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— THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Classical Ambassador

Pianist brings music to the world
... with a stop in Farmington Hills.

Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer

p

ianist Victor Goldberg will
recall his Russian roots with
a second concert for the
•
Vivace Music Series. The internation-
ally appearing musician will perform
works by Tchaikovsky and Scriabin as
well as Haydn and Brahms.
"I'm doing a diverse program from
different years, styles and ways of
expression to get the audience emo-
tionally involved with the music',' says
Goldberg, 33, who will perform 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Birmingham
Temple in Farmington Hills.
"I picked a program that I thought
was the best way to express myself. I
like to have the opportunity to per-
form great masterpieces and bring in
something unique. With each piece, I
can say something very important."
Goldberg, an Israeli living in New
York, was introduced to piano in
Ukraine, where his mother was a
linguist and his dad a mathematician-
scientist. They wanted music to be
part of his general education.
"From the beginning, I felt a con-
nection to music:' Goldberg explains.
"My mother said I headed right for the
piano as soon as I came home from
school. At 13, just before we moved to
Israel, I won a competition, which also
inspired me."
Goldberg earned a bachelor's degree
in music from Rubin Academy at Tel
Aviv University, a master's in music at
the Juilliard School, an Artist Diploma
at the Manhattan School of Music and
a Doctor of Musical Arts from the
Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins
University.
"I decided to go to the United States
because I wanted to study with Jerome
Lowenthal (a professor of piano at
Juilliard)," Goldberg says. "I also want-
ed to be exposed to good music and
performances from all over the world."
While bookings have placed him

in prestigious venues from Carnegie
Hall in New York to Steinway Hall
in Taiwan, a most touching experi-
ence occurred in Myanmar (formerly
Burma), where he was sent by the
Israeli government.
"I gave performances and master
classes for this very isolated country:'
Goldberg says. "I was the first inter-
national performer to visit there in 50
years, and I was shocked and touched
by the response.
"People had never heard Mozart,
and there was an outpouring of appre-
ciation after the concert. It showed the
power of music.
"Because of this experience, I came
up with the nonprofit Key Vive Arts
Foundation to present concerts all
over the world for audiences previous-
ly not exposed to music. In addition to
performing, I am artistic director of
this foundation."
Goldberg, a spokesperson for the
Jewish National Fund, has won many
awards for his instrumentality: the
Pro Musicis International Award,
the Artist Recognition Award of the
International Keyboard Festival and
the Artistic Mastery Special Jury Prize
of the World Congress of Russian
Jewry.
"Touring allows me to meet with
people,' says Goldberg, who is single
and also considers work his hobby.
"The communication with the listener
is basic, and I really enjoy it.
"Meeting people of different back-
grounds is an honor, and each country
presents a different experience. I look
forward to talking to people after the
concert in Michigan." 7

Victor Goldberg performs
8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at the
Birmingham Temple, 28611 W.
12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills.
$12-$23. (248) 788-9338/(248)
661-1348; vivaceseries.org .

iN

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