MUSIC FOR LIFE CONCERT

PRESENTED BY

THREE STEINWAY ARTISTS
WILL PERFORM LIVE FOR YOU!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5
7PM EST

You can view the concert FREE from the comfort of your home on your mobile device or computer!  For those of you who are in the area of Port Charlotte, FL, and are planning to attend the concert in person, please arrive at Pritchards Pianos at 6:30pm EST to ensure enough time for parking and seating.

We will stream the concert FREE on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel LIVE for your convenience. Please become a fan of our pages, turn on notifications and you will be notified when the concert goes live! 

STEINWAY ARTISTS

Dr. Joseph Holt enjoys a wide-ranging musical career as conductor, pianist, chamber musician, arts administrator, educator and arranger. This is his 13th season as Artistic Director for the Choral Artists of Sarasota, Sarasota’s professional choral ensemble. Under his leadership, the organization has grown and garnered accolades for its innovative programming and superior vocal quality. Dr. Holt is also the producer and host for the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL). Music Mondays during the winter months and has occasionally delivered the pre-concert lecture for the Sarasota Orchestra. The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota recognized his achievements in the arts with the Artistic Achievement Award in 2017. 

Dr. Holt served more than twenty years as the principal pianist with the United States Army Chorus in Washington, D.C. performing for U.S. Presidents, dignitaries from around the world and military officials. He produced a series of multi piano concerts for The US Army Band featuring ten pianists and five concert grand pianos, and performed with the Band and Chorus throughout the United States.

As a pianist, Dr. Holt has been awarded numerous prices, included the Brahms Award from Wolf Trap, and his appearances in recital and with orchestras in North America, Europe and the Middle East have elicited acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Unusual highlights of his musical career include coordinating and conducting the Filene Center Orchestra for a gala performance featuring premier comedian, Victor Borge at Wolf Trap; compiling and directing the music for Prodigy, a children’s play about Mozart at the Kennedy Center, performing with soprano, Jessye Norman at the base of the Hoover Dam, and assisting in the development of the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Shenandoah Conservatory and the Catholic University of America.

Aza Torshkoeva was born on April 12, 1989 in the far northeastern corner of Kamchatka, Russia where she has been involved in piano music since birth. In 1995, she started elementary, music and dance schools simultaneously during which her mornings were occupied with elementary school, afternoon until evening by music school followed later in the evening by dance school. She began participating in music competitions by her second year in music school; throughout the school and college years, she earned many scholarships including the highest possible “presidential scholarship.” In 2003, Aza entered Music College, and in her second year competed in the International Piano Competition of Young Performers in Finland, “Musical Performance and Pedagogies” where she won the third prize becoming an International Laureate. In 2007, she graduated the College of Music, and chose to come to the United States where she envisioned better career opportunities. In August 2007, she enrolled in music education at the University of South Florida, where during her second semester, she competed in the Florida Orchestra Competition earning a grand prize and an opportunity to perform with the Florida Orchestra in March 2009. In November 2009, she, together with other piano students and her professor, Svetozar Ivanov were invited by American composer, David Del Tredici to perform in Manhattan, NY. In November 2012, she and Jana Cetelevel performed in Chicago at the Piano Duo Festival, and in May 2013, she graduated with her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of South Florida. Currently, as she prepares for future competitions and festivals, she is working as Adjunct Faculty at the State College of Florida as Piano Instructor and one of the soloists of Miami Grands Circle. In collaboration with world violinist, Alejandro Mendoza, she has opened a music school called, “Ciavus Conservatory” where they offer all levels of music education for piano and violin.

Andrew Lapp is an American concert pianist and composer. He received his first formal piano lesson at age 7 after showing an interest in the pianos from playing by ear. He continued his private classical studies with Sandra Lawler between 2001-2008. In December of 2011, he received his degree in Piano Performance from Southeastern University as well as a Minor in Business and Music Technology. Along with performing as a soloist, Andrew has appeared as a featured artist with the Imperial Symphony Orchestra and the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. In 2010, he was invited to join Steinway’s Young Artist Roster as the first American young artist in the program. He debuted as an accompanist for a 300-voice choir at Carnegie Hall in New York City that same year.
In 2013, Andrew was added to the legendary Steinway Artist Roster for international recognition from album sales as a solo artist. He also served as Artist in Residence at First Sarasota, The Downtown Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida between 2013- 2020. In 2019, he held his first international concert as a solo pianist in Canada. Today he occasionally performs concerts nationally, incorporating a musical blend of virtuous Classical repertoire and his own arrangements of Sacred, Gospel and other popular selections. His Sacred and Gospel interpretations have been featured in pre-shows for The Gaither Vocal Band, The Collinsworth Family, The Inspirations, Legacy 5, The Booth Brothers, and Guy Penrod, former lead vocalist for The Gaither Vocal Band.

MUSIC FOR LIFE CONCERT
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5
7PM EST

WATCH LIVE ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES!