Conference Highlight

The year 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, one of the most frequently performed composers of modern times. Once acclaimed as the heir apparent to Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff fled Soviet Russia in 1918 only to discover that Western music critics and intellectuals had begun to reject the Romantic voice of his youth. Since the Soviets confiscated all of his copyrights, his immigration nearly bankrupted him, and to support himself and his family, he was forced—at the age of 45—to become a touring concert pianist. Remarkably, despite his late start, by the estimates of most, he became one of the greatest pianists of all time. And despite the bias he encountered against his richly Romantic style, he became one of the most popular Classical composers of all time—most of his works are still an inextricable part of the modern repertoire. Please join us as we commemorate the anniversary of his birth with a number of events, including performances of his music by Alan August, Thomas Shoebotham, and Stephen Siek.