This preview has been provided by the Clayton Piano Festival.
Building upon the success of last year’s sold out Valentine’s Day party, Clayton Piano Festival presents yet another one-stop romantic outing to help you treat your special someone this February 14th. Starting at 6:30 pm, the night will begin with a lavish dinner buffet followed by an intimate concert with virtuoso pianists Matthew Harrison and Vlada Yaneva and ending with a dessert reception with the artists, all in the elegant and intimate setting of the Historic Wagner House in downtown Clayton.
Back by popular demand, the husband and wife team will present their latest show entitled “Paris” which includes music composed in and inspired by this most romantic of cities. “Is there any city with more charm than the beguiling city of Paris?” Matthew asks, speaking about the new program. “If you think ‘no’, you will find yourself in agreement with the likes of Debussy, Liszt, and us too! Painters, poets and cultural prophets have always come together in this fabled city, and the rest of the world has followed suit. We’ll be your personal tour guide through this musical feast!”
Vlada and Matthew have been bringing their special programs which they title Masterwork Conversations to audiences since their inaugural tour in 2010. Their performances have taken them from stages in Europe to Carnegie Hall to the airwaves of WQXR New York, and their open conversation recital format has brought new musical insight and enjoyment to audiences of every age and experience.
“It was the first time we had ever done anything like this,” said Kelly Norman, owner of the Wagner House, who is no stranger to entertaining and putting on a great show. Since buying the Wagner early last year she has revitalized the venue, opening it up to community gatherings and in addition to a weekly Sunday brunch has hosted numerous community and charitable events throughout the year. Relating further about last year’s Valentine’s event she recalls, “I think people came in not knowing what to expect, they didn’t know it would be so intimate – they were going to be sitting front row. They were able to personally connect to the music and the musicians. Afterwards they were able to speak to the performers and have coffee and dessert with them and you don’t get to do that at many shows – everyone loved it. We knew we had really hit on something and that we had to do it again the next year.”
For more information and to reserve tickets contact Kelly Norman at (919) 271-6398. For more information about Clayton Piano Festival go to www.claytonpianofestival.org.
