Arts & Entertainment

King Of The Keyboard

Kirill Gerstein, recipient of the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award,
will perform at international festival in Kalamazoo.

Suzanne Chessler

Special to the Jewish News

p

ianist Kirill Gerstein walked
into a Jacksonville hotel bar last
November prepared to be inter-
viewed by a journalist and walked out as the
recipient of the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award.
The announcement, in the city where
Gerstein was performing Beethoven con-
certs with the Jacksonville Symphony
Orchestra, came from Dan Gustin, direc-
tor of the Irving S. Gilmore International
Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo.
The surprise nature of the meeting was
right in keeping with the way the award is
decided every four years on a noncompeti-
tive basis. A secret panel observes nomi-
nees without their knowing.
"It certainly was a very nice surprise
says Gerstein, 31, who receives $300,000
in support of his career and will appear
at this year's festival, which continues
through May 8. Besides being spotlighted
in a solo recital and with orchestra, he will
conduct a master class.
"It feels very gratifying and flattering to
have my work recognized and supported
by such a distinguished panel of experts in

the classical music world. I am extremely
honored and humbled."
Gerstein, whose musical interests began
in his birthplace of Voronezh in southwest-
ern Russia and continued with studies
and engagements internationally, will play
works by Schumann and Liszt Monday eve-
ning, May 3, and pieces by Tchaikovsky and
Gershwin Saturday evening, May 8, both at
the Chenery Auditorium. The master class
will be Wednesday morning, May 5, on the
campus of Western Michigan University.
"The programs represent the scope of my
interests',' says Gerstein, whose local appear-
ances have reached from Congregation
Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County to
Orchestra Hall, where he has worked with
the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
"In the recital, I'm going in a more central
European direction, playing the Schumann
Humoreske, Op. 20, which is wonderfully
large scale and will celebrate the 200th anni-
versary of the composer's birth. The Liszt
Sonata in B Minor is one of the towering
masterpieces in the piano literature.
"The concertos show other sides of
my interests. The Tchaikovsky Piano
Concerto No. I is a beloved Russian work,
and Rhapsody in Blue pays homage to my

early jazz training and will be the
original band version premiered in
1 1 I tAtt
1924 when Gershwin played it at
Carnegie Hall"
11 l it 1 t `ktV % %
Gerstein, who received the
Gilmore Young Artist Award in 2002,
also has been awarded first prize in
Russian-born pianist Kirill Gerstein
the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein Piano
Competition in Tel Aviv and was cho-
sen Carnegie Hall's Rising Star for the 2005-
who was working at a private music college
06 season. This season's appearances have
in the suburbs of that city'
placed him in a range of distant cities, such
Gerstein attended a Russian music school
as Atlanta, San Francisco, Vienna and Zurich. for gifted children and taught himself to
Other stellar pianists performing at this
play jazz by listening to his parents' record
year's festival include Ann Schein, one
collection. When he was 14, he came to
of the judges choosing Gerstein for the
the United States to study jazz piano at the
award; Sarah Rothenberg; Gilbert Kalish;
Berklee College of Music in Boston, where
and Fred Hersh.
he became its youngest student.
"I never had a moment of epiphany
After his second summer at the Boston
about being a pianist:' says Gerstein, whose
University program at Tanglewood, he
training started with lessons from his
focused on the classics while attending the
mother, now involved with Jewish music
Manhattan School of Music in New York,
education in Boston. "I'm quite happy about earning bachelor's and master's degrees.
proceeding one step at a time.
"When I was 11, I got money for the
"It always was very clear to me that I loved first time by playing piano in Poland:'
music, but it wasn't clear to me that I would
Gerstein recalls. "I won first prize in a
be a pianist per se. A lot of my decisions were piano competition, bought my first com-
made because of the teachers I wanted. I
puter and made music on it. I remember
went to Madrid because of a Russian teacher connecting to my electric keyboard and

-1

ews

,3/44,s

Nate Bloom
Special to the Jewish News

ali t_

Diamond Hebrews

This list of Jewish players in Major
League Baseball was prepared with
lam the help of the Jewish Sports Review
newsletter. All these players have at
least one Jewish parent and were
raised in a secular or religiously
Jewish home:
Brad Ausmus, 41, catcher, Los
Angeles Dodgers. A brilliant defen-
sive player, Ausmus has played 18
Major League seasons without being
on the disabled list once.
Ryan Braun, 26, outfielder,
Milwaukee Brewers. The 2007
National League rookie of the year,
Braun made the All-
Star team in 2008
and 2009.

CV
CV

to,

Craig Breslow,

Atfil

Craig Breslow

46

two science degrees.
An effective reliever,
he is often described
as the smartest
player (in terms of
general knowledge)
in the game.

April 22 • 2010

29, relief pitcher,
Oakland Athletics.
The former captain
of Yale's baseball
team, Breslow has

Scott Feldman

Scott Feldman,

27, starting pitcher,
Texas Rangers. Feldman came into
his own in 2009 with a win-loss
record of 17-8.
John Grabow, 31, relief pitcher,
Chicago Cubs. An outstanding reliev-
er with the Pirates, Grabow was trad-
ed to the Cubs in July. He had a very
good 2009 season with both clubs.
Gabe Kapler, 34, outfielder, Tampa
Bay Rays. Kapler had a good season
in 2009, with his ability to hit left-
handed pitching making up for a so/
so batting average. Kapler has three
"Jewish-themed" tattoos, including a
Star of David.
Ian Kinsler, 27, second baseman,
Texas Rangers. A great hitter, Kinsler
joined the elite "30-30" club in
2009, with 31 home runs and 31

stolen bases.

Jason Marquis,

31, starting pitch-
er, Washington
Nationals. Now in his
11th season, Marquis
won 15 games last
year
with Colorado
Ian Kinsler
and made the All-
Star team. Marquis, a Long Island
native, had a bar mitzvah.
Scott Schoeneweis, 36, relief
pitcher, Boston Red Sox. His 2009
season with Arizona was seriously
interrupted when his wife died of a
drug overdose. He thought of retiring
but came back to finish his 12th sea-
son. Boston signed him in March.
Kevin Youkilis, 31, first baseman,
Boston Red Sox. Youkilis, who holds
the all-time record for most error-
less games at first base, has become
a great hitter in the last few sea-
sons. He was an All-Star in 2008
and 2009. He had a bar mitzvah
and is known to greet other Jewish
players with Happy (Jewish) Holiday
wishes.

Complicated Pregnancy

In her new romantic comedy, The

Back-Up Plan, opening Friday, April 23,

Jennifer Lopez plays Zoe, a woman
who opts to be artificially insemi-
nated after never finding the right
guy. Soon after, she meets Stan (Alex
O'Loughlin), a potential "Mr. Right."
Zoe eventually comes clean and
tells him about her pregnancy. Stan
surprises her by say-
ing that he loves her
and is fine with the
situation. However,
over the course of
the next nine months,
their romance hits
some rough spots.
Three veteran Jewish
actors have sup-
porting roles: Linda
Lavin, 72, the star
of the '70s TV show
Alice; standup come-
dian Robert Klein,
68; and Tom Bosley,
82, Mr. Cunningham
Tom Bosley
on Happy Days. H

