2008

December 25, 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

To celebrate the joyous spirit of the holiday season, here is a new Anderson & Roe Piano Duo music video:

December 11-13, 2008
ANDERSON & ROE PIANO DUO FEATURED PRESENTERS AT EG '08

Elizabeth and her piano duo partner Greg Anderson will be featured presenters at EG '08, an entertainment gathering conference in Monterey showcasing the best ideas about entertainment and the imagination.

From the press release: "EG presenters are among the most luminous talents of our time, from rising stars to living national treasures; this is the conference for the most influential and creative minds in the world."

Yo-Yo Ma, Leon Fleisher, and Herbie Hancock were the musical presenters in '06 and '07. See www.the-eg.com for more information or to reserve your seat.

November 21, 2008
LIVE FROM SEOUL, KOREA!

Elizabeth makes her Korean solo recital debut this coming Tuesday, November 25, at the Hoam Art Hall in Seoul. For ticket information and more, please visit the following links: 

Concert details: http://www.hoamarthall.org/Concert/PerfView01.aspx?y=2008&m=11&Se=&SeStr=&Id=1962

Newsletter: http://www.hoamarthall.org/news/elizabeth.htm

Video (with pianist Robert Levin):

N.B. The above links are in Korean.

October 30, 2008
TODAY: ANOTHER NPR BROADCAST

Once again, Elizabeth will be featured on NPR's "Performance Today." In Hour 1 of today's show, catch Elizabeth's performance of The Little Hen by Bedrich Smetana from her 2007 William Petschek Piano Debut Award Recital at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. To find out where and when "Performance Today" is broadcast in your area, please visit performancetoday.org. Otherwise, visit publicradiofan.com, an independent website that can point the way to online listening.

October 24, 2008
EDUCATIONAL PRIZE, WQXR RADIO BROADCAST

Elizabeth has been selected as the 2008 winner of the McGraw-Hill Companies’ Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach. Named in honor of WQXR radio host Robert Sherman, this prestigious award is given to an artist "who is deeply involved in music education and community outreach and who has demonstrated outstanding musicianship."

To honor Elizabeth, tonight's hour-long broadcast of the McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase is devoted to a collection of her live performances over the years. On the program: a Haydn sonata, the Wagner-Liszt Isoldens Liebestod, Smetana’s Little Hen, Ravel’s La Valse, and Saint-Saëns’s Danse macabre with pianist Greg Anderson. For more information, visit the website of 96.3 WQXR, the official radio station of the New York Times.

October 17, 2008
AMERICAN PIANISTS ASSOCIATION: PREMIERE SERIES

This week, the American Pianists Association presents Elizabeth in her Premiere Series, the first part of the final round for the 2009 APA Classical Fellowship Awards. This Sunday, October 19, she will perform Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Maestro Kirk Trevor, as well as a solo program at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. During the next week, Elizabeth will be involved in an extensive educational residency at Heritage Christian School. She will also give concerts at six retirement homes throughout the Indianapolis community. Check back for updates on this exciting artistic residency in Indy!

October 9, 2008
CLIBURN CONCERT REVIEW AND INTERVIEW

Read the review of Elizabeth and Greg's concert at the Kimbell Art Musem in Fort Worth: Piano Duo Blends into a Singular Achievement

Also, read a preview article of the concert: Five Questions with Elizabeth Joy Roe of piano duo Anderson & Roe

September 26, 2008
THE ANDERSON & ROE PIANO DUO FILL IN FOR GABRIELA MONTERO

Elizabeth and Greg will replace Gabriela Montero on October 7 at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. For more information, read the official press release.

September 24, 2008
ELIZABETH IS APPOINTED TO THE STEINWAY ARTIST ROSTER

Elizabeth is now officially a Steinway Artist! She is honored to join the distinguished international roster of Steinway Artists. Steinway pianos have played an integral part of her life and they will remain her pianos of choice.

Elizabeth extends her heartfelt condolences to the family of Henry Z. Steinway, who passed away on September 18. His autographed signature graces the inside of Elizabeth's piano, and she was the recipient of the John and Henry Steinway Scholarship at Juilliard. His irreplaceable legacy will live on through the magnificent pianos that carry his name.

September 1, 2008
IN THE NEWS

Elizabeth's speech at The Academy's June 2008 celebration appears in this month's Juilliard Journal. Read it here.

Also, CMCNYC receives a mention on the official website of the Grammys. Read it here.

June 20, 2008
FINAL ACADEMY EVENTS

On Friday, June 13, Elizabeth made her last Ensemble ACJW appearance in the final concert of the 2007/2008 season, playing harmonium in Kagel's East from The Compass Pieces and piano/celesta in Carter's Asko Concerto at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times gave the concert a positive review.

Two days before, she was a featured speaker at The Academy's year-end celebration at Carnegie Hall, giving a speech on behalf of her graduating class (the founding fellows of the program) before an audience that included directors and administrative members of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, the Weill Music Institute, and the New York City Department of Education.

This month's edition of Playbill features an article about the projects created by Academy fellows, including the Children's Music Campaign NYC.

On Sunday, June 15, Elizabeth and three of her ACJW colleagues gave a concert at the Saratoga Springs ArtsFest. Elizabeth performed Debussy's Première Rhapsodiewith clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois and Messiaen's Quatour pour la fin du temps with Romie, violinist Andrew Beer, and cellist Julia Maclaine. Their performances elicited a standing ovation from the appreciative audience. 

Earlier today, Elizabeth proudly attended the graduation of her fifth-grade students at the Abigail Adams School, an event that brought her Academy tenure to a ceremonial and bittersweet conclusion.

May 19, 2008
THIS WEEK: NPR BROADCAST (WED, 5/21); CMCNYC CONCERT (THURS, 5/22)

This Wednesday (May 21st), Elizabeth will be featured on NPR's "Performance Today." Check out the official "Performance Today" website for more information. The broadcast will feature an excerpt of Elizabeth's Brahms performance from her Lincoln Center solo recital debut last season. 

On Thursday evening, Elizabeth's star students from PS 131Q will take the stage of Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall alongside students from PS 46 and PS 157X in a not-to-be-missed concert celebration! Approximately 80 children in grades 4-6 will be performing world premieres of specially commissioned works by Nico Muhly and James Blachly. Additionally, Elizabeth and her Ensemble ACJW colleagues will give a special encore performance of Catch by Thomas Ades.

Elizabeth and her CMCNYC colleagues are thrilled to present this exceptional event. Please visit the Carnegie Hall website for more details.

April 2008
CHILDREN'S MUSIC CAMPAIGN NYC

The Children's Music Campaign NYC is a project that Elizabeth has created with two of her ACJW colleagues, cellist Claire Bryant and clarinetist Carol McGonnell. Elizabeth is proud to be a co-founder and co-director of this multifaceted community engagement endeavor. Read the official Carnegie Hall press release to learn about the project and check out Elizabeth's personal thoughts on the process at the CMCNYC blog.

A culminating celebratory concert featuring nearly 80 students representing three New York City public schools will take place on May 22, 2008, at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall.

March 3, 2008
EXCITING NEWS AND VARIOUS REVIEWS

Elizabeth is a finalist in the 2009 American Pianists Association Classical Fellowship Awards! She will perform in Indianapolis during the 2008-2009 concert season. Watch this space for the latest updates. 

Earlier today Elizabeth and four of her ACJW colleagues had the honor to play for Werner Hink, concertmaster of the celebrated Vienna Philharmonic. The distinguished violinist gave them a public master class on Schubert's "Trout" Quintet at the Columbus Citizens Foundation in New York City. Elizabeth and her ensemble are scheduled to perform this beloved chamber music masterwork at Weill Recital Hall on March 26. (Elizabeth will also be featured in Thomas Adès' Catch on this concert—don't miss her final Weill appearance of the 2007-2008 season!)

Now, on to some positive reviews. This blogger extolled Elizabeth and Michael for their recent Carnegie Hall premiere of Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen: "They gave a captivating and passionate performance, with the duel Steinways filling the compact hall with a huge, almost deafening sound that conveyed Messiaen's uniquely personal vision of religious ecstasy ... Mizrahi and Roe received a well-deserved ovation, sending everyone out onto 57th Street with a trance-like glaze in their eyes." Elizabeth also received praise from the European Weekly for her Feb. 2 Seattle solo recital.

February 24, 2008
ELIZABETH IS A FEATURED PERFORMER IN CARNEGIE HALL'S "DISCOVERY DAY"

This afternoon, come see Elizabeth give the Carnegie Hall premiere of Olivier Messiaen's epic Visions de l'Amen for two pianos with pianist Michael Mizrahi at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. Their performance is the culminating event in an afternoon of presentations devoted to the legendary composer's centennial. The performance will be preceded by a lecture given by the leading Messiaen scholar Peter Hill, a film screening of The Crystal Liturgy, and an interview with the conductor-composer extraordinaire Pierre Boulez.

Find out more about this exceptional celebration at the Carnegie Hall website.

Be sure to check out the official Carnegie Hall press release and the Carnegie Hall newsletter for a more in-depth look.

January 19, 2008
ELIZABETH IS ONE OF SYMPHONY MAGAZINE'S "SIX ON THE RISE"

Elizabeth is featured in the cover story of Symphony Magazine's January/Feburary issue as one of the classical music world's young artists to watch. Check back soon for the posting of this exciting article!

January 14, 2008
ANOTHER NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW + RELEASE OF PIANO DUO ALBUM

Happy New Year! Elizabeth started the year with a musical meditation on the end of time. She performed Messiaen's Quatour pour la fin du temps with members of Ensemble ACJW on January 11 at The Juilliard School, and their performance was lauded by The New York Times. Bernard Holland writes: "It is such a handsome gift to the listening public one can only hope that these first-rate young players are learning as much as we are....It says something about New York that one can go into a tiny recital space in the bowels of a music school and hear music of this quality played with such skill and devotion."

To see the complete review (and photo), click here.

In other news, the dramatic and innovative debut album of the Anderson & Roe piano duo will be released to the public tomorrow. Order "Reimagine" now!

2007

December 3, 2007
NPR BROADCAST THIS WEDNESDAY

Elizabeth will be broadcast on NPR's "Performance Today" this coming Wednesday, December 5. Check out the official "Performance Today" website for more information. The show will feature Elizabeth's Smetana performance from her Lincoln Center solo recital debut last April.

November 4, 2007
ELIZABETH'S RISING STARS RECITAL EARNS ACCOLADES, OVATIONS

Elizabeth's October 26 recital in the Ravinia Festival's high-profile Rising Stars Series was a hit with the Chicago audience and critics. Here is the review that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times:

"The stars must have been in perfect alignment because last weekend three amazing concerts delighted classical music lovers fortunate enough to hear them [....] Friday night in the Ravinia Festival's Bennett-Gordon Hall in Highland Park, pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe, Glenview native and Juilliard grad presented a stunning recital on the Rising Star series, marking her as one of the most individualistic and talented young performers today.

"The Rising Stars at Ravinia series can be a mixed bag, but Oct. 26 we saw real star power. Pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe, who performed with the Ars Viva Orchestra and the Chicago Philharmonic while still at Glenbrook South High School, has grown up beautifully. She knows the power of presentation and wore a glamorous silver and blue sequined gown that suggested a mermaid.

"Her program was anything but ethereal. Her first selection was John Corigliano's Etude Fantasy, with an opening movement for the left hand alone. The work began with booming bass and proceeded in strange and alien paths. When at last two hands were employed, the notes fairly flew from her fingers. Her powerful technique never failed and her skill was as dazzling as her gown that sparkled in the spotlight. Brahms' Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp Minor returned to traditional harmonies, but it was no less demanding, Roe's delicate touch was as winning as her forceful evocations.

"Three lively, charming polkas by Smetana suggested both Debussy and Chopin. A pianist this powerful had to play Liszt, in this case, his piano arrangement of Wagner's 'Isoldens Liebestod.' I've heard orchestras that haven't done the original as well. 

"Her final number was Ravel's turbulent 'La valse,' well suited to her highly individualistic approach to the keyboard art. The cheering audience coaxed two encores -- Rimsky-Korsakov's showy 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' and Roe's own glistening arrangement of Gershwin's 'The Man I Love.' Pieces from the past, made new by this impressive 21st century artist."

Elizabeth thanks her wonderful audience for making this a night to remember.

October 12, 2007
ELIZABETH WINS CRITICAL PRAISE FOR CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCES

Ensemble ACJW's opening concert (October 10) of the 2007-2008 season at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall was a huge success! Elizabeth performed Bright Sheng's Four Movements for Piano Trio and Bartok's Contrasts. Anthony Tommasini, head music critic of The New York Times, responded with a glowing review of the performances. Read the official New York Times review here.

Elizabeth also receives special recognition in a review entitled "Bracing Entertainment at Carnegie Hall" by Susan Elliot at Musical America:

"In Bright Sheng’s Four Movements for Piano Trio, western instruments offer eastern timbres, with both violin and cello using overtones and surface scratchiness to emulate Chinese instruments like the ehru, and the piano gently trilling in the background – at least in the outer movements. Elsewhere, this is a robust, agitated and virtuosic outing, played here with appropriately tumultuous attack, rhythmic punch and sterling ensemble work. When the excellent pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe reached inside the instrument to pluck a lower string, the simultaneity with cellist Claire Bryant’s bow stroke was stunning. Young artists performing works of their time – what could be better?"

A photograph of Elizabeth with her Bright Sheng trio colleagues Anna Elashvili (violinist) and Claire Bryant (cellist) performing at Weill Recital Hall appeared in a New York Sun article about The Academy.

Speaking of Elizabeth and her Bright Sheng trio, they were lauded as giving "a near definitive reading" of the work in an Albany Times Union review of their performance at Skidmore College.

October 3-6, 2007
INAUGURAL ACJW RESIDENCY AT SKIDMORE COLLEGE

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY—Elizabeth is involved in a residency with The Academy—A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute at Skidmore College. She and her colleagues have a full schedule of rehearsals, coachings, performances, and various activities with Skidmore students. In addition, Elizabeth will be a featured speaker in Friday evening's pre-concert lecture. Find out more about the Ensemble ACJW's residency here.

September 28-30, 2007
TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOROS FELLOWSHIP

Elizabeth will be performing at the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, held at the Trail's End Conference and Retreat Center in Beach Lake, PA. This reunion weekend promises to be jampacked with fascinating talks and forums, exciting performances and presentations, a plethora of outdoor activities, and just happy camaraderie with extraordinary people!

September 17, 2007
THE ACADEMY: SECOND YEAR BEGINS 

Elizabeth starts Year 2 of The Academy. A busy year of performance, teaching, and outreach awaits.

September 6, 2007
ANDERSON & ROE PERFORM AT STEINWAY LAUNCH EVENT

Elizabeth and duo partner Greg Anderson will be the highlighted performers at a Steinway extravaganza! Steinway & Sons is launching a new line of concert attire for men, and the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo will be there to help celebrate this event. Elizabeth & Greg will appear as the featured soloists at the release party, performing their four-hand staples for this star-studded event at New York City's Steinway Hall.

September 5, 2007
ANDERSON & ROE PERFORM GROSSE FUGE AT JUILLIARD CONVOCATION 

The Anderson & Roe Piano Duo will be involved in The Juilliard School's opening festivities by performing Beethoven's four-hand arrangement of his legendary Grosse Fuge at the school's Convocation. Last year, Juilliard made headlines by acquiring the recently-discovered manuscript of this four-hand version; it is one of the most exceptional finds of recent times.

August 28-31, 2007
ARGENTINA RESIDENCY SPONSORED BY THE US EMBASSY

Elizabeth revisits South America for an artistic residency sponsored by the US Embassy in Argentina. She gave solo recitals at the Teatro Argentino in La Plata and the Isaac Fernando Blanco Museum in Buenos Aires as well as a master class at the Beethoven Conservatory. Find out more about her terrific trip here.

August 9, 2007
RAVE REVIEW FOR SOLO RECITAL 

Elizabeth gives a solo recital at the Shandelee Music Festival in the Catskill Mountains to tremendous success; read the rave review here or read it below:

"Livingston Manor — World-class is the best way to describe Elizabeth Joy Roe's solo piano performance before a capacity audience at the Shandelee Musical Festival. She won her first grand prize in international piano competition in Italy at age 13, and her concert Thursday night only confirmed the many rave reviews the twentysomething artist continued to earn both here and abroad.

"Remarkable, indeed, was the tour de force technique she displayed as well as maturity in the interpretation of style. From baroque to contemporary and all periods in between, she captured the psyches of all six composers with effect and conviction. 

"In opening her concert with Bach's Prelude in B Minor, an Alexander Siloti arrangement of an earlier J.S. Bach work, Roe easily reflected the tender mood of the piece with a combination of gracefully arpeggiated chords and flowing melody in opposing hands.

"But as tasty as Bach's appetizer was, it was Etude Fantasy (1976) by John Corigliano that began a series of main courses. 

"Composed of five etudes in different guises, this challenging piece found this phenom running through a plethora of techniques including rippling trills at the top, thundering tremolos in the bass, glissandos in between, cascading passages, crashing chords following moments of tranquility and, in the very end, a floating fadeout.

"Especially prominent, visually as well as aurally, was her engaging performance of 'Isoldens Liebstod,' a piano reduction in which Wagner's Isolde grieves over a dead Tristan. With a combination of closed eyes and slight body movements as well as deep-down expressive playing and Wagnerian ebb-and-flow dynamics, the actor-in-the-pianist reflected the anguish and pain of Isolde by remaining motionless even after she had finished playing.

"The Juilliard grad paid homage to fellow alum Ryan Anthony Francis with a definitive performance of his 'Consolations (2004).' As in Corigliano's composition, this introspective work reflects the gamut of moods from rampaging passages to some hymnal moments.

"Completing the heart of the menu was a scintillating performance by Roe in Ravel's 'La Valse,' a presentation whose techniques included rapid rolling patterns, glissandos and even an occasional blur of hands — although, by contrast, she also managed balletic sweep of hands in the release of lyrical passages. 

"For encore dessert, her glittering as well as juicy interpretation of Gershwin's 'The Man I Love' would have made Liberace proud."

Marcus Kalipolites for the Times Herald-Record (August 11, 2007)

August 2007
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Elizabeth has been busy recording, performing, preparing for upcoming concerts and travels, and simply enjoying the remainder of the summer. Be sure to check out her blog for more details on her whereabouts, activities, and thoughts.

June 20-23, 2007
BACHAUER INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL 

Elizabeth performs at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Festival in Salt Lake City with her piano duo partner, Greg Anderson. Check out commentary and photos of her excursion to Utah here.

June 2007
PART ONE OF THE ACADEMY CONCLUDES 

Elizabeth ends Phase 1 of The Academy—A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute on a high note. On June 9 Elizabeth and her ACJW colleagues delivered a riveting concert at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, eliciting kudos from Steve Smith of The New York Times: "The performers who played in Zankel Hall on Saturday night were among the brightest, most promising postgraduate musicians the city has to offer ... That these exciting players could be the new face of classical music for New York schoolchildren is a welcome development, and all the more reason to provide both players and newly minted concertgoers with a sense of how alluring and invigorating the concert experience can be ... These performers have the musical goods [and] played all of these works with consummate skill and compelling verve."

On June 11 Elizabeth and duo partner Greg Anderson gave a special presentation for her elementary school students at the Abigail Adams School in Queens, PS 131Q. Elizabeth and Greg performed two mini-concerts for the entire school, thrilling both kids and teachers alike. June 15 was Elizabeth's final day of teaching until the fall. She wishes her dear students a restful and fun summer break!

May 2007
SPRING CONCERTS: BARTOK AND PREMIERE 

On May 20 Elizabeth and duo partner Greg Anderson presented a performance at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Sponsored by PianoArts of Milwaukee, the concert was set up cabaret-style: Elizabeth and Greg performed on a theater stage equipped with microphones and atmospheric lighting and surrounded by tables for the attendees. The duo pulled out all the stops and gave the premiere of their extensive and wildly creative "New Depiction of the Carnival of the Animals."

Just four days later, Elizabeth performed the Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with pianist Michael Mizrahi and percussionists Jared Soldiviero and John Ostrowski in New York. Although the group only had three rehearsals beforehand on this famously difficult work, everyone had a fantastic time onstage!

April 19, 2007
SOLO RECITAL DEBUT AT ALICE TULLY HALL

Elizabeth gave her successful Lincoln Center recital debut as the 2007 winner of the William Petschek Piano Debut Recital Award, performing an ambitious program for a full house. The playbill also featured Elizabeth's own program notes. Read her very own article previewing the recital in The Juilliard Journal.