Pianos delivered to parks

Published 11:02 am Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Mercer Island’s two “pianos in the parks” were dropped off on July 17, and are now available for the public to perform, play and enjoy.

One of the Island pianos, designed by artist Queenie Sunshine, is at Luther Burbank Park. The other, by Candice Covey, is at Mercerdale Park, and will play host to weekly lunchtime piano concerts sponsored by the Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA).

“Mercer Island is a special community that is known for its beauty, its parks and its love of the arts.  MICA is excited to initiate this fun lunchtime concert series and showcase the extraordinary level of talent among the residents of Mercer Island,” said MICA’s Executive Director Louise Kincaid.

The Brown Bag Concert Series performances will take place at noon on Wednesdays for four consecutive weeks beginning July 22.

All pianos are procured, repaired, tuned, transported and maintained by Classic Pianos, and hand-painted or otherwise artistically enhanced by students, faculty and alumni artists of Gage Academy of Art.

“Just like people, every piano has a story,” said Ben Klinger, sales manager of Classic Pianos. “We’re thrilled to be a part of Pianos in the Parks as it offers pianos that are perhaps entering their final chapter, a grand final cadence, and they have been tuned, services and dressed up for the occasion. We love that people of all walks of life will be able to enjoy spontaneous musical moments on these pianos together in our area’s great parks.”

Info on Brown Bag Concert Series:

The Brown Bag Concert Series at the Mercerdale Park Plaza is presented by MICA. The performances will take place at noon on Wednesdays for four consecutive weeks beginning July 22.

July 22 – Concert pianist Natalya Ageyeva and her piano students. Ageyeva has dazzled audiences throughout the United States and internationally, including Italy, Austria and Israel, as well as on tour in her native Russia. Her performances have also been broadcast several times locally on Classical KING FM 98.1, and televised in Moscow and Chicago. She has appeared at a broad range of venues, including Benaroya Hall, the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia, Carnegie Hall in New York and the Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow. Her pianism prompted one reviewer to write “Immediately apparent was a tremendous technique at the command of a sharp musical intelligence and fingers of steel.” An artist of great versatility, Ageyeva has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestras internationally. She has also been an active participant in many music festivals. While at the Moscow Conservatory, Ageyeva was offered extensive solo and orchestra appearances throughout the former Soviet Union. She completed her doctoral degree at the University of Washington with distinguished pianists Bela Siki and Robin McCabe. Ageyeva previously taught at Moscow Conservatory and University of Washington, and has adjudicated piano competitions in Chicago and Seattle. Ageyeva is the founder and artistic director of the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle.

July 29 – Musicians Ellen Zahniser and Shaudi. Originally from Mercer Island, Zahniser is a musician, writer and performer based in Boston. She discovered a love for theatre at Youth Theatre Northwest (YTN) where she began taking classes at the age of three, learning and performing throughout elementary, middle and high school on the YTN stage. A recent graduate of Brown University, Zahniser continues to focus on development of original work, both musically and for the theatre.

Shaudi is a Seattle-based, PNW-raised theatre artist and musician. She most recently appeared in Washington Ensemble Theatre’s Sprawl and The Horse in Motion’s Attempts on Her Life and Crazed, a workshop with the On The Boards Open Studios program. Shaudi is also a composer, performing and recording locally. She is a founding member of local non-traditional theater ensemble The Horse in Motion, and the development director for Washington Ensemble Theatre. Shaudi is a graduate of the University of Washington Schools of Drama and Music. Upcoming projects include Left, an EP to be released this summer. Her music is available on Spotify, iTunes and online: facebook.com/shaudibianca

Shaudi and Ellen Zahniser have performed together many times since they first met in a production of Godspell at YTN more than 10 years ago, and they are excited to perform together again on Mercer Island.  They will play both covers and original songs.

Aug. 5 – Pianist Andrew Barnwell will be a senior this fall at Mercer Island High School. Andrew is a promising piano protégé who has won many competitions and awards.  He began piano studies at the age of seven, and currently studies with Dainius Vaičekonis and Robin McCabe in Seattle. Barnwell accompanied his school’s choir for three years and currently plays in Mercer Island’s selective wind ensemble. He works with a non-profit organization, Instruments for Change, which promotes music in the community, and also tutored an elementary school student with Seattle Music Partners. Barnwell has participated in local festivals and has won many awards and competitions locally and regionally.

Aug. 12 – Pianists Connie Wible and Suzanne Zahniser, performing tangos along with music for eight- hand piano.  Founder of Musical Minds Studio, Wible is a performer, teacher, adjudicator and public speaker. Wible specializes in autism and music, music wellness for all, and single parenting issues. Zahniser is an attorney and the corporate secretary at Laird Norton Wealth Management. She currently serves on the MICA Board of Directors.