The second weekend of the Newton Piano Summit will be May 13 & 14 with free concerts each day, 1PM-3PM, at Second Church in Newton (60 Highland Street, West Newton).
- May 13: Dennis Montgomery III & Utar Artun
- May 14: Andrus Madsen & Sylvia Berry
Dennis Montgomery III – May 13, 1-2 pm
Expect high-octane Gospel from Dennis Montgomery III, who grew up singing and playing in Baptist churches throughout upper Louisiana under the tutelage of his father and mother. By the time Dennis was nine years old he was proficient on the Hammond B3 Organ and was hired to work alongside his father.
Shortly after Dennis arrived at Berklee College of Music he joined the newly formed gospel choir. While Berklee’s education is focused on jazz, “Jazz has its roots in the negro spiritual, which is gospel music. Gospel is also the mother of a lot of other secular music that America has produced.” Gospel at Berklee grew rapidly, and when Mongomery graduated he assumed direction of the Reverence Gospel Ensemble as a full-time faculty member. The choir has catalyzed some premier voices in the music industry, such as Paula Cole, Lalah Hathaway, Susan Tedeschi, Claude Kelly, Rob Lewis and Mark Whitfield. Click here to see a video of Dennis.
Utar Artun – May 13, 2-3 pm
We are thrilled to welcome Utar Artun, who is originally from Ankara, Turkey, to the Summit. Utar’s Turkish roots shine in his exceptionally talented and diverse musicianship as an arranger, composer, pianist, and drummer.
Young Utar achieved remarkable success in the music industry, earning prestigious awards from his work performing at international festivals, in concert halls, and on television, as well as creating film scores. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with esteemed artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Maria Schneider, Kevin Eubanks, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Simon Shaheen, Jason Linder, and past Summit performers Kenwood Dennard and David Fiuczynski. His has created over 120 compositions for symphony orchestras and more than 160 pieces for brass and big bands. He recently arranged music for a video titled “Bizim Eller Ne Guzel Eller,” which showcased the devastation caused by the earthquake in Van, Turkey. This emotional and inspiring video has been viewed by over 50 million people worldwide. Click here to see a video of Utar.
Andrus Madsen – May 14, 1-2 pm
Newton’s own Andrus Madsen is internationally renowned in early music circles and performs on the organ, harpsichord, clavichord and fortepiano. Madsen incorporates improvisations in his performances in the tradition of masters Mozart, Beethoven and Bach.
Andrus is the founding director of Newton Baroque. Originally from Provo, Utah, he received a Bachelor’s degree in organ performance from Brigham Young University and went on to the Eastman School of Music, where he completed a Master’s degree in Musicology and a Master’s and Doctorate in harpsichord performance. Madsen is known for his eloquent Baroque-style improvisations. His recording of keyboard music by Pachelbel has received critical acclaim. From Michael Barone of Pipedreams: “Superb recordings of superb instruments by a musician who deserves to be better known.” Click here to see a video of Andrus.
Sylvia Berry – May 14, 2-3 pm
Sylvia Berry is one of North America’s leading exponents of historical keyboard instruments. A Philadelphia native based in Boston, she has spent nearly twenty years playing countless types of fortepianos, harpsichords, and organs, including some noteworthy antiques. Ms. Berry is known not only for her exciting performances but also for the engaging commentary she provides about the music and instruments she plays.
A reviewer in Early Music America proclaimed Sylvia “a complete master of rhetoric, whether in driving passagework or in cantabile adagios,” while a review in Fanfare stated, “To say that Berry plays these works with vim, vigor, verve, and vitality, is actually a bit of an understatement.” Of her concertizing, Cleveland Classical recently enthused: “Her splendid playing took her up and down the keyboard in lightning-fast scales and passagework, and her thrilling full-voiced chords allowed the fortepiano to assert itself as a real solo instrument.”
Sylvia has performed solo recitals for Pittsburgh Renaissance and Baroque, the Cambridge Society of Early Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Providence College, and Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory among others. She attended the New England Conservatory and holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands. Click here to see a video of Sylvia.
Visit newtonpianosummit.org for videos of past performances and more details.
