upcoming in-store music events
Located downtown at:
1605 Bonanza St.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925.932.0100
Click here for map
Exclusive Sherman Clay Music Events & Promotions
Each month Sherman Clay presents in-store music events for the local public. From student recitals and local artists to international personalities in the music world, Sherman Clay offers new and exciting monthly musical moments you can share with friends and family. Please book mark this page and come back often for listings of upcoming music events. Or you can sign up for eNotes our monthly newsletter, It's quick and simple, offering music events and promotion information.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Composers Concert The Performing Arts Society
Friday, January 6th at 7:30pm
Grace Presbyterian Church
2100 Tice Valley Blvd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
The Composers:
Dennis Edwards – David Erskine – Mary Fineman – Ted Holmes – Justin Levitt – Alan Markowitz – David Thomas Roberts – Alanna Rantala – Dwight Stone – John Studebaker – Scott Thompson – Barbara Becker
Bring as many music lovers as possible to the Composers Concert on the 6th of January at Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek. The composers' group is a collection of unique and talented artists/musicians who compose music in several different styles and genres. Concerts are unique and not to be missed.
Supported by the Performing Arts Society and local composers – Admission is free!
For more Information, please contact Justin Levitt at Sherman Clay Pianos Walnut Creek (925) 932-0100.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Countdown to Carnegie
Saturday, January 7th at 7pm
Six months from now, Bruce Maxwell, Justin Levitt and Howie Lee take the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York. We invite you to join us for the first performance of the official pre-concert series as we prepare for the concert and experience of our life, Carnegie.
RSVP requested – wine and chocolate to be served.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Science Cafe: The Science of Steinway and Sound
Tuesday, January 24th at 7pm
Lafayette Library and Learning Center
3491 Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette
Local concert pianist and composer Justin Levitt discusses the science behind the sounds and creation of the Steinway piano. It's where nature, science, woodworking and a love for music come together. Learn why a piano sounds as it does and how it has evolved through history to become the instrument we know today. Joining Justin on stage will be Physics Professor Brian Holmes, who will discuss what differentiates music from just plain noise. A four-hand piano improvisation performance with special guest pianist David Glass and Justin Levitt will follow the lecture! Other: Admission: $5/per person Boxed meals available for pre-purchase: ($10 non-refundable). Call the number below for menu selections and to order.
For reservations call 925-283-6513 x101.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Dr. "G" Master Class at Sherman Clay, Walnut Creek
Sunday, January 29th at 5pm
"What is a Master Class?" The answer is that a teacher or concert artist might explain some stuff with which you had trouble, OR this person would listen to you perform and make some suggestions which would help you play the work better.
At this Master Class, Kenn Gartner, will play a game with many of the students and their teachers which will help all to use their LEFT HAND—or RIGHT HAND if they are lefties—in a better, easier way.
Some of you may have difficulty putting 4 notes against 3. Dr. G will help you solve this problem in less than one minute! Now you will be able to do 13 notes against 27 notes: isn't that great?
Did you ever wonder what notes are most important in a measure? Hmm! We will explore this idea using "Fur Elise:" oops! We mean "Fur THERESE!!!" You didn't know that?
Finally, 3 or 4 of you will perform a 6 to 8 minute work about which Dr. G will make some comments. If you are one of those who perform, and you do the repeats—if there are repeats in the music, please answer the question as to what should be done when one does a repeat? Do you repeat the music the same way as you first played it? Explore this question with your teacher.
See you at the Master Class!
Kenn Gartner began piano study at two and a half years of age. He first studied with his mother and was to be a violinist. After breaking two violins, his mother decided on something sturdier. At eight, a member of the Children's Opera Company of New York, he sang children's roles at City Center, Winter Garden, and the Metropolitan Opera. In high school, Staunton Military Academy, Staunton, Virginia, he studied piano at Mary Baldwin College. He holds degrees from Cornell University (John Kirkpatrick—Charles Ives's pianist and Donald Grout), The Juilliard School (Adele Marcus and Edward Steuermann—Arnold Schoenberg's pianist), and The Aaron Copeland School of Music, Queens College, City University of New York. A Ph. D. in Piano Technique is from New York University's Steinhardt School where he studied with Eugene List. His scholarship is quoted by musicologist Maurice Hinson in the book Music for More Than One Piano.
With appearances in over 60 countries, Dr. Gartner's experiences range from a command performance (for the Mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia as well as other places), to Master Classes in Piano Technique (The Shanghai Institute, Shanghai, China, and other venues). These experiences form the basis in part for today's lecture/recital. Nationally certified as a teacher of both Piano and of Voice, Dr. G. teaches the extremely gifted and the super serious. He is active as an accompanist, performing artist, conductor of both choruses and orchestras, and as both a coach of performance practice and of voice.
Recently elected President and Chairman, Board of Directors, Bay Area Summer Opera and Theater Institute (BASOTI) and a resident of California for but seven years, with a Herbst Theatre recital under his belt, he looks forward to many more rewarding experiences.
Visit Kenn's website for a variety of information about this renowned pianist and teacher.
_______________________________________________________________________________