Portland Piano International

PRESENTING EXCELLENCE IN PIANO PERFORMANCE AND COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT AND EDUCATION THROUGH OUTREACH.

IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, PORTLAND PIANO INTERNATIONAL (PPI) WAS HAPPILY ABLE TO RETURN TO LIVE, IN-PERSON PERFORMANCE OFFERINGS, ALBEIT WITH SLIGHTLY REDUCED AUDIENCE NUMBERS, COMPARED TO PRIOR, PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS. OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTION FOR THE SERIES CAME FROM THE DISTINGUISHED CANADIAN PIANIST, ANGELA HEWITT, AS OUR GUEST ARTISTIC CURATOR. IN THE PRESENTATIONS OF OUR REGULAR SIX PAIRS OF RECITALS BY WIDELY RECOGNIZED GREAT CLASSICAL PIANISTS, WE HAD APPROXIMATELY 90% OF TICKET SALES, COMPARED TO AN AVERAGE OF THE PRIOR SIX YEARS (EXCEPTING THE COVID YEARS, OF COURSE.)CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.WE AUGMENTED OUR PRESENTATIONS AND SALES BY INAUGURATING A NEW MINI-SERIES OF TWO RECITALS AT THE BRAND NEW PATRICIA RESER CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN BEAVERTON (SUBURBAN PORTLAND) TO GREAT ACCLAIM AND POSITIVE CASH RESULTS. THOSE NEW "RESER" PRESENTATIONS ARE BEING CONTINUED IN FISCAL YEAR 2023 AND WILL CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE. WE ALSO PLANNED A THREE-DAY PIANO FESTIVAL FOR THE SUMMER OF 2022 WHICH, VERY UNFORTUNATELY, DID NOT DRAW SUFFICIENT INTEREST FROM A TICKET SALES STANDPOINT TO ALLOW US ACTUALLY TO PRODUCE THE FESTIVAL. WE RETAINED ONE RECITAL FROM THE FESTIVAL LINE-UP, BY THE VERY RENOWNED BRITISH PIANIST, IMOGEN COOPER. ARTISTS ON THE REGULAR SERIES WERE VARIOUSLY GEORGIAN-AMERICAN, THREE CANADIANS, ONE GEORGIAN-HUNGARIAN, AND ONE BRITON. WE CONTINUED OUR UNIQUE PROGRAM OF TEACHER TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MID-CAREER PIANO TEACHERS FROM THROUGHOUT OREGON, THE THOLEN FELLOWSHIP, AND, IN FACT, MAINTAINED THE NUMBER OF FELLOWS AT 24 AND THE DIRECTING FACULTY AT FOUR. OF NECESSITY, SOME STUDIES WERE DONE BY ZOOM COMMUNICATIONS, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO RE-UNITE THE FELLOWS AND THEIR MASTER TEACHERS IN-PERSON ON TWO OCCASIONS, TO EVERYONE'S SATISFACTION.