Events
Classic Series
RHAPSODY & ROMANCE
Saturday
Jan 25, 2025
7:30PM
Alberta Bair Theater
2801 3rd Ave N
$20-74
Tanner Jorden, Piano
Anna Clyne | Masquerade
Sergei Prokofiev | Suite from Romeo & Juliet
Sergei Rachmaninoff | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
A glittering Masquerade sets the stage for a night of musical romance … and the return of Billings’ own Tanner Jorden. After this rising star pianist’s mesmerizing performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, lose yourself in the emotionally charged music of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet.
- The idea of creating a ballet of Romeo and Juliet came from the Soviet stage director Sergei Radlov (1892-1958), an important figure in the Russian theatrical avant-garde both before and after the 1917 Revolution. The stage premiere of the full-length ballet eventually took place not in Russia, but in Brno, Czechoslovakia, with choreography by Ivo Psota, who also danced the role of Romeo. The first Russian production at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad was choreographed by Leonid Lavrovsky. Galina Ulanova scored one of her greatest successes in the role of Juliet.
- Niccolò Paganini was the closest thing the 18th century had to a rock star. He was known throughout Europe for his technical prowess as well as the works he composed to show off his unmatched skills on the violin.
- London-born Anna Clyne is a Grammy-nominated composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music. Clyne has boldly charted her own course and was heralded in a New York Times profile as a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods.”
GUEST artist
TANNER JORDEN | PIANO
Kindled by a profound connection with the piano literature early on, Tanner Jorden embarked on a journey towards true artistry driven by an intimate resonance with the life-like emotion present in music.
Shortly before leaving his home in Montana, Jorden received First Prize at the Sir Donald Runnicles Young Artist Competition, accompanied by a prestigious scholarship. He has also won top prizes in the William Knabe, American Protégé, and ArsClassica International competitions. Most recently, Jorden won Second Prize at the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Young Artist National Competition, being the youngest among finalists who were deep in their graduate degrees.
As a frequent soloist with professional orchestras, Jorden has a large repertoire featuring concertos by Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Grieg, Prokofiev, Mozart, Chopin, and more. Most recently he performed Mozart Concerto in C, K.467 with Sir Donald Runnicles and two weeks later traveled to Italy to perform the same work with the San Marino Orchestra and Hobart Earle. He has performed with other celebrated conductors such as Gordon Johnson, John Zoltek, and Anne Harrigan. In his Freshman year, he won the BYU Concerto Competition and performed Liszt Concerto in E-flat major with the school’s orchestra. Jorden will perform Prokofiev Concerto No. 3 in C with the Utah Valley Symphony as well as Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Billings Symphony in their upcoming seasons.
Jorden is currently a student of Scott Holden and a Junior in his Bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University, and will be pursuing graduate studies in the near future. He has studied at festivals including PianoTexas, Miami International Piano Festival in Italy, Tel Hai Masterclasses in Israel, and Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival. He has had masterclasses with Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Douglas Humphreys, Tamás Ungár, Josu de Solaun, and Robert McDonald.
An avid mountain biker and outdoorsman, Jorden believes that time away from the instrument is best spent finding oneself in nature.
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