Anna Keiserman - Classical Piano at the Strand Theatre

Program:

Igor Shamo Ukrainian Suite

Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Sonata No. 2, Op.61

Vsevolod Zaderatzky Selections from 24 Preludes

Mieczyslaw Weinberg Piano Sonata No. 4, Op. 56

Russian-born and New York-based pianist Anna Keiserman is known for her creative programming, expressive freedom, and singular vision. Performance credits in New York City include Le Poisson Rouge, the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Fête de La Musique. Other notable venues include the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts (Toms River, NJ), the Nash Theatre (Raritan Valley Community College) the Strand Theater (Hudson Falls, NY) and the Ateneu Barcelonès (Barcelona, Spain).

Anna has toured through Italy, Spain and Russia. As a soloist she performed concerti with the Volgograd Symphony Orchestra (Russia), the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and the Somerset Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has been awarded top prizes in piano competitions in Russia, and 2nd place in the 2019 American Prize Competition.

With her debut album, Russian Mosaic, released in 2019 on the Sheva Collection label, Anna offers rarely heard gems by Rachmaninoff, Shchedrin, Smirnov, and Medtner. Hailed as “the impressive pianist who played brilliantly” by New York Concert Review, the Atlanta Audio Club observed: “Her insights into the four masters of Russian piano music we have here bring them to instant, vibrant life before our very ears. Keiserman applies her notable brilliance to create the strongest impressions.”

Dr. Keiserman often collaborates with contemporary composers in projects including commissions, recordings, and world premieres. The 2023 season featured recordings of works for woodwind quintet by John Sichel and Steve Cohen, as well as the world premiere of the song cycle “Paradoxides” by John Sichel. In addition, the MacPhail Center for Music (Minneapolis, MN) invited her to perform in a concert of works for two pianos and percussion.

With a focus on actively engaging audiences, Anna created several custom programs for the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City. With her American Music 1917-18, Sounding Palettes, and New York Lights concerts, Anna invited audiences to explore surprising repertoire in a variety of cultural contexts. She is currently Artistic Director of the Mozaika Concert Series at Raritan Valley Community College, a series which was created to promote multicultural dialogue through the performance of music from the classical canon through to the 21st century. In 2017 Anna received the “Culture and Art Award” from the New Russia Cultural Center (Rensselaer, NY), for her dedication to promoting arts and culture in the community.

Anna Keiserman has served as faculty at the NYU Steinhardt School of the Arts, at the Rutgers University Extension Division, and at William Paterson University. Having earned degrees from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow and the University of Minnesota, Dr. Keiserman completed her Doctorate in Piano Performance at Rutgers University, where she earned the Elizabeth Wyckoff Durham Award for academic distinction and excellence in piano performance. In September 2020, Anna joined the faculty of Raritan Valley Community College as an Assistant Professor of Piano.