The Folsom Lake Symphony will bring the stage to life at Folsom’s Harris Center for the Arts on April 22 and welcome concert pianist Alon Goldstein who will join in “The Rite of Spring” concert Saturday, April 22. This will be Goldstein’s second appearance with the Folsom Lake Symphony. His first performance locally was back in 2015.
Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive artists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. His artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta and returned a few seasons ago with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt in Beethoven Concerto No. 1. In recent seasons, Mr. Goldstein has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Philadelphia Orchestra; the San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Houston, Vancouver, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and North Carolina symphonies; and orchestras on tour in Paris, Mexico, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Recent and forthcoming concerto highlights include an appearance with the Indianapolis Symphony as part of a Prokofiev Concerto cycle, a Mozart Double Concerto in a return to the Gilmore Festival, Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 1 with the Kansas City Symphony, and performances of Beethoven and Mozart concerti on fortepiano with Mercury Houston. Recital and chamber music performances, including concerts with the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio, include series in New York, Burlington, Yellow Springs, Jasper, and Clarksville, among others. Mr. Goldstein also maintains an active recording presence with a number of new releases on the Naxos label, including Mozart piano concerti (arranged by Ignaz Lachner) with the Fine Arts Quartet (2021 release nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award), Dvorak piano trios with the Tempest Trio, and an album of Scarlatti piano sonatas (June 2020). He recently returned to Vienna for the Lieven Piano Foundation and is in demand for in-person and virtual masterclasses and residencies worldwide. His 2020 online recitals and series of online chats entitled “Alon Not Alone” drew audiences from around the globe.
Memorable experiences from recent seasons include an appearance as soloist with the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia in the Mozart Double Concerto, K. 365 with Katherine Jacobson Fleisher and in the Triple Concerto, K. 242 with Leon Fleisher and Ms. Jacobson Fleisher; the premiere of Lost Souls with the Kansas City Symphony and Michael Stern, a work written for him by the noted young Israeli composer Avner Dorman; his successful debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski playing Mendelssohn Concerto No. 1; and his Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Triple Concerto with Joseph Kalichstein and Shai Wosner.
Goldstein has appeared at the Gilmore, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Marlboro, Seattle, and Steamboat festivals in the United States, as well as Prussia Cove, the Verbier Festival, and Klavier Festival in Rühr. He has also performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and at Millennium Park in Chicago with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. A passionate advocate for music education, his recent teaching engagements have included posts at the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, and at the “Tel Hai” international piano masterclasses in Israel, in addition to extended educational residencies across the country.
Goldstein serves as the Artistic Director for The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series in Santa Cruz, CA and the Mt. Angel Abbey Bach Festival in Oregon. He is also the founder of the Emerald Coast Music Alliance, whose annual festival in Florida is devoted to sharing the beauty of classical music to underserved communities, free of charge.
He is the winner of numerous competitions, among them the Arianne Katcz Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Nena Wideman Competition in the US and the Francois Shapira competition in Israel. He is also the recipient of the 2004 Salon di Virtuosi Career Grant and the America Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships. The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC chose a live recording of one of Mr. Goldstein’s recitals there for its first CD release. Other recordings include solo recital programs through the Jerusalem Music Center “Mishkenot Sha’ananim” and the Israeli Music Institute featuring works by Israeli composers.
Goldstein graduated from the Peabody Conservatory where he studied with Leon Fleisher and served as his assistant – a position assigned only to his most exceptional students. In 2019, Goldstein was elected to the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, an honor bestowed upon graduates of the institution who have achieved excellence in their field. He is one of only two Peabody graduates to have been selected. A dedicated and creative teacher, Mr. Goldstein was appointed the Jack Strandberg/Missouri Endowed Chair and Distinguished Visiting Piano Professor at the UMKC Conservatory.
“The Rite of Spring” concert is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. on April 22, at the Harris Center in Folsom. Tickets are now available. Visit folsomlakesymphony.org for more information or to purchase tickets.
