Before embarking on his Beethoven sonata marathon in Toronto, pianist Stewart Goodyear will headline the Bronx Arts Ensemble's Sunday, April 29th 3 pm chamber music concert at the home of Dr. Peter and Ute Gouras at 5225 Sycamore Avenue in the Bronx, where he will play Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio in B Flat Major, Op. 97. The concert will also feature the world premiere of "a/part" by Adam Himes. Tickets to the April 29 concert are $25 and include an intermission reception to meet the artists. http://bronxartsensemble.org or 718.601.7399.
Known for imagination, a graceful, elegant style and exquisite technique, STEWART GOODYEAR is an accomplished young artist whose career spans many genres – concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer. Stewart has been noted for his innovation and is one of the rare classical musicians to always improvise his cadenzas when performing concertos from the classical period. He has been repeatedly praised for both the inspiring individuality and appreciation of the composer’s own style that he conveys in every performance.
Stewart has performed with many of the major orchestras of the world – including the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, among others. He has appeared in recitals in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and he has performed with the Festivals of Caramoor, Santa Fe and Ravinia.
On June 9th, Stewart will celebrate the 125th anniversary of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto by chronologically playing all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas comprising 103 movements, spanning more than 10 hours. The Beethoven marathon will be divided into three separate concerts. In the first concert, Part 1, Mr. Goodyear will perform sonatas 19 & 20, written before Sonata No. 1, and sonatas 1 through 11, including Opus 7 – “Grand Sonata” and Opus 13 – “Pathétique.” Part 2 will feature sonatas 12 through 23 (excluding No. 19 and No. 20), including Opus 27 – “Moonlight,” Opus 28 – “Pastoral,” Opus 31 – “Tempest,” Opus 53 – “Waldstein,” and Opus 57 – “Appassionata.” In Part 3, the audience will hear sonatas 24-32, including Opus 81 – “Les adieux” and Opus 106 – “Hammerklavier.” Mr. Stewart will repeat his Beethoven Marathon in New York next year.
Stewart love for all things Beethoven began at the age of 5: "Listening to the music of Beethoven is one of my only remaining memories of childhood. Although I could not articulate all of the emotions I felt listening to this music, they hit me with such a force that I was completely transfixed. From this music, I recognized early on that the human spirit and condition is vast and complex, yet clear, direct, and indestructible. As I reached adulthood, my understanding of this music grew deeper and more intense."
ADAM HIMES has been passionate about music since he was a young boy. Adam began studying piano at age 6, added violin at age 10 and started composing when he was 12. He has had his work performed by the Ethel String Quartet, American Composers Orchestra, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Orchestra, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra and the principals of the New York Youth Symphony, among others. Adam currently attends the Oberlin Conservatory of Music for composition under the instruction of Lewis Nielson, where he received a Conservatory Dean's Scholarship Award. He also attends Oberlin College, where he studies creative writing. Adam is a member of ASCAP and Society of Composers Inc.
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