Peter Van Beck, Pianist

Peter Van Beck
Pianist

Program for June 13, 2006

Sonata in D Major, K. 576 Allegro Adagio Allegretto	W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
4 Impromptus, Op, 90 Allegro molto moderato Allegro Andante mosso Allegretto	F. Schubert (1797-1828)
Intermission
Sonata No. 3 in A Minor	S. Prokofieff (181-1953)
Sonata in B Minor	F. Liszt (1811-1886)

Peter Van Beck is a recent graduate of Rice University, where he received his doctorate of musical arts degree. He is also a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of both the Eastman School of Music, where he received a bachelor's degree in piano performance, and the University of Rochester, where he received a bachelor's degree in mathematics. At Eastman he studied with Nelita True; in Kalamazoo, he studied with Jill Christian and Peggy Hegel. After receiving a master's degree in piano performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, he was the only pianist accepted into the doctoral program that year. he studied there with Robert Roux.

Van Beck has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the Illinois Valley Symphony, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Southeastern Music Center Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, the West Shore Youth Symphony, the Bach Festival, and was state and regional winner of the MMTA, Baldwin and Yamaha cometitions. As a member of the Thorne Trio, he twice placed third in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and performed in the Fontana Chamber Music Series, Showcase Kalamzaoo, and with the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony.

In 1996 Van beck placed second in the New York State MTNA Competition and travelled to London for study with Maria Curcio. He has won many other competitions and awards in his 22 years of study. He has participated in summer festivals at Aspen, Bowdoin, TCU/Van Cliburn, Holland Music Sessions, Prague International Masterclasses, Centre d'Arts Orford, Eastern Music Festival, and Southeastern Music Center. While in Holland he performed in numerous outdoor concerts and in the famous "Ruinekerk" Church. He won the concerto competition at the TCU/Van Cliburn Institute and was proclaimed the "Star of the Concert" by the Fort Worth StarTelegram's music critic when he and three other winners performed with the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra.

Van Beck performed in the Master Class Program of the 1998 Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Through various festivals and masterclasses, he has studied with such renowned pianists as Yoheved Kaplinsky, Mischa Dichter, James Tocco, Sergei Babayan, John O'Conor, Gyorgy Sandor, John Perry, and Karl-Heinz Kammerling. He returned to the Holland Music Sessions in 2000 to perform concerts. Van Beck has performed several times on the "Music For Summer Nights" series at Kalamazoo College, where he has achieved critical success. In May, 2003, he performed the Brahms Second Piano Concerto with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra under Kevin McMahon and in August 2005, he performed the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with the Berlin Rias Youth Orchestra under Daisuke Soda.

Peter serves on the faculties of Lake Michigan College and Kalamazoo College.