YOUTHFUL TALENT: Nine-year-old pianist Aria Malneedy, a first prize winner at the Osimo International Piano Competition, is among the young performers at the February 22 concert at Princeton United Methodist Church.
On Sunday, February 22 at 4 p.m., Altamura Legacy Concerts (ALC) will present “Moonlight in the Afternoon” at Princeton United Methodist Church, Nassau Street at Vandeventer Avenue. The concert features the Italian pianist Francesco Mazzonetto from Turin, Italy, in a recital of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, plus works by Clemente, Liszt, and the Italian film score composer Ezio Bosso. A pre-concert event will be held at 3:30 p.m. with four young students of Artistic Director Cristina Altamura (Princeton Piano Arts Academy), fresh from winning first prizes in their age categories at Italy’s Osimo International Piano Competition this past December.
General Admission is free and unticketed, with a suggested donation of $30. As part of his artistic residency at Altamura Legacy Concerts, Mazzonetto will also be giving a masterclass which will be open to the public on Friday, February 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Steinway & Sons Showroom in the Windsor Green Shopping Center off U.S. 1 South.
An ongoing mission of this concert series is to present excellent local piano students — Legacy Arts International (LAI) Youth Ambassadors — alongside distinguished veterans of the concert stage. The prize-winning performers on this program include Princeton residents Felix Ma (age 9) — winning with a perfect score the First Prize Overall (Primo Premio Assoluto); Mabel Treuting (age 12) — First Prize; Aria Malneedy, (age 9) — First Prize; and Somerset resident Yajur Subramaniam (age 12) — First Prize.
As participants of the Italian competition founded in 1968, they got to attend concerts every evening and perform at the Teatro La Nuova Fenice built in the 1700s. The restored jewel box theatre is one of the main music venues of Osimo, a small medieval hilltop town located a few miles from the city of Ancona on the Adriatic Sea.
“Osimo is the perfect platform for young pianists who are competing for the first time internationally, because the standards are high within an encouraging and supportive environment,” said Altamura, who coached, prepared, and led the students. “They can measure themselves against young musicians from around the globe of similar age and training, returning home with a heightened sense of their capacity for excellence. The kids are excited to celebrate this accomplishment with Princeton’s music-loving community.”
A former Fulbright Scholar to Italy concert pianist, Altamura has maintained a private piano studio in New Jersey and New York for 25 years, including Princeton for the last 10 years.
Visit legacyartsinternational.org for more information.