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Music on Main is delighted to present distinguished pianist, Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky, in concert on First Church Amherst’s newly restored vintage piano on Sunday, November 2 at 3 pm. The church is located at 165 Main Street in Amherst. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for students/children, and are available at the church office M-F 9-1, or at the door at concert time. The program includes music by Bach, Beethoven, Granados and Ginastera. Mezzo-soprano Marjorie Melnick will be joining Ms. Olevsky in the song cycle “Liederkreis, Op. 39” by Robert Schumann.

This fall marks the 40th anniversary of Estela Olevsky’s first performance in Amherst in 1968, the year in which she joined the UMass Music Department faculty. Ms. Olevsky will be performing on First Church’s superb and completely restored 1897 Steinway Model A Drawing Room grand piano, as part of this celebratory season.

In a highly diversified career that includes appearances in music centers throughout the world, Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky has won an enthusiastic following in the USA, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand and the Far East. An active chamber music player, Ms. Olevsky has collaborated with an international list of distinguished instrumental and vocal soloists. Her discography includes recordings of concerti, chamber music and piano solos and has been highly acclaimed, including the following praise from the American Record Guide: “… (the) music shines in the glowing pianism she has lavished on every note in this superb recital.”

Born in Argentina of Austrian and Italian parents, Estela Olevsky’s unofficial debut took place at age eight in a shared program with her sister, Sylvia Kersenbaum, also a pianist. At sixteen, she became the youngest graduate to receive the “Diploma Artistico” from the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires, where she also studied composition with Albert Ginastera. Her piano coaches have included Bruno Seidlhofer, Wolfgang Rose and Richard Goode. A professor emerita from the University of Massachusetts, she maintains an active teaching and concertizing schedule. In addition, she is sought after as an adjudicator and has presented master classes in piano

and chamber music in conservatories and music schools in the USA, Latin America and, most recently, in the Beijing and Shanghai National conservatories.

Marjorie Melnick, mezzo-soprano, holds the Master of Music degree in cello from the Juilliard School. While in NYC, she studied voice privately with Nicholas DiVirgilio. At the Aspen Music Festival, she studied and performed as a cellist while pursuing her vocal studies with teachers Olga Rhyss and the revered mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani. In 1985, as a member of the Opernstudio Zürich, Ms. Melnick made her debut at the Zürich Opera. The ensuing twelve years were spent singing opera, oratorio and recitals in Europe. Ms. Melnick now resides in Amherst, MA, where she is on the voice faculty of the University of Massachusetts. She continues her recital and oratorio work and has been heard locally many times with the Musicorda Music Festival.

Piano Plus+++, the focus of this year’s Music on Main concert series, spotlights First Church’s superb 1897 Steinway A drawing Room Grand Piano. Recognized as an outstanding instrument, the piano underwent a complete restoration in 2008 as a result of funds raised through Music on Main concerts during the past five years. This year the series shows off the piano with an exciting variety of music and musicians.

Remaining concerts in the Music on Main Piano Plus+++ series include:
Piano Plus Gershwin – Sunday, March 8, 2009, 3 pm.
Pianist Paul Bisaccia will present an all-Gershwin afternoon, including the Rhapsody in Blue
Piano Plus Voices of Spring – Sunday, May 3, 2009, 3 pm.
Hampshire Young People’s Chorus, conducted by KC Conlan, with the Hyde Park Neighborhood Choir of the Chicago Children’s Choir

Music on Main has two goals: to bring interesting artists and groups to area audiences, and to make the acoustically pleasing sanctuary available to musicians as a new Amherst venue. Proceeds from the concerts will help complete the cost of the restoration of the piano and support the church’s music program.

The First Church sanctuary and lounge are wheelchair accessible from Main Street; parking is available in the church lot and on nearby streets.

For further information contact
Linda Smith, Concert Coordinator Dick Matteson, Music Director
LFSmith@smith.alumnae.net, 413 256-6020 rsmatteson@comcast.net 413 253-3456
For other upcoming concerts by Estela Olevsky –http://www.umass.edu/music/calendar/index.html