April Break Arts Camp: Interactive Mini Concert

Students and their families and community members are invited to visit Eastport Arts Center on Thursday, April 24, 1-2:30 pm for ‘Four Hands on Deck! A Piano Voyage’, an interactive mini-concert with Michael Coonrod and Danny Holt. Coonrod is visiting from Michigan, where he recently retired from nearly five decades of teaching at Interlochen Arts Academy, where he shaped generations of young pianists. He was Holt’s teacher there more than 25 years ago. Music lovers and those curious to learn more about the art will enjoy the event, which will include discussion of the piano and how it works, music for solo piano and ‘four hand’ piano duo, stories from the performers’ decades of music-making, and chances for students to participate.

The event is designed especially for youth ages 8 and up; family members and community members are welcome too. A $5/person admission will be used to help sustain programs like these; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Tickets may be attained below, or those interested may RSVP by email to workshops@eastportartscenter.org.

Coonrod is a retired piano faculty member from the Interlochen Center for the Arts where he tutored classical piano students for 46 years. During that time, he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD. He has had an extensive performing and teaching career in several countries. He performed 20th Century piano music at the Chopin Academy in Warsaw Poland and participated in the Amalfi Music Festival in Maiori, Italy for five summers. He gave several master classes at the FaceArt Piano School in Shanghai China. He has five compact disc recordings to his credit, two of which are devoted to the music of Franz Schubert. In his free time he is building a diorama of his home town of Missoula, Montana with an HO scale train layout. More information may be found at michaelcoonrod.com.

Called “phenomenal” by the late music critic Alan Rich, and hailed as one of the “local heroes” of the Los Angeles music scene (LAcitybeat.com), pianist Danny Holt performs around the globe in concert halls (Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl), clubs (Joe’s Pub, The Blue Whale, Copenhagen Jazzhouse) art galleries (MASS MoCA, Hammer Museum), churches, living rooms, and wherever else he can find a piano and someone to listen. His recorded catalog includes the recent solo album “Piano Music of Mike Garson” and other solo, chamber, and orchestral releases on the Innova Recordings label, pfMENTUM, New World Records, Deutsche Grammophon, Acis Productions, and L’st records. After spending most of the past two decades in Southern California, Holt recently relocated to East Machias, where he enjoys being surrounded by natural beauty, and a slower pace of life. More information may be found at dannyholt.net.

Eastport Arts Center is at 36 Washington Street, Eastport, and at www.eastportartscenter.org, and is handicapped-accessible.