BELLOWS FALLS — Stone Church Arts takes great pride in Immanuel Episcopal Church's 9-foot Steinway grand concert piano. So from time to time, organizers invite world class concert pianists to come and perform.
James D'León jumped at the invitation and will perform a concert on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Stone Church at 20 Church St. He will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Toru Takemitsu, and Franz Liszt. He will also perform two works with a Halloween theme: Ghost Variations for piano (1991) by George Tsontakis and Danse Macabre Op. 40 by Camille Saint-Saens.
Born in South Korea into a musical family, D'León began the piano at the age of 4 and performed his first solo recital at the age of 5. After receiving early piano training from his mother, he was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious pre-college program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
By the age of 14, he had won every local competition in the state, culminating in his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music performing Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2.
He continued his piano studies at the Juilliard School in New York and graduated from Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia.
This study greatly influenced his style and philosophy of piano performance, especially in regard to physical movement. He was eventually awarded a fellowship to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where he received a doctorate of musical arts.
He has performed around the world, and during the summers, he has served as artist-in-residence for many international music festivals including the Banff Festival in Canada, the Boyle Festival in Ireland, the Schlern Festival in the Italian Alps, and the Mendocino Music Festival on the northern California coast.
As a chamber musician, he has performed with many of the world's finest chamber groups that include the Inman Trio, the Muir String Quartet, and the Shanghai String Quartet, with whom he performed the Brahms Piano Quintet to a capacity audience that resulted in a standing ovation.
In addition, he is a popular master-class presenter and adjudicator who has given master classes in more than 75 universities around the world and served as a judge in the International Young Artist Piano Competition in Washington D.C., and International Artist Competition in South Korea.
Tickets are $17 for adults ($13 for seniors and children under 12) in advance and $20 ($15) at the door. Tickets may be purchased at Village Square Booksellers (Bellows Falls), Toadstool Bookshop (Keene, N.H.), Brattleboro Books, Misty Valley Books (Chester), at www.brattleborotix.com, or at the door.