MUSICAL CONNECTION
Acclaimed pianist invites students to concert stage
Internationally renowned pianist Daniel Wnukowski invited students from Immaculate Conception Elementary School to express how Gershwin’s Concerto in F made them feel and to play piano on stage with him Friday. The Windsor-born musician said he would sit through boring concerts as a child with no interaction with those on stage, but he wasn’t having any of that at his free concert. “It’s a perfect piece for a school outreach program because it’s so relevant. These emotions grab us the same way as they would an early 20th century audience,” Wnukowski said.
“When I asked what people thought about the first piano theme, I got some great responses from nostalgic to melancholic. I think one girl really nailed it when she said ‘bittersweet.’”
Hands flew up when he asked who wanted to come play piano with him — the chance for a duet with a concert pianist on a $225,000 Steinway grand piano. Wnukowski will perform Gershwin’s Concerto in F with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra this weekend before heading to New York for concerts there.
His performance at the Capitol Theatre on Friday was the kickoff for his Piano Six tour to remote communities in Canada. He founded the group with five other pianists who will play outreach concerts beginning in May to inspire the next generation. He’s also starting a July 18 Collingwood Summer Music Festival with classical music.
“We’re trying to add spark to communities that have really long lost arts programs — and inspire them.”
Larger cities are in good hands but remote communities, such as those in northern Ontario, may not have live concerts of international stature, he said. Piano Six subsidizes concerts through government grants and private donations. He said communities across Canada need more live arts. Wnukowski, 37, now lives in Vienna, Austria. Although born in Windsor, his parents moved to Niagara Falls and they didn’t return to Windsor until he was in his early teens — then they moved to Europe. His interest in the piano was sparked at age three when he saw a clear piano that revealed the inner workings of the instrument. He has performed in prestigious concert halls throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia.
Windsor Symphony Orchestra executive director Sheila Wisdom said the Gershwin Meets Steinway performances this weekend bring together three incredibly talented people with local ties. There’s Wnukowski, Shahida Nurulla, who teaches at the School of Creative Arts in downtown Windsor and is one of Detroit’s top jazz vocalists, and guest conductor Claudio Vena, who has performed with artists as diverse as Andrea Bocelli and Rod Stewart and was part of Quartetto Gelato with George Meanwell of Windsor. “So there’s a Windsor connection, but they have each gone on to achieve fame and recognition in their own fields, so I think it’s just a great concert,” Wisdom said.
The performances are Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.windsorsymphony.com, at the box office at 121 University Avenue West or by calling 519- 9731238 ext. 2.