An intimate evening of world-class classical piano, drinks, and dessert
Nov. 30 update — with our apologies, this recital is cancelled, due to Rachel being sick with Covid, and unable now to travel to New York City. We hope to reschedule this some time next year.
We welcome back Rachel Breen. Rachel delighted us back in June with a one-of-a-kind program of Beethoven’s last piano sonata and a series of 13 tonally connected short pieces.
Now Rachel is bringing us a performance even more special: Bach’s complete Goldberg Variations — one of the most beloved pieces in the classical piano repertoire — the same piece she recently played to a standing ovation at the prestigious Honens International Piano Competition in Canada, where she was awarded second place.
It a true holiday treat for us to have Rachel perform this program for us in the intimacy of our home. Following the recital will be a reception with the chance to meet and chat with Rachel and each other over drinks and dessert.
Saturday, December 3 — doors open at 7pm — recital starts 7:30pm — drinks and dessert reception with the pianist afterwards until about 10:30pm at our apartment near Broadway and 29th Street in Manhattan. 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 Rachel
Rachel has won top prizes in numerous international competitions, including, among others, the Georges Cziffra International Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artists’ Competition, the Beethoven International Competition in 2021, and most recently the top finalist of the 2022 Honens International Piano Competition.
Rachel has performed with orchestra, most recently at Lincoln Center and in Madrid, Spain, and given masterclasses around the globe. She was featured in the 2021 podcast 30 Bach alongside Jeremy Denk, Angela Hewitt, Tim Page, and Simone Dinnerstein in a discussion and performance of the Goldberg Variations.
Rachel received her bachelor’s degree with academic honors from The Juilliard School, where she was a student of Julian Martin. Previously, she studied with Dr. Sharon Mann; until age ten, she was self-taught. She recently completed dual master’s programs at the Hannover Hochschule für Musik and Yale School of Music (Connecticut) with Lars Vogt and Boris Slutsky, respectively.
The program
N. Medtner – Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 22
J.S. Bach – The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (without repeats)