Pianist James D’León will perform classical and contemporary works for solo piano on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Canyon Community Center in Springdale.
D’León began piano study when he was four years old and gave his first recital at age five. He won both the San Francisco Symphony and Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra concerto competitions at age 12. By the age of 14, he had won every regional competition, culminating in his debut performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Philadelphia Philharmonic. He is a graduate of prestigious music schools such as Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (on full scholarship), and the Eastman School of Music where he received his doctorate degree in piano performance and literature. He has toured across the world as an International Steinway Artist — listed on both the prestigious New York and Hamburg, Germany rosters — and performed at the world’s finest venues, including Carnegie Hall.
The program on Jan. 15 comprises classical works like the Prelude, Fugue, and Variation Op. 18 by Cesar Franck and Franz Liszt’s Ballade No. 2 in B Minor. D’León will perform modern composer Stephen Montague’s “Southern Lament,” “Fur Alina” by Estonian minimalist Arvo Part, and “Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues” by contemporary American composer and virtuoso pianist Frederic Rzewski. Jazz works include “Blue in Green” and “When I Fall In Love” by Bill Evans, as well as Evans’ arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Reflections in D.” He will also present “Adios Nonino – A Tango Rhapsody” by famed Argentinean tango composer Astor Piazzolla.
The Canyon Community Center is located beside the Springdale Town Hall at 126 Lion Blvd. in Springdale. Admission is $15 and $10 for students or Z-Arts members. Only cash or checks will be accepted at the door.
For more information, visit zarts.org/wp/dleon, or contact Joyce Hartless at joycehartless@gmail.com or (970) 291-9289. D’León’s website is JamesDLeon.com.
