David Brooks
As Thanksgiving approaches, the National Music Festival’s Resonance Concert Series will present virtuoso pianist David Brooks, on Sunday, Nov. 21 at St. Paul’s Parish in Chestertown, 3 p.m.
Brooks, a piano mentor for the National Music Festival (NMF), will offer a varied program of works by Bach and Rachmaninoff, together with his own compositions and piano transcriptions, including music based on Disney’s “Aladdin” and Brooks’ own completion of an unfinished work by Robert Schumann.
“As we enter the season for giving thanks, we are truly grateful to be able to bring intimate, high-quality live musical performances back to our audiences,” said Richard Rosenberg, artistic director for Resonance and the NMF. “Music is a perfect respite as we enter the busy holiday season.”
The piano concert kicks off the Fireside Series of Resonance Concerts. During this and three upcoming Resonance concerts, the large stone hearth in St. Paul’s Parish Hall will be lit, so audience members can bask in the glow and warmth of a live fire while enjoying musical artistry. The Parish Hall is on the grounds of St. Paul’s Church, built in 1713 and the oldest church in Maryland which has been in continuous use as a place of worship.
Tickets for the November concert are on sale now at https://nationalmusic.us/events-and- tickets/resonance/. Some tickets will be sold at the door. However, seating is limited, and advance purchases are recommended.
Brooks enjoys a busy musical life as a pianist, violinist, violist, composer, and teacher. He has performed across the United States and Europe and was recently a featured artist at IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique) in Paris. A winner of several national and international competitions, Brooks now performs a repertoire spanning the avant- garde and the neglected romantics, as well as the established greats.
Since 2014, Brooks has been an Associate Professor of Piano and Music Theory at Wingate University in Charlotte, N.C. There he founded the new music group ensemble243, which performs works that use nontraditional or unconventional ways of playing piano to produce unusual sounds and effects.
Brooks is also a composer. His song cycle First Steps premiered in Bucharest, Romania, and his Metamorphosis Variations premiered in New York. More recently, his first full-scale opera, Urban Legend, had its debut at Wingate. To expand the solo repertoire, Brooks has transcribed a wide array of works for solo piano by composers ranging from Bach to Penderecki, several of which he will perform in Chestertown at the Nov. 21 concert performance.
NMF and OuterArts Maryland, Inc., its parent entity, are observing COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure the health and security of patrons, staff and artists. NMF requires verifiable proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for all concert attendees. Masks (fully covering the nose and mouth) must be worn. As the season continues, NMF will advise patrons of any changes in these requirements.
The Resonance Fireside Concerts will continue after the new year with The Canadian Guitar Quartet, Jan. 23; The Thalea String Quartet, Feb. 20; and cellist Natasha Farny, March 13.
NMF Violin Mentor Emily Daggett Smith with Constantine Finehouse, piano, will conclude the Resonance concert season on April 24. All performances are on Sundays at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Parish, Kent, 7579 Sandy Bottom Rd., Chestertown, MD 21620. Free parking is available on site.
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