Area children and an internationally acclaimed pianist will perform timeless music this weekend as part of the Beethoven Society’s Festival for Young Pianists.

Children in grades kindergarten through 12 perform the music of Beethoven Saturday, while pianist Fernando Laires plays the music of Chopin, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt at three separate performances this weekend.

The Beethoven Society for Pianists was founded in 1984 by Donald P. Beattie, director of SIUC’s piano pedagogy program. The society has become a very special meeting place for great artists to visit and perform and for young musicians to enjoy the music of Beethoven.

Advertisement

The festival is in its 12th year and is a competition that encourages, inspires and honors students and their teachers for their talents. During the festival children will play two pieces of music one by Beethoven and another of their choice to win cash prizes and other gifts.

Beattie said the festival was established to bring young pianists together to play Beethoven’s music.

Beethoven expressed life so well in his music, he said. In the ninth symphony, the words Let all men be of brothers, let there be peace’ says it all.

He said that so far there will be about 40 – 50 students competing in the festival.

This is more of a celebration than a competition, he said. I can not think of anything more wonderful than celebrating the talents of youth.

The selected winners of the festival will perform Nov. 19 at the Mitchell Art Museum in Mt. Vernon in a concert with Laires for the 10th year in a row.

Beattie said the Beethoven Society is known as the largest and most dynamic society in the world. It has branches in Germany, Canada and London.

Advertisement*

There is a new chapter being established in Oklahoma and we are planning a memorial concert there in memory of the bombing, he said. The concert will be about one year to the date when the bombing occurred.

Laires has been acclaimed for his talent of playing the piano on five continents. Some of the countries he has performed in are Portugal, Hungary, England, Russia, Scotland, China and the United States.

Laires said he has won awards in many countries for his talent such as a special declaration from the Portuguese government and a Beethoven medal in England.

Laires said he started playing the piano at the age of three.

My whole life has been musical, he said. My mother played the piano and sang, and my uncle played the violin. Music is always important to a person when it is in the family. Laires said every type of music imaginable inspired him as a child, from military marching bands to musicals.

He said he always loves performing for the Beethoven Society in Carbondale.

Children will write to me after the festival and tell me their impressions of the event, he said. The children are wonderful; they are very inspiring and very special to me since they hold the future of music in their hands.

Laires said he loves performing in front of an audience.

Performing is all about communicating, he said. I communicate by using my piano to speak to people.

The festival begins with a concert by Fernando Laires at 8 p.m. tonight in Shryock Auditorium.Tickets are $10 for the public and $5 for students, and they are available at the door.

Laires also will perform at 1 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19 at the Old Baptist Recital Hall. Tickets are $5.

The festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall. Grades 9-12 will perform in the morning and grades K-8 will perform in the afternoon. Laires will perform at 1 p.m.