Kanae Matsumoto

[lmpower]

Are you familiar with Kanae Matsumoto? I had never heard of her, but last night I attended a recital of Schumann and DeBussy works by her. She made Schumann's second sonata come to life for me for the first time. It was a good illustration of how listening to records can never replace the need for live concerts. There is a vividness in a live concert that even an expensive stereo can't match. I had always preferred Schumann's first sonata, but now I can accept the second as a worthy companion piece. The second half of the program featured suite Bergamasque and some other Debussy favorites. I was impressed by her manual dexterity. "Unfailingly crisp, warm and sensitive throughout the fiendishly difficulty piano parts" as her reviews have said.

[Chalkperson]

I'm glad that you enjoyed her Recital at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center...

Pianist Kanae Matsumoto is active as a soloist, having performed many recital halls in Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan and the United States. In March 2009, she performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Tulare Symphony Orchestra in California to great success and with only two weeks notice. She has been invited to give solo recitals in such music festivals as the Third International Conservatoire Week (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Aichi World Expo (Nagoya, Japan), and Epiphany Music Guild (Los Angeles). She is also a sought after collaborative pianist. Highlights of her collaborative activities in 2009 include an appearance with the Chamber Music Society of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall and a performance of Beethoven’s complete Violin Sonatas in Toronto and at the Chautauqua Music Festival in New York with the distinguished violinist Jacques Israelievitch.

Born in Japan, Ms. Matsumoto started her music education at the age of 5. As a teenager, she won several nationally regarded piano competitions. After completing the Master’s program in piano performance at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music with a Distinction Honor, she moved to the United States to continue her piano studies with renowned Russian pianist and pedagogue, Vitaly Margulis. Under his guidance, she earned her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. During her study at UCLA, she received a number of scholarships and awards. In 2006 she joined the faculty of UCLA. During the summer she serves as a faculty collaborative pianist at the Chautauqua Institution Music Festival in New York.

[Lance]

I'm glad that you enjoyed her Recital at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center...

Did you go, Chalkster? And she played SCHUMANN, too!