This year’s Juliet McComas Keyboard Marathon, Gather Together: Music of Connection and Collaboration, grew out of a simple but meaningful idea: strengthening connection within our piano faculty. During an October faculty meeting, several members expressed a desire to build more connection across the department and to involve colleagues who had not participated before. From that conversation, the theme began to take shape.
Rather than organizing the program around a style, we focused on collaboration itself, which is a shift from previous marathons. This approach also creates opportunities for many of us to work together more closely, build new partnerships, and form new friendships through the experience of playing together.
At first, the idea was to include only duets and two-piano works. However, it soon expanded to include solo pieces as well, allowing performers to collaborate through shared musical ideas. This opened the door to a more flexible and inclusive program. As of now, the concert is organized into five sets: In Remembrance and Reflection, Dances and Dreamscapes, Farewell, Absence, and Reunion, Night, Dreams, and Imagination, and Echoes Across Time. Each set brings together different perspectives on a common idea, creating a sense of continuity and dialogue throughout the program.
The program features a rich and varied selection of music, including works by Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Glinka/Balakirev, Mampou, Ravel, Poulenc, Lutosławski, Tan Dun, Say, alongside Latin and jazz-influenced voices such as Silver, Dimas, Smith, and Gillespie. Many of these pieces are less frequently performed, offering a wonderful opportunity to discover new repertoire and broaden musical horizons.
Ultimately, we hope audiences leave with a sense that music is inherently collaborative. Whether performed side by side or connected through shared ideas, music brings people together, and there is a special joy in making music with others.
Performers
CMC Faculty: Chris Basso, Christian Bonvin, Lauren Cony, Eduardo Corzo, Grace Huenemann, Marco Diaz, Ken Little, Bruce Loeb, Allison Lovejoy, Tony Martinez, Jennifer Peringer, Matylda Rotkiewicz, Erik Ian Walker, Shirley Wong-Frentzel, Lilia Zheltova Guest Performers: Esther Chan, Leo Guan (student of Christopher Basso), Hadley McCarroll