WILLIAMSBURG — Pianist Simone Dinnerstein will be the featured guest soloist with The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra for its opening night concert on Friday, Sept. 8 at Williamsburg Community Chapel.
Dinnerstein will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major as part of a concert program that also features a performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor.
The performance will be conducted by Music Director Michael Butterman, with a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m.
A masterclass, open to the public, will be held at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 5p.m. Student musicians are encouraged to attend.
Recognized for her appreciation of J.S. Bach, Dinnerstein is also known for performances for over 10 years of the works of Brahms — including Brahms’ other two piano concertos: No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15. This will be her first performance of Brahms’ second piano concerto.
“Brahms’s second piano concerto has long been my favorite, but I never felt ready to play it. Something about turning fifty felt like it was about time I faced this challenge, and I have spent the past few months delving deep into the forest of this remarkable work.” Dinnerstein said. “I am so thrilled that my very first experience of performing it will be with my dear friend, Michael Butterman, and The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra. I have the greatest respect for Michael’s musicianship and I am looking forward to exploring Brahms’s world with him and the wonderful musicians of the symphony.”
Dinnerstein first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Since then, she has had a busy performing career playing with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai.
She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Seoul Arts Center and the Sydney Opera House. Dinnerstein is also known for giving concerts in non-traditional venues, including in correctional institutions, and to audiences who don’t often hear classical music.
Dinnerstein has made thirteen albums, all of which topped the Billboard classical charts, and was nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award in the category of Best Classical Instrumental Solo.
For more information on Dinnerstein, visit simonedinnerstein.
