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Pianissimo!


BIO:

Blazing Virtuosity and Breathtaking Symphonic Sound on MULTIPLE Pianos performed by FOUR Elegant and Entertaining Pianists!

Imagine a combination of Real Housewives of Chicago, combined with Marvin Hamlisch’s A Chorus Line, combine with a PBS Special of the world’s greatest symphonic piano music, performed on Multiple Pianos, by FOUR distinguished Virtuoso Female Pianists, interwoven with the True Stories of being a professional FEMALE PIANIST in the 21st Century!

Each a soloist and distinguished musician in their own right, Susan, Irina, Svetlana, and Elena, have combined forces to bring to you a program that is brilliantly virtuosic, powerful, sexy, elegant, artistic- an intimate portrait of their individual and collective stories of the their successes, their failures, their hopes and dreams and their vision for the future of Classical Music in the 21st Century.

Featuring newly-commissioned and specially arranged works by some of this country's foremost composers Grammy-nominated composer Ilya Levinson, Elbio Barilari, Margarita Zelenaia, and Jeremy Beck, plus the world’s most famous music by Beethoven, Bernstein, Strauss, Rossini, Verdi, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Piazolla, Gershwin, Cole Porter and The Beatles, and you can begin to imagine the sensational concert-event you will witness and be a part of.

Pianissimo! was first formed in December 2014. The ensemble has appeared in several venues for Make Music Chicago, made their acclaimed Chicago Debut in September 2015 and were broadcast on CKWR- Canada's First Public Radio Station, and Price Rubin Radio One. Their Live Chicago Concert Debut CD won them two Silver Medals for Outstanding Achievement in the prestigious 2016 Global Music Awards. They recently performed Bach-Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Pianos and Orchestra and the Two Piano Concerti of Mozart and Poulenc with FullScore Chamber Orchestra in a concert entitled Piano Masters: From Bach to Beck. Their season includes performances in libraries, schools, and retirement homes with special programs geared towards youth and seniors. As soloists and duo pianists, the four women have appeared in major concert halls and on TV and radio around the world, recorded numerous CD's, and won numerous awards and honors, as well as accolades and rave reviews from major publications for their outstanding performances and programming. The Pianissimo! ensemble's mission as a four piano ensemble is to present entertaining and education programs of Classical music on two and four pianos. Offering both traditional symphonic and piano repertoire, contemporary music for multiple pianos/pianists, as well as cross-over repertoire from Jazz and Broadway genres, the ensemble aims to appeal to audiences of all ages who enjoy good music accompanied by charming, witty and informative commentary on the music.

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PRESS:


"Charismatic Piano Virtuosi" "Ample Technique and musical integrity" "Muscular...dynamic,,,,invigorating" "Each of the four charismatic piano virtuosi who make up the recently formed Chicago-based ensemble Pianissimo! is a highly successful performing artist in her own right. Their long and varied official Chicago debut at the Merit School of Music’s Gottlieb Hall Saturday demonstrated ample technique as well as musical integrity."
- Gerald Fisher, Music Critic Chicago Classical Review September 14, 2015

"The piano queens of Chicago! This all-woman multi-piano ensemble is a force to be reckoned with. These 4-piano works synchronize in such an utterly magical way---creating a sound I guarantee you've never heard before. Their traditional classical background and repertoire blend seamlessly to create the energy of a powerfully energized contemporary group. "Fantasy on Rimsky" and it's dramatic waves flow flawlessly and is performed with such richness that I felt like I was listening to an entire orchestra. Their performance and musical integrity is outstanding!"
- Gurujas Khalsa, 2017 Grammy Award Winner- Best New Age Album for White Sun II Grammy Awards 2016 Testimonial

"Working with the members of the Pianissimo! was just a pure enjoyment. The FOUR AMAZING PIANISTS each contributed tremendously to the world premiere of my “Fantasy for Four Pianos on Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade”. It supposed and it did sound with the diverse and complex of the highly virtuosic Piano orchestra, with all possible nuances that included: powerful climaxes and lyrical episodes, the texture with rich counterpoints, and driving, fascinating rhythm. Susan Merdinger and Svetlana Belsky, Elena Doubovitskaya and Irina Feoktistova, are not just the great professionals, they are passionate about what they are doing, and was extremely happy to collaborate with them. I hope and strongly believe, the debut concert was a very beginning of the successful carrier for them as a group, that despite all difficulties the “Pianissimo!” will rise high and deserve the attention it should have."
- Margarita Zelenaia, Composer

"Absolutely Fabulous!" "Outstanding program! Exceeded our expectations! Great that they changed pianos so we could see all four hands. Very nice comments by performers." "Excellent concert!!!! Please pass on! Thank you! Please invite them again." " The four women were terrific and the music was varied and interesting."
- Northbrook Public Library March 2016 Anonymous Audience Feedback

"Congratulations to Pianissimo! on a wonderful performance at Make Music Chicago. Wow, I’m impressed that you played some of your duo music by memory."
- Susanne Baker, DePaul University Make Music Chicago June 2015

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