Piano Showcase

Saturday, March 16, 2024
Concert at 7:30 PM
Tower Theatre, Downtown Bend
featuring pianists Sean Chen and Arthur Migliazza

Tickets start at $40; age 25 and under $25

3 PM = Interactive experience with the performers. Come be a “fly on the wall” during a masterclass, and peek behind the scenes as these two world-class performers prep for the concert.

7:30 PM = Concert
The 6th Annual Piano Showcase at the Tower Theatre features acclaimed classical pianist Sean Chen and award-winning blues and boogie woogie pianist Arthur Migliazza. Enjoy genre-blending solo performances and improvisational fun!

This multi-genre event—including a masterclass, workshop and diverse concert program—celebrates the versatility and virtuosity of the piano.

Chen and Migliazza will share the stage in genre-bending duo and solo performances, both composed and improvised.

All Piano Showcase ticketholders are also invited to a special session interacting with the performers on the Tower Theatre stage from 3-5 PM on March 16 and then return for the 7:30 PM concert that night.

Sean Chen is a genius at displaying the virtuosity and versatility of the piano. An award-winning classical pianist (Cliburn International Piano Competition, American Pianists Awards), Chen is also in demand for creative collaborations and commissions. His exceptional transcriptions for the piano range from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to video game music and everything in between. Chen’s musical flexibility is a perfect fit for this event’s emphasis on the uniqueness of blending genres. Currently Artist-in-Residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, he continues to appear in solo and concerto performances throughout the United States and has been featured with the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra several times.

Arthur Migliazza began playing the piano professionally at the age of 13. It was through his love of blues music and his dedication to the piano that he came under the wing of such mentors/teachers as Henry Butler, Ann Rabson and Mr. B.  He has been inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame, was a finalist at the 2010 and 2014 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, and in his 30+ years of performing has played on some of the world’s greatest stages, including Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow as part of the sold out Kings of Boogie Tour, Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, as well as on National Public Radio in the US.

Piano Showcase is sponsored in part by an Arts & Culture grant from Deschutes County Commissioners.

Here’s a fun snippet of featured pianists Arthur Migliazza, Sean Chen, and Adam Birnbaum in a spontaneous collaboration of “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” at 2019’s Piano Showcase at the Tower: