Jon Nakamatsu, Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, Debut Performance with Pacific Chamber Orchestra
Music Director Lawrence Kohl presents pianist Jon Nakamatsu in his debut Pacific Chamber Orchestra (PCO) performance on Saturday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. at the Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church (LOPC) and Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore.
Nakamatsu is a Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist and a Bay Area favorite. A frequent solo recitalist at the Bankhead, he joins PCO for American composer Edward MacDowell’s buoyant Second Piano Concerto. The program culminates in the gorgeous melodies and triumphant sweep of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.
MacDowell was among the first American composers to achieve international recognition within the European classical tradition. Admired by Franz Liszt and celebrated in both Europe and the United States, he helped establish an American Romantic voice on the world stage. His Second Piano Concerto is lyrical, spirited and richly melodic, a work that balances virtuosity with warmth.
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is often portrayed as a heroic arc, beginning with the iconic “fate knocking at the door” and culminating in triumph. Tchaikovsky transforms that fate idea into a deeply personal declaration of identity, voiced through tender yearning, surging intensity and resolute strength. The result is a captivating symphony of sweeping melody and exhilarating power.
Kohl frames the program this way, “MacDowell and Tchaikovsky offer two distinctly life affirming works. One is spirited and lyrical, the other soulful and blazing. Both are exhilarating.” Together, the concerto and symphony create an afternoon of Romantic sweep, radiant melody and emotional affirmation.
Tickets and information are available at https://PacificChamberOrchestra.org.
About Pacific Chamber Orchestra:
Begun by Music Director Lawrence Kohl in 1989, PCO is a premier regional professional ensemble performing at Bankhead Theater in Livermore and Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church in Lafayette. PCO’s educational programs introduce classical music to over 7,000 local students each year by teaching the fundamentals of music through elementary school assembly programs and enrichment clinics for middle and high school music ensembles. PCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3516644-0
