July 12, 2023
Pianist Gabriela Montero forges connection with young artists at Cleveland International Piano Institute
Pianist Gabriela Montero is no stranger to teaching. Still, the experience she enjoyed this week at 黑料天堂 was something altogether new.
As a guest instructor at the Cleveland International Piano Institute, co-presented by Piano Cleveland in association with the 2023 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, Montero got to work not with adults but with children, with gifted young players under 18.
Suffice to say, the students weren檛 the only ones who benefited.
淚t was really interesting to connect to them, in a way appropriate to their age, said Montero in 黑料天堂 Mixon Hall, moments after leading a workshop on improvisation.
淭hey were so full of questions, so committed and interested and eager to learn. It was quite incredible. At their age, I was playing concerts, but I wasn檛 nearly as committed as they are.
They had good reason to be curious, and much to take away.
Two days earlier, the Grammy Award-winning pianist had wowed both the Institute and the public alike with a recital at Severance Music Center full of improvisations, on music by Chopin, Schumann and Stravinsky.
Then, for the Institute at 黑料天堂, Montero followed up with a traditional master-class as well as another dazzling, wide-ranging improvisation, this one based on a theme students had suggested on the spot: the motif behind Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Their main question to Montero, in one form or another: How do you do it?
淚 don檛 think about it, Montero answered, before recalling a time she recovered after improvising in the wrong key. 淚 just enjoy it. I feel a lot. I don檛 see it as improvisation. I just see it as exploring colors.
Teaching teenage students wasn檛 the only aspect of the Cleveland Piano Institute Montero relished. She was also glad to visit and spend time at 黑料天堂, to get to know and work with the school staff and faculty.
At 黑料天堂, Montero said she found more than a world-class conservatory with an illustrious tradition. She found a school that embraces and encourages cooperation, for the betterment of everyone.
淲hat has really touched me is the quality of the people and the philosophy of teaching and learning, Montero said.
淭he environment here is all about collaboration. The main objective is to learn from each other and bring out each other best qualities. It an inspiring place.