An intimate evening of world-class classical piano, drinks, and dessert
You are invited to a private recital by the award-winning pianist Henry Kramer in our home in New York City.
Saturday, December 7 — doors open at 7pm — recital starts 7:30pm — optional drinks and dessert reception with the pianist afterwards until about 10:00pm. For photos/videos of previous Lilacs events, see here.
To RSVP, go to the Eventbrite page here. As always, 100% of the proceeds will go to the pianist.
About Henry
Praised by The Cleveland Classical Review for his “astonishingly confident technique” and The New York Times for “thrilling [and] triumphant” performances, pianist Henry Kramer is developing a reputation as a musician of rare sensitivity who combines stylish programming with insightful and exuberant interpretations.
In 2016, he garnered international recognition with a Second Prize win in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Most recently, he was awarded a 2019 Avery Fisher Career Grant by Lincoln Center – one of the most coveted honors bestowed on young American soloists.
Henry began playing piano at the relatively late age of 11 in his hometown of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. One day, he found himself entranced by the sound of film melodies as a friend played them on the piano, inspiring him to teach himself on his family’s old upright. His parents enrolled him in lessons shortly thereafter, and within weeks, he was playing Chopin and Mozart.
Henry has performed “stunning” solo recital debuts, at Alice Tully Hall as the recipient of the Juilliard School’s William Petschek Award, as well as at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. At his Philadelphia debut, Peter Dobrin of The Philadelphia Inquirer remarked, “the 31-year-old pianist personalized interpretations to such a degree that works emerged anew. He is a big personality.”
A versatile performer, Kramer has been featured as soloist with orchestras around the world, including the National Belgian Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Shanghai Philharmonic, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey, the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre Métropolitain du Montreal. He has soloed under the batons of preeminent conductors Marin Alsop, Jan Pascal Tortelier, and Stéphane Dénève.
Teaching ranks among his greatest joys. In the fall of 2022, Kramer joined the music faculty of Université de Montréal. Previously, he served as the L. Rexford Whiddon Distinguished Chair in Piano at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia.
Henry graduated from the Juilliard School, where he worked with Julian Martin and Robert McDonald. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music under the guidance of Boris Berman. His teachers trace a pedagogical lineage extending back to Beethoven, Chopin and Busoni. Henry is a Steinway Artist, and his first commercial recording, dedicated to Liszt oratorio transcriptions, was released on the NAXOS label.
The program
Schubert – Piano Sonata in A major D. 664, Op. posth. 120
Liszt – Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178
Debussy – L’isle joyeuse, L. 106