International Concert Pianist Simon Mulligan to Perform Unique Independence Day Program on July 2 at The Sembrich
A unique Independence Day program featuring internationally acclaimed concert pianist Simon Mulligan continues The Sembrich’s 2022 Summer Festival Reimagining the Classics, on Saturday, July 2 at 7:30 PM. The evening pays tribute to both sides of the pond in this eclectic celebration featuring classics from both Europe and America. The evening will be highlighted by a recitation of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, set to Simon’s musical adaptation of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Also included are piano improvisations based on the works of Verdi, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and others.
“We’re delighted to welcome Steinway Artist Simon Mulligan for this first solo performance on our Sembrich grand since the pandemic,” says Artistic Director Richard Wargo. “Whether he’s entertaining Barack Obama, the Queen of England, or The Sembrich audience, Simon brings a charm, sophistication, and virtuosity to his every performance.”
British pianist Simon Mulligan has been described by The Times of London as ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists,’ by Yehudi Menuhin as ‘one of the finest pianists I have ever had the pleasure of performing with’ and by Herbie Hancock as ‘phenomenal.’ Simon is one of the youngest recipients to be awarded the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music for his musical achievements. Following his début with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon has performed and recorded with the BBC Symphony, Detroit Symphony, English Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Sinfonia, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra, among many others.
Simon has recorded numerous works for the Universal, Decca, Nimbus, and Naxos labels. His recording The Piano Music of Alexis Weissenberg for Nimbus, includes spontaneous improvisations recorded in the presence of the composer. Simon is a Steinway Artist and has recorded over forty hours of music for the Steinway Spirio, a new high-resolution playback piano.
As a chamber musician, Simon has collaborated with many notable artists including violinist Joshua Bell, with whom he performed at every major international venue as well as a live broadcasts for Lincoln Center and the Grammy Awards. Simon has also collaborated with Dame Shirley Bassey, Branford Marsalis, Liza Minnelli, Van Morrison, and Sting and is featured on the soundtrack to the HBO television series Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. As a jazz pianist, he gives concerts with his London quartet and New York trio.
Town of Bolton Historian Ted Caldwell will join the program as reciter of the Gettysburg Address. A well-known Bolton resident, Caldwell began his career teaching mathematics, science, French, and social studies at St. Mary’s Academy in Glens Falls, N.Y. He left teaching to become a self-employed building contractor in the Lake George area, then later returned to education as a building trades teacher in a cooperative education program and a resource supervisor at three rural Adirondack school districts leading up to his retirement in 2010.
This is the first performance of the Sembrich’s 2022 Masterwork Series. Individual tickets are $40 and series passes, which include admission to all three Masterwork Series performances, are $110. Both regular tickets and series passes are available online at TheSembrich.org or by calling (518) 644-2431.