Biegel to premiere Jeremy Lubbock’s “Moods” with the MC Community Orchestra

Bethlehem, Pa., February 17, 2015—International Steinway pianist Jeffrey Biegel will perform with the Moravian College Community Orchestra (MCCO) on Sunday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m. in Foy Concert Hall. Donald Spieth, artist-in-residence at Moravian College, will conduct the orchestra as Biegel returns to the College to perform a world premiere of renowned composer/arranger Jeremy Lubbock’s Moods, for piano and strings; Leroy Anderson’s Concerto in C; Sibelius’ Finlandia; and Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.

At the conclusion of the performance, Moravian College will honor Biegel for his achievements as a world-renowned pianist, recording artist, chamber music collaborator, and champion of new piano music, composer, arranger and educator. Sean O’Boyle AM, artist-in-residence at Moravian College, will present Biegel to President Bryon L. Grigsby ’90 who will confer the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Having arranged chart-topping songs for such artists as Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson and Celine Dion, Lubbock is a Grammy Award-winning composer whose name is synonymous with the biggest artists in the pop world. Additionally, he is a widely respected classical composer, who recently turned his attention to this new concerto dedicated to Biegel.

The performance will bring to life a new composition that Biegel calls “a fusion piece” that has a “feeling of lush romanticism, with very poignant and beautiful harmonies and textures.” In addition to the world premiere, Biegel and the MCCO, led by Moravian College Artist-in-Residence and conductor Donald Spieth, will perform Leroy Anderson’s Piano "Concerto in C.” This collaboration with the College is more than 20 years in the making, according to the pianist.

Having performed at the College’s inaugural Betty Aierstock Moore Memorial Concert in January 2014, Biegel welcomed the opportunity to return to the Bethlehem campus and partner with Moravian’s community orchestra. “I’ve only been on campus once, but the community felt so warm and was very embracing,” Biegel said. “Rather than partnering with a major orchestra, I thought it would be great to allow a young, vibrant university orchestra have the experience to give the first voice to a new work by a very respected composer.”

Biegel believes the MCCO will deliver a “very fresh and uninhibited performance.” “We need to give young musicians an opportunity to be a part of the world of premiering new works,” he explained.

For Biegel, the opportunity to partner with Lubbock fulfills a nearly lifelong ambition. Dating back more than two decades, Biegel, as a young musician, recalls the recordings which often grabbed his attention – whether it was Barbra Streisand or David Foster – were always arranged by Lubbock. After several attempts to connect with Lubbock, Biegel finally did through a mutual acquaintance, Foster, in 2003.

“Most people know Jeremy by the music he’s arranged for celebrity pop artists, many of them chart-topping recordings,” Biegel said. “However, he has done so much more. He’s one of our most respected classical composers, and I am honored that he has turned his attention to a new concerto for me.”

“‘Moods’ is not entirely unique for me,” Lubbock said via email, noting however that his schedule leaves little time for similar classical composition. He, too, is thrilled to have Biegel perform his new work. “I know Jeffrey is a fine pianist, so he seemed to be the obvious person to present the piece to,” he said.

Biegel noted that Lubbock’s new work will “fill a niche” with many orchestras worldwide, where there is a definite need for piano and strings compositions.

As early as 1993, Biegel and Spieth began trading phone calls about possibly collaborating, so there’s an obvious sense of achievement to finally having the performance on the calendar. In recent years, thanks to social media, Biegel has also befriended Sean O’Boyle, an artist-in-residence in Moravian’s Music Department. This personal connection has played a significant role in bringing Biegel, whom O’Boyle calls “the finest pianist of his generation,” to campus.

“Sean is the instigator with this wonderful college,” laughed Biegel, crediting him for building the relationship with Moravian. “There are few people like him, and Sean has a heart of gold and is passionate about music. He is also passionate about humanity, and about connecting the dots to make wonderful things happen.”

Spieth, too, sees phenomenal possibilities stemming from the upcoming performance. The conductor compared the opportunity to premiere Lubbock’s new work to reading a new book. “It is always exciting to hear and play a new work and to expose the audience to something new,” he said. “It gives everybody a chance to evaluate it, and it can be very exciting.”

Spieth believes “everybody will love it the first time they hear” the work’s “rich, lush sound.” “I think ‘Moods’ is a very appropriate title as it switches moods from slow and soft, something luxurious, then more lively, then back and forth,” he explained.

Considered one of the great pianists of our time, Biegel has created a multi-faceted career as a pianist, recording artist, composer and arranger. His electrifying technique and mesmerizing touch have received critical acclaim and garner praise worldwide.

The career of pianist Jeffrey Biegel has been marked by bold, creative achievements and highlighted by a series of firsts: He initiated the first live internet recitals in New York and Amsterdam in 1997 and 1998, and, in 1999, assembled the largest consortium of orchestras (over 25), to celebrate the millennium with a new concerto composed for him by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, whose 'Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra' was premiered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2000. He also transcribed Balakirev's 'Islamey Fantasy' for piano and orchestra, premiered with the American Symphony Orchestra in 2001, followed with Charles Strouse composing a new work titled 'Concerto America' for Biegel, premiered with the Boston Pops in 2002. He further arranged the piano part for Billy Joel's 'Symphonic Fantasies' in 2006, with performances at the Eastern Music Festival, the Boris Brott Festival and with the Indianapolis, Harrisburg, and other U.S. orchestras.

Biegel's published works include The World In Our Hands (Hal Leonard), Christmas In A Minute (Hal Leonard), The Twelve Days of Christmas (Hal Leonard), Hey Ho, the Wind and the Rain (Hal Leonard), Hanukah Fantasy (Hal Leonard), There Shines a Light Ahead (Porfiri & Horvath), Different Kind of Hero (Carl Fischer), and Four Psalms for Choir (LeDor Group).

Known for his standard-setting performances of the standard repertoire, Mr. Biegel will perform two premieres later this year during the 2013-14 season: Lucas Richman's 'Piano Concerto' with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and, Jake Runestad's 'Dreams of the Fallen' with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphony Chorus of New Orleans at the National WWII Museum on Veterans Day 2013. He recently formed a new piano trio, the Dicterow-DeMaine-Biegel trio with violinist Glenn Dicterow, and cellist Robert Demaine.

Highlights of recent performances include two world premieres with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carl St. Clair: Richard Danielpour's 'Mirrors for Piano and Orchestra, and, William Bolcom's 'Prometheus for Piano, Orchestra and Chorus', and a global webcast with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin conducting, in Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" and William Bolcom's "Prometheus".

He performed the premiere of his adaptation of pop legend Neil Sedaka's 'Manhattan Intermezzo' for piano and orchestra with Orchestra Kentucky, and performed the World Premiere of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's 'Shadows' for piano and orchestra, with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, commissioned by eight orchestras. His recent recordings include 'A Grand Romance' (2013), 'A Steinway Christmas Album' (2011) and, 'Bach On A Steinway' (2010) for the Steinway & Sons label; Leroy Anderson's 'Concerto in C', conducted by Leonard Slatkin with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's 'Millennium Fantasy' and 'Peanuts Gallery', a solo cd of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' for Naxos; 'Classical Carols' for Koch and the Complete Sonatas by Mozart on the E1 label. His chamber music recordings with Trio21 include Kenneth Fuchs' 'Falling Trio' based on the novel, "Falling Man" by Don DeLillo, for Naxos, and, Glen Roven's musical adaptation of the classic children's book, "Runaway Bunny", with guest narrator, Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta Jones.

Until the age of three, Biegel could neither hear nor speak, until corrected by surgery. The “reverse Beethoven” phenomenon can explain Biegel's life in music, having heard only vibrations in his formative years. Born a second-generation American, Biegel's roots are of Russian and Austrian heritage. A Russian cousin, pianist Herman Kosoff, emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century, and had studied with the great Leopold Godowsky in Austria. For more information about Biegel, visit his website, www.jeffreybiegel.com.

General admission is $15, and $10 for senior citizens and students. Foy Concert Hall is located on Moravian College’s Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus in historic downtown Bethlehem. This program is presented, in part, through a grant from the Moravian College Arts & Lectures Committee. Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Anyone who anticipates needing any type accommodation or who has questions about the physical access provided should contact Bill Bauman of the Music Department at (610) 861-1650 or email at music@moravian.edu.

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the Music Department at Moravian College provides its students with high-quality personalized music degree programs that are comprehensive and offer training in the theory, history, and performance of diverse styles. Music is taught within in a liberal arts context, integrating intellectual, artistic, and personal growth. The music program’s academic opportunities give music majors foundations for careers in teaching, performing, composing, research, and more.

Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college and the first school to educate women. Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.