Pleyel Piano Series at the Scarab Club

10/05/2023

Did you know apart from being a composer, Marie Jaëll was also such an accomplished concert pianist that she was the first to perform the complete Beethoven Sonatas in Paris? Her husband, Alfred Jaëll was also a concert pianist, who studied with Chopin! The two performed duets frequently, they most likely performed the duet you will hear this Sunday!

Get to know Marie Jaëll and other fascinating women composers at the Pleyel concert this Sunday performed by MSU faculty and students!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pleyel-concert-series-tickets-727664864197?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing&fbclid=IwAR3RY6pBwMMX4h-eVfnxLmZCnUutt9QR0R0TnODZuWRy-GzOaGai822F1K8_aem_ASAwz4aiibejY58Hshqd-1YoqO4hZed9FXYaEEZDGpN6hN2yNlapSZ6c7mz8h0ES87s&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Dive into a captivating musical journey as Derek Polischuk and his MSU students showcase a one-of-a-kind piano duet LIVE @ The Scarab Club

09/29/2023

Next concert: Sunday, October 8@3pm!

Come hear a beautiful program of piano duets composed by women, and a Faure Nocturne performed by MSU piano faculty Derek Kealii Polischuk and four of his students!

Dive into a captivating musical journey as Derek Polischuk and his MSU students showcase a one-of-a-kind piano duet LIVE @ The Scarab Club

08/14/2023

Caption contest!!

I’ll start: “who WOULDN’T want to play on this stunning 1879 Pleyel piano?!”

But in all seriousness, thanks immensely to those who came out to the fundraiser event yesterday. It was my big pleasure sharing the beauty of that instrument to friends, family, and new guests hearing it for the first time!

08/12/2023

Reminder: Pleyel Summer Soirée is tomorrow! (Sunday, August 13@3pm)

Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pleyel-piano-summer-fundraiser-tickets-680318620307?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshwebdesktop&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

If you can’t make it to the fundraiser, but wish to contribute to the Pleyel Piano Series, you can submit a donation to this link: https://www.scarabclub.org/support-page. In your comment, please indicate specifically that your donation is going toward the PLEYEL SERIES.

Here are some options for donation:

$55 — This amount can cover the cost of one music stand, a piano lamp, or reception costs for one concert (flowers for the performers+food and beverage for guests). Your donation will be acknowledged on social media posts and recital programs, unless you wish to remain anonymous.
$450 — One piano tuning. This is essential for the upkeep of the Pleyel, and we have the piano tuned before every performance you hear. You will be acknowledged as a concert sponsor, and as a thank you will receive two tickets to any concert of your choice.
$500 — This will cover the fee of a guest artist. This season we will feature two guest artists. Names TBA soon. You will be acknowledged as the artist sponsor, and as a thank you will receive two tickets to any concert of your choice.
Any amount you like — We are grateful for any donation you are able to give, as it will help us maintain our beautiful 1879 Pleyel Piano!

Thank you for your support. This series would not exist without you!!

Sincerely,

Julia Siciliano
Artist Director Pleyel Piano Series

Ways To Support Support Your donations make our work possible. Your gift enables our staff to create and facilitate programs that inspire our guests and visitors, enrich our member experiences, and support our operations. Whether an exhibition or gallery talks; workshops or a music program, your gif...

08/05/2023

Fun fact about our extraordinary guest artist for our summer soirée fundraiser: she can also dance! Watch this incredible video of her performing her own choreography alongside a soundtrack of her own playing. Is there anything Miriam can’t do? Ask her yourself, Sunday, August 13!

Miriam K. Smith, cellist performs a self-choreographed ballet to her commercial release album "Momentum" of Stravinsky's Suite Italienne: Intro...

08/04/2023

Witness the talent of superstar young artist Mirian K. Smith at our Summer Soirée, August 13!

Please share this event with your friends. It is a fundraiser for our little series. We use the funds to maintain our historic 1879 Pleyel Piano, and support other local young artists!

Miriam K. Smith, cello, and Sandra Wright Shen, piano perform the 1st Mvmt of Prokofiev's Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 119. Captured during the recording of...

07/26/2023

Introducing the very special guest for our Pleyel Fundraiser event August 13:

Miriam K. Smith, cellist!

See details about this extraordinary young artist below, and get your tickets to our fundraiser here:

https://art.scarabclub.org/pleyel

American cellist Miriam K. Smith is gaining recognition as an immensely talented and charismatic soloist with orchestras across the United States. Since making her concerto debut at age 8, she has performed as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and many more. Miriam is also a highly sought-after chamber music performer, with many recitals and concerts given throughout the country. She was inducted into the Cello Museum in June 2021 and is the 2023 recipient of the MacDowell Society (Cincinnati chapter) Artist Grant. Her second commercial release - Momentum, out on Azica Records, and first commercial release – Flair, out on MSR Classics – are both available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital music streaming platforms.

07/07/2023

Would you enjoy a summer afternoon of wine, food and beautiful music? What if you could support our series, a historic instrument, and local artists and students at the same time? If this sounds great to you, please join our summer fundraiser on Sunday, August 13!

07/06/2023

We’re saddened to learn of the passing of John Dixon, and extend our condolences to his family. The Dixon family are the generous donors of our beautiful Pleyel piano.

04/20/2023

Bravi to the fine musicians who performed at our final Mozart Festival concert! It was an incredible journey and we’re so thankful for the support of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Christopher Harding, Amy I-Lin Cheng, and Ji-Hyang Gwak.

If you would like to support this unique series, stay tuned for updates on our summer fundraiser, and announcements for next season!

04/16/2023

Sunday, April 16@3PM! our FINAL Mozart Festival concert!

On the program, his 2nd Piano Quartet and a variety of wonderful violin sonatas! Catch the end, then stay tuned for next season!

Ticket link: https://scarabclubofdetroit.wildapricot.org/event-4973159

Performing: Sarah Thune, Jordan Bartel, Zoe Dweck, Julian Grabarek, Enoria Li, Shruthi Kattumenu, Adalus Low-Manzini, and John Morefield

04/05/2023

Bravo to our three performers last weekend, Shuntaro Sugie, Matthew Adams, and Iris Wu!

03/18/2023

Mozart Festival Concert #8: The Power of a Duo.

Our next program on April 2 at 3pm features three violin/piano duos. Though none are among his most popularly performed works, you might find yourself longing to hear them again — especially the hauntingly beautiful slow movement of the Violin Sonata K.380.

Violin Sonata No. 23 in D major, K. 306
Violin Sonata No. 28 in E-flat major, K. 380
Variations for violin and piano K. 359

Shuntaro Sugie, piano, Matthew Adams, violin, and Iris Wu, violin.

03/09/2023

Some images from last Sunday’s Mozart Festival concert!

Big thanks to Boris Harss for capturing the intensity on each performer’a face!

Only two Mozart Festival concerts left! Have you marked your calendar? April 2 and April 16.

02/24/2023

Mozart Festival Concert #7: “An Assortment of Masterworks”
Sunday, March 5@3pm

What's the first tune that pops into your mind when you hear the name "Mozart"? If you are like me, and you hear the little C major piano sonata, then you are in for a treat March 5, as Jinxuan Shen will be performing it for us! Another major masterwork is Mozart's Quintet for piano and winds. This piece directly influenced Beethoven to write his own Quintet for piano and winds (in the same key!) and is one of Mozart's most recognized pieces of chamber music. Check out the rest of the program, and reserve your tickets at the link below!

12 Variations in B-flat major, K. 500
Adagio in B minor, K. 540
Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545
Piano Sonata No. 17 in B-flat Major, K. 570
Quintet for piano and winds in E-flat Major, K. 452

Ticket link: https://scarabclubofdetroit.wildapricot.org/event-4973121

Performers are Eun Young Lee, Eric Yu, Jinxuan Shen, Hyerim Lee, Rong Sui, Jeremiah Quarles, Emily Ji, Jake Wellington-Byrne, and Ben Wulfman. Many thanks to Amy I-Lin Cheng and Ji Hyang Gwak for their efforts in coordinating these programs!

02/22/2023

Some great images from our last Mozart Festival concert! Congratulations to the marvelous musicians on a colorful, sophisticated, and exciting program!

See you all at the next one, March 5!

Photos courtesy of Boris Harss

02/12/2023

Ever hear a Mozart Fugue?

No?

Now’s the chance! Don’t miss our Mozart Festival concert tomorrow at 3pm (don’t worry sports fans, it will be over in time for your Super Bowl party!).

https://scarabclubofdetroit.wildapricot.org/event-4973120?fbclid=IwAR2JX5xMxZlgj4KnKumATejem1_c8wDeOtOL9FblnLxP6Jnwd_SNpxYb1XE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

The Scarab Club is supported in part by awards from the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

02/07/2023

How is this for a review? (Of the violin sonatas featured on this program):

“These sonatas are the only ones of their kind,” an anonymous reviewer wrote in the Hamburg Magazin der Musik in 1783. “They are rich in new ideas, showing traces of the great musical genius of their author.... Moreover, the violin accompaniment is so ingeniously combined with the piano part that both instruments are continuously employed; and thus these sonatas demand a violinist as accomplished as the pianist.”

Hear UofM pianists Hyerim Lee, Allison Shinnick, and violinists Michael Romans and Lauren Pulcipher perform these sonatas on February 12!

Ticket link here:

The Scarab Club is supported in part by awards from the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

01/31/2023

Scenes from Sunday’s Mozart Festival. Bravi to the wonderful performers! See you all at the next one, February 12!

01/23/2023

When Mozart wrote his brilliantly cheerful C major Piano Trio, K.548, the events in his life were anything but joyous. Austria was at war, which meant financial support for the arts was dwindling. His wife was very ill, and in need of expensive treatment. And worst of all his fourth child just died.

To be able to write music as overwhelmingly optimistic as this piece must be another form of Mozart’s genius. Or maybe it is simply a good example for us, a reminder that even while life can be difficult, we can still be strong (especially when we have music in our life!).

Hear this trio and brighten your day, this Sunday, January 29!

The Scarab Club is supported in part by awards from the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

01/17/2023

“Mozart does not give the listener time to catch his breath, for no sooner is one inclined to reflect upon a beautiful inspiration than another appears, even more splendid, which drives away the first, and this continues on and on, so that in the end one is unable to retain any of these beauties in the memory.”

—Karl Ditters von Dittersdordf

Luckily for us, the Rondo K.511 is on this program. A rondo means we will hear the main theme repeated frequently (even if it may sound slightly different each time!). Hopefully we will be able to retain this beautiful theme in our memory!

See you January 29!

Reserve your tickets here: https://scarabclubofdetroit.wildapricot.org/event-4973113?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=9%2F25%2F2022&fbclid=IwAR3hYNu826E-MKD4C0E_69UAg0NtmEAIQBYYluTJdfqraGp7pjRqs_06zU8

The Scarab Club is supported in part by awards from the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

01/15/2023

Have you ever heard Mozart's Violin Sonata in G major, K379?

It is one of his most original, creative works, which he claims to have composed in under an hour! Like many other famous pieces in the key of G, this one has a very pastoral quality to it. It opens with an adagio, and ends with a theme and variations, which inspired none other than Schubert.

Hear it on Sunday, January 29 at our first Mozart Festival recital of 2023!

Get your tickets here or at the door! https://scarabclubofdetroit.wildapricot.org/event-4973113?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=9%2F25%2F2022&fbclid=IwAR1qNp_uxBa_bQrkhFOA9w0Zd8GqW1Kj4CmlakAVgL-kCLHQR7R3pMikD2c

The Scarab Club is supported in part by awards from the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and the National  Endowment for the Arts.

11/29/2022

Mark your calendars for the 2023 dates of our Mozart Festival, starting again on January 29! (or copy and save this flyer image for your records!)

11/21/2022

Some colorful images from Sunday’s Mozart Festival. Bravi to the wonderful performers! 👏 👏 👏

10/24/2022

Some fun moments from yesterday!

We love it when audience members try our Pleyel piano, especially when they sound as amazing as Amy I-Lin Cheng!

Come back for another program next week!

10/19/2022

Announcing our next two Mozart Duo Competition Winners:

Kasen Korstanje, flute
Alexandra Xu, piano

They will be performing Mozart’s Sonata K.15 to open our second Mozart Festival recital!

Tickets are $15, $5 for students. Reserve yours now!

The Scarab Club is supported in part by awards from the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

09/26/2022

Such an exuberant performance by young artists Sunny Rong and Elliot Kim! Followed by a superb program performed by John Solari and Zoie Hightower. Our audience was very lucky to be able to witness yesterday’s performance. Catch the next one October 23!