This weekend music lovers will get to hear and for some, play alongside a true master. Her name is Dr. Christine Kefferstan and her music usually speaks for itself. The master concert pianist will perform Sunday at the Bliss Center. But before that tomorrow she will offer master classes for piano students. Her visit is part of the Institute of Creative Arts' Master Concert Series. Keffertan gave us a private show this morning.
Dr. Christine Kefferstan, Pianist
"My refuge from all my brothers was playing the piano. We didn't have a piano at my home and we would go to my grandmother's every Sunday after church and she had a piano. And after many many months of me just going in and playing my mother thought maybe we should get her some lessons. And that sort of started my passion. I have continued to play the piano every since.
The theme for this concert, because I like to have a concept, is called beginnings. And I will talk between each piece and tell the audience a little bit about how a composer faces a blank page and how they actually began. It is also a beginning for me, Belize, a new country, new friends, new opportunity to play music for an audience that doesn't already know me and I also am a big fan of poetry so I will intersperse some poetry and my own thoughts about this music. The music ranges from Beethoven to much more contemporary French composers from the early 1900s and a Latin American composer from Argentina. So the music is ranging from sort of mild and sedate to very hot and energized and vital.
Master class is Saturday from two to four here at the Bliss Center and I understand there are some students who already agreed to play for me and others certainly are welcome to come and listen. We can learn a lot just by listening. Generally students play their piece, with or without music, doesn't matter, and I will comment on perhaps the technical aspect, a way of problem solving, as well as a musical aspect and how to get more comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more you are able to express."
Sunday's show begins at 6 pm. The master classes are from 2 to 4 pm tomorrow at the Bliss Center.
