400-plus pianists celebrate 20th annual American Grands Jan. 24
More than 400 pianists of all ages and skill levels will perform during American Grands XX on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Elgin Community College Arts Center.
The piano event of the year will be held at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. at the ECC Arts Center's Blizzard Theatre located in Building H on the Spartan Drive campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
The performances on Jan. 24 will mark American Grands 20th anniversary. American Grands is a celebration of group piano performance. The pieces performed feature 24 pianists (two per piano) performing on stage at once on 12 grand pianos, provided by Cordogan's Pianoland, the event's sponsor since its inception. Cordogan's, located in Geneva, provides and maintains the 12 grand pianos that grace the stage at this huge annual undertaking.
This season's musical repertoire ranges from classic works by Sousa, Mozart, and Beethoven to more contemporary pieces, including an arrangement of "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen. This season's performances will also feature two pieces with three players per piano for a total of 36 players performing at once. Per American Grands tradition, all three performances will open with the "Star Spangled Banner" and close with "Star and Stripes Forever."
"The joy so many have found in American Grands is truly remarkable," Music Director Larry Dieffenbach says of American Grands. "It's grown from one performance to three performances and from a little over 100 performers to over 400. We're so proud that American Grands has reached this milestone year and can't wait to celebrate both its history and its future at these performances."
This year will mark Dieffenbach's 19th year with American Grands and his 12th as its music director. He is on the music faculty at ECC, teaches privately in Geneva, and is the organist/music director at the Little Home Church by the Wayside in Wayne. He also is founder/director of the St. Charles International Piano Competition. Dieffenbach made his orchestral debut under the baton of New York conductor Broch Macelherin.
Colin Holman returns as conductor, a role he has held for 19 of the 20 American Grands concerts. He maintains an active career as conductor and musicologist in the Chicago area as music director of the Loyola University Orchestra, Fox Valley Orchestra, Fox Valley Concert Band, and the international award-winning Chicago Brass Band. He has lectured at both the undergraduate and graduate level at several area universities including Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, North Park University, and Wheaton College.
Jon Mortensen, who has been with American Grands since its inception, will celebrate his 20th season of Grands performances. He again serves as percussionist, percussion arranger and assistant conductor. Mortensen also serves as principal timpanist for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and the Woodstock Mozart Festival Orchestra. He is also the director of bands at Kenyon Woods Middle School in South Elgin.
Tickets to American Grands XX are $24 or $15 for age 12 and younger. Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office located in the arts center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.
Visit elgin.edu/arts for more information about the ECC Arts Center, including video clips of upcoming artists and events, the Standing Room Only blog, and links to the Arts Center's Twitter and Facebook pages.