Norris Gallery concert series presents pianist Jeffrey LaDeur and mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich
The Norris Cultural Arts Center's "Music & More in the Gallery" series resumes Sunday, Nov. 26, with a performance by pianist Jeffrey LaDeur and mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich.
The two San Francisco-based musicians have performed to great acclaim throughout the U.S. and internationally.
They will present a program of piano clasics and art songs at 3 p.m. in the center's art gallery at the arts center, 1040 Dunham Road on the St. Charles East High School campus.
For more information and a link to online ticketing, visit www.NorrisCulturalArts.com. Free refreshments will be served.
LaDeur, a St. Charles native, is known for his rare blend of insight, spontaneity, and approachable, communicative stage presence. Having inherited a rich tradition of pianism and interpretation from Annie Sherter, student of Vlado Perlemuter and Alfred Cortot, LaDeur has established himself as a compelling exponent of classic and new repertoire. In March of 2018, LaDeur made his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on the centennial of Claude Debussy's death. He appears regularly with orchestra and maintains a repertoire of over 40 concerti. LaDeur is the founder and artistic director of the San Francisco International Piano Festival and president of the American Liszt Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.
A chamber musician of distinction, LaDeur's collaboration with mezzo soprano Kindra Scharich has produced To My Distant Beloved, an album exploring the connections between Beethoven and Schumann through cycles in song and solo piano works. LaDeur has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Robert Mann, Bonnie Hampton, Ian Swensen, Axel Strauss, Geoff Nuttall, and the Alexander String Quartet.
An active educator, LaDeur offers masterclasses frequently as guest artist in universities throughout the United States, and coaches gifted pre-college piano and string ensembles at Young Chamber Musicians in Burlingame, California
He earned a M.M. in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory and a B.M. in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music.
Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for her "fearless technical precision," "deep-rooted pathos" and "irrepressible musical splendor." As a dedicated recitalist, she has performed more than 250 art songs in 15 languages, and enjoys the full complement of recital, concert and opera engagements alike.
Scharich has sung more than 40 roles from Monteverdi to Philip Glass, and been engaged in a number of premières and new works, including: John Adam's "Antony & Cleopatra" (San Francisco Opera), "Bright Sheng's Dream of the Red Chamber" (San Francisco Opera) Laura Kaminsky's "Today It Rains" (Opera Parallèle) and Missy Mazzoli's "Breaking the Waves" (West Edge Opera, west coast première) Scharich's recordings include: "In meinem Himmel: The Mahler Song Cycles," with the Alexander String Quartet (2018), "To My Distant Beloved," with pianist Jeffrey LaDeur (2020) and "Chosen Eyes," with pianist Ricardo Ballestero (2021).