Pianist

Paris has long been a city that absorbs influences from across the globe, a vibrant hub where cutting-edge musical ideas flourish. Throughout the years, composers and musicians such as Gershwin, Copland, and Joséphine Baker left their mark on the city’s dynamic music scene. This concert celebrates the rich musical exchange between continents, from the rhythms of jazz and ragtime to the unique style and virtuosity of Cuban violinist José White. Jazz musicians adopted French harmonies and the French, in turn, embraced the rhythmic freedom of jazz with open arms. The composers featured in this concert were either Americans beloved in Paris, lived there for a time, or, like Debussy and Ravel, were deeply influenced by the vibrant music of the Americas. Join us for a program that captures the dazzling interplay of these musical worlds.

Americans In Paris

Hanna Center

Clara Schumann was one of 19th-century Europe’s foremost pianists. In addition to raising many children and being the wife of renowned composer Robert Schumann, who demanded silence at home while he was at work, Clara maintained a grueling touring schedule—yet still found time to compose. Salons were an essential part of Leipzig’s cultural life, fostering exchanges of ideas and friendships. Two women composers featured on this program were part of Clara’s circle: Josephine Lang, for whom Clara organized a benefit concert, and Swedish composer and violinist Amanda Maier, whom Clara befriended in her later years. According to Amanda Maier’s great-granddaughter, Saskia Thiadens (who lives in Napa!), a treasure trove of Amanda’s forgotten scores were discovered in a family member’s attic. Although Maier’s music is rarely heard today, we are thrilled to share her brilliance alongside works by the Schumanns, Josephine Lang, and Johannes Brahms.

Clara Schumann And Her Circle

This concert transports us to Paris to celebrate legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger and some of her remarkable students. From Aaron Copland to Astor Piazzolla to Quincy Jones, many young talents sought her guidance, solidifying her legacy as the Grande Dame of 20th-century composition. The program also includes works by Stravinsky, whom she admired and advised on several of his pieces, music by her talented sister Lili Boulanger, and the G minor Piano Quartet of her own teacher, Gabriel Fauré.

Nadia Boulanger: 20th Century Influencer

Experience the stormy relationship between Richard Wagner and the French Romantics. Initially captivated by Wagner’s bold innovations, French composers embraced his music as a model. However, following the Franco-Prussian War, a surge of patriotism led them to reject German influence, sparking a search for a distinctly Gallic musical identity. This shift coincided with a broader rebellion against Romanticism, pushing the French toward a new musical language that anticipated modernism.Yet despite their efforts, did they ever truly escape Wagner’s shadow?

Wagner And The French: A Love-hate Relationship

This concert offers a moving portrait of the profound bond between Fanny Hensel and her brother Felix Mendelssohn—a relationship of deep musical collaboration and mutual mentorship. Fanny was Felix’s “Minerva,” whose wisdom and discerning advice shaped his compositions. The siblings grew up studying with the same teachers and were deeply influenced by J.S. Bach. Fanny’s salon became a cultural hub, but her music was rarely published due to the social constraints on women of her time. Felix, by contrast, enjoyed public acclaim and even published some of Fanny’s songs under his own name. He later revealed to Queen Victoria that her beloved “Italien” was actually Fanny’s composition. Their connection endured until the end: Fanny died of a stroke at 41, and Felix, grief-stricken, died just six months later.

Fanny And Felix Mendelssohn: A Musical Family

Pianist Audrey Vardanaga joins strings from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra bringing music from the Romantic period, including Amy Beach's stunning Piano Quintet.

Songs Without Words (Brainerd)

Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

“When choosing the pieces for this program, I was thinking about Amy Beach’s deeply romantic voice and how it relates so naturally with the easeful melodies of Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s lush harmonies from his Cello Sonata in G Minor, and Clara Schumann’s whimsical 3 Romances. Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann preceded Amy Beach, paving the way for the tonal worlds of the 20th Century Romantics (like Rachmaninoff and Beach). Sergei Rachmaninoff and Amy Beach were contemporaries, and I find that their music pairs together well. Since they were both pianists, Rachmaninoff and Beach were not only incredibly romantic in their compositional styles, but also both deeply connected to the physicality of the piano in their compositional languages.” —Audrey Vardanaga, Piano/Curator

Songs Without Words (Minneapolis)

The Woman's Club Of Minneapolis

Aaron Copland made four highly publicized government-sponsored trips to Latin America between 1941 and 1963. During these visits, he shared contemporary American concert music with Latin American audiences, including his own violin sonata, heard on tonight’s program. Back home, he drew US attention to the composers and musicians he met in Latin America, such as Heitor Villa-Lobos of Brazil and Silvestre Revueltas and Manuel Ponce of Mexico, all whom Copland knew personally and whose works are also featured. Another contemporary of Copland was the Black American composer William Grant Still, whose Panamanian Dances were inspired by a collection of Latin American folk songs. The history of Pan-American musical exchange predates Copland.

EPSG:4326

The Americas

Hanna Boys Center

Pianist Audrey Vardanega and cellist Tanya Tomkins join with visual artist Celia Liberace in the genre-bending Chopin's Edges, exploring works related to fantasy through the lens of Liberace’s drawings. The program combines live music with live drawing to engage audience members in a multisensory experience.

Audrey Vardanega

Temescal Beach House

Join pianist, arts innovator, and Festival Napa Valley favorite Audrey Vardanega in conversation as she shares her story and the work of Arium.live, a multimedia streaming platform she co-founded in 2020. 

This Women in the Arts program is the series’ first high tea service and includes Chef Jose Mejia’s expertly prepared gourmet menu paired with a custom curated selection of teas from UppercaseTea | The Sisterhood of Tea. Alison Kilmer, founder and owner of UppercaseTea | The Sisterhood of Tea, will also share the stories behind each tea and her entrepreneurial path.

Women in the Arts High Tea with Audrey Vardanega

Meritage Resort And Spa

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble (LCCE) continues its 30th anniversary concert series with Wild Music, where music and nature beckon us through the darkness of winter. Igor Stravinsky's own brilliant arrangement of The Rite of Spring for piano four hands will be performed alongside three newly commissioned companion works inspired by Stravinsky’s iconoclastic work. Leoš Janáček's deeply personal connection to nature and memory completes the evening with his tender and mysterious piano cycle, On an Overgrown Path. Wild Music is made possible with the generous support of the Ross McKee foundation. 

Wild Music — Nature beckons us in the darkness of winter

Berkeley Piano Club

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Praised as a “musically eloquent” player (<em>San Francisco Classical Voice</em>) “with the kind of freedom, authority, and strength… that one expects from the world’s finest pianists” (<em>The Piedmont Post</em>), Audrey Vardanega has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist across Europe, China, and the United States. In this admission-free concert, Vardanega performs works for solo piano by Chopin and Mozart.

Pianist

Audrey Vardanega

Events

Past events

Jul 26, 2025

Americans In Paris · Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Jul 20, 2025

Clara Schumann And Her Circle · Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in Violin Sonata by Debussy

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano Concerto by Schumann

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano Quartet No. 2 by Fauré

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet by Chausson

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in String Quintet No. 1 by Mendelssohn

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Siegfried Idyll by Wagner

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano Trio No. 2 by Mendelssohn

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Scherzo in C Minor by Brahms

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann by Schumann

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano Trio by Mendelssohn

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Sonatine for Violin and Piano by Françaix

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano Quartet in E minor by Maier

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano-Rag-Music by Stravinsky

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Piano in Piano Blues No. 4 by Copland

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

About

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