Lara Downes: So far, 2015 has been quite a year. A new record, a new radio show, and lots concerts playing some of my favorite music, with some of my favorite colleagues!

Lara Downes writes:

Dear Friends,
 

Another Spring! I hope this finds you in good spirits and good weather, looking forward to the long weekend ahead.

So far, 2015 has been quite a year. A new record, a new radio show, and lots concerts playing some of my favorite music, with some of my favorite colleagues!
 

Lara Downes on Marketplace from American Public Media: "Beethoven vs Beyonce"

https://soundcloud.com/laradownes/lara-downes-on-marketplace-from-american-public-media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXI7GL7dd9c

On the Bench with Lara Downes - Triangle: the Schumanns and Brahms

YouTube

Steinway Concert Artist Lara Downes reinvents the traditional piano recital with On the Bench: conversational concerts with an accessible, fresh, and informed approach to engage both newcomers and music aficionados. Her thoughtful anecdotes draw historical and interpretive context around some of classical music’s most beloved works, bringing the music to life with timeless relevance, informal humor and a uniquely personal touch. 

Lara Downes
My new concerts-with-conversation series On the Bench,  launched this year with the first installment: Triangle - The Schumanns and Brahms, a recital that weaves together stories about the romance and marriage of Robert and Clara Schumann, and their complicated friendship with Johannes Brahms.

At the premiere, in NYC at the DiMenna Center, audience response was incredibly heartfelt and heartwarming - like this quote:
"I was riveted. Despite being utterly exhausted that evening, I didn't miss a single moment or feel my attention drift. On the contrary, I was moved to tears twice, and left feeling refreshed and uplifted. You have such a gift for storytelling, and for connecting to audience in words and through the piano. Thank you."
A girl can't ask for much more than that!
 

Schumann has been with me all spring, including a run of performances of the Schumann Concerto with the fabulous San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. This is one of my most beloved pieces of music, and I hadn't played it in many years. Performing it in my home town, with some old and dear friends in the orchestra, was just a golden moment. Here's a lovely review from San Francisco Classical Voice. 

IN THE GREEN ROOM
I'm sharing some wonderful stories about the people behind the music on my radio show The Green Room, which launched nationally this month on the WFMT Network. Here's the newest episode, featuring an extraordinarily real and raw conversation with a spectacular musician and a great communicator about music, cellist Zuill Bailey.