, in his New York debut. The young French/Spanish guitarist receives invitations to perform from around the globe; this performance is part of a season-long, 60+ date tour and his first in North America.  He recently released his second album, Leyendas, of Spanish and Argentinian music, on the Erato label.

Garcia shares the bill with the European Guitar Quartet, also making its New York debut. The Quartet comprises of leading guitarists from the classical and modern acoustic guitar scenes: Zoran Dukic, Pavel Steidl, Thomas Fellow, and Reentko Dirks; it made its debut in Dresden in 2012, an event that was subsequently called “…the birth of a sparkling new star in the concert sky” in the German press.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 8:30 PM
92Y - Buttenwieser Hall
Art of the Guitar & D’Addario
Thibaut Garcia, guitar (New York debut)

BACH: Selections from Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012
MANJON: Aire Vasco
DONALD CROCKETT: Fanfare Studies (Commissioned by the Augustine Foundation for the 2015 GFA Competition)
PIAZZOLLA: Los Quatros estaciones porteñas (“The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires”)

European Guitar Quartet    
     Zoran Dukic      
     Pavel Steidl      
    Thomas Fellow      
    Reentko

PIAZZOLLA: Verano Porteño
REENTKO: Rafa
BOGDANOVIC: Introduction & Dance
FELLOW: Agrippina
PIAZZOLLA: Concierto para Quinteto 
REENTKO: Danza non Danza

Tickets: $25 (general admission)
Artist Websites: Thibaut Garcia, European Guitar Quartet

Soundspace: Mahan Esfahani, Trailblazer of Harpsichord,
Makes 92Y Debut

Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani regularly performs across the globe, challenging audiences’ perceptions about the capabilities of the harpsichord and its relevance to classical and contemporary music today.  Known for his great diversity of repertoire, Mr. Esfahani brings a program which incorporates music of the English Renaissance as well as Steve Reich and Henry Cowell to his 92nd Street Y debut performance.  Mr. Esfahani’s revolutionary philosophies about the harpsichord prompted him to become the first harpsichordist in history named a BBC New Generation Artist, and to receive a Borletti-Buitoni Trust award; in 2015, he was named Newcomer of the Year by BBC Music Magazine, and he is described by The Times as, “a superstar whose musicianship, imagination, cultural breadth and charisma far transcends the ivory tower in which the harpsichord has traditionally been placed.”

Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 8:30 PM
92Y - Buttenwieser Hall
Soundspace
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord (92Y debut)

TOMKINS: Pavan
FARNABY: Woody-Cock
COWELL: Set of Four
KALABIS: Three Aquarelles 
BACH: Toccata in C minor, BWV 911  
STEVE REICH: Piano Phase 

Artist Website: Mahan Esfahani

Art of the Guitar: Celebrated Spanish Guitarist 
Pablo Sáinz Villegas in 92Y Debut

Named by Billboard Magazine as “the global ambassador of Spanish guitar,” Spanish-born guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas gives his 92Y debut performance with a program featuring many of the selections from his most recent album, Americano.  Since winning the Andrés Segovia Award at the age of 15, Mr. Villegas has performed on many of the great stages of the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Philharmonie in Berlin, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; and, he has appeared as a guest soloist with orchestras in more than 30 countries.  Deeply committed to outreach and education programs, Mr. Villegas has created projects over the past decade reaching over 15,000 children by volunteering his time and establishing music initiatives in schools and communities around the globe.  
 

Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 8:00 PM
92Y - Kaufmann Concert Hall
Art of the Guitar
Pablo Sáinz Villegas, guitar (92Y debut)

AMERICANO: The Guitar of the New World
VILLA-LOBOS: Five Préludes
BONFÁ: Passeio no Rio (Samba) 
GUTIÉRREZ: Alma Llanera (Joropo) 
ROLAND DYENS: Tango en Skäi 
JOHN WILLIAMS: Rounds 
BARRIOS MANGORÉ: Un Sueño en la floresta 
BERNSTEIN: Selections from West Side Story 
LAURO: Seis por Derecho (Joropo)

Tickets: from $40, 45, 55
Artist Website: Pablo Sáinz Villegas

Masters of the Keyboard: Rafał Blechacz Presents
Bach, Beethoven, Chopin at 92Y Debut

Rafał Blechacz, one of classical music’s outstanding young pianists of today, marks his 92Y debut with a program featuring Bach, Beethoven, and his fellow Pole, Chopin.  With an impressive discography that includes five albums on Deutsche Grammophon including three Chopin recordings, Mr. Blechacz brings his musical sensitivity and “tonal color and lyricism” (Northwest Reverb) to 92nd Street Y.  Mr. Blechacz is the current winner of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, and previously won first prize at the Chopin International Competition.

Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 3:00 PM
92Y - Kaufmann Concert Hall
Rafał Blechacz, piano (92Y debut)

BACH: Four Duets, BWV 802-805
BEETHOVEN: Rondo in G major, Op. 51, No. 2
BEETHOVEN: Sonata in C major, Op. 2, No. 3  
CHOPIN: Nocturne in F-sharp minor,  Op. 48, No. 2  
CHOPIN: Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor,  Op. 35, “Funeral March”
CHOPIN: Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49

Tickets: $40, 50, 55
Artist Website: Rafał Blechacz

*****

Tickets are available at www.92Y.org/Concerts or 212-415-5500.
Ticket prices subject to change.
For additional press inquiries, please contact Kirshbaum Associates: 
212-222-4843 | info@kirshbaumassociates.com
About 92nd Street Y

92nd Street Y is a center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Founded in 1874, it seeks to create, provide and disseminate programs of distinction that foster the physical and mental growth of people throughout their lives. From its New York headquarters, 92Y offers thousands of programs, including talks with leaders in every field; outstanding performing, visual and literary arts presentations and classes; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families.  92Y also creates community far beyond its four walls, bringing people from all over the world together through innovations like the award-winning #GivingTuesday and the Social Good Summit. Along with live webcasts and a growing online archive of free talks and performances, it’s transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world.  All of 92Y’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions and ethnicities.

For more information, visit www.92Y.org.