Steinway Artist Steven Vanhauwaert

by ETHAN GRAY

On March 24, the Felici Piano Trio will present a concert for High Desert Chamber Music’s 15th anniversary season at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bend at 7:30pm.

The trio’s pianist, Steven Vanhauwaert, is no stranger to Bend, having performed in the HDCM Concert Series previously with the Vanchestein-Park-Vanhauwaert Trio in 2014 and with 4handsLA in 2018. He has been hailed by Los Angeles Times’ classical music critic Mark Swed for his “impressive clarity, sense of structure and monster technique.” We spoke with him recently to learn more about him, the trio and the program they’ll be presenting in March.

Steven was born in Belgium and was introduced to the magical world of classical music through his father’s LP collection. He got hooked on the great legendary pianists like Vladimir Horowitz, Emil Gilels and Dinu Lipatti. In his teens, he decided there was no better way to pursue life than through music.

For the concert in March, Felici is excited to play a program that features works from almost a 250-year time span; Mozart’s lovely Piano Trio in G major, Paul Schoenfield’s jazzy Café Music and Schubert’s epic Piano Trio in E-Flat Major.

The Mozart is a perfect “curtain-raiser” with lively dialogue between the piano and violin, and occasional well-timed commentary by the cello, as if to say “don’t forget about me!” The Mozart’s expressive, lyrical and lively discourse is balanced by “Café Music’s” high-octane nod to popular musical styles of the early-mid 1900s, including Ragtime, the Blues and Broadway. As Schoenfield states, his music “is not the kind of music for relaxation, but the kind that makes people sweat; not only the performer, but the audience!”

The Schubert trio, the final work on the program, is truly monumental, suggesting symphonic dimensions. Schubert takes the listener on an unhurried journey through a myriad of emotional worlds, from deep indignation to joyous celebration. Robert Schumann, an early champion of Schubert’s, summarized this work fittingly: “One glance at Schubert’s trio, and all the troubles of human existence disappear, and the world is fresh and bright again!”

Like for all music professionals, COVID shut-down options for live, inperson performances for the Felici Trio over the past few years. Fortunately, the group worked hard to provide musical experiences for their audiences, from streamed concerts and recorded concerts to watch parties during the shutdown. But they are very much looking forward to their concert in Bend, playing for a live audience again!

You can hear Steven Vanhauwaert at the next event in the High Desert Chamber Music Concert Series. Please plan to join us on Friday, March 24, at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. Tickets are available through High Desert Chamber Music by phone or online.

Bend Pops Orchestra’s March 19 concert will feature oboist Ryan Zwahlen performing Bellini’s Oboe Concerto . Ryan is a professional musician, music educator and entrepreneur living in Bend.

Ryan’s musical career includes a long list of professional credits performing on oboe, English horn and flute. He has performed with the LA Philharmonic, performed and recorded with the San Diego Symphony, performed with numerous groups throughout the West Coast area, and currently subs with the Eugene Symphony, the Rogue Valley Symphony, Portland Opera and Portland Ballet. He presently serves as Principal Oboe of the Central Oregon Symphony, the Central Oregon Chamber Orchestra and Opera Bend.

Ryan’s devotion to music education is evident throughout his career. He served as Music Department Chair and faculty member at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and has presented flute and oboe masterclasses at several western colleges. He created the MidPeninsula Music Academy in Redwood City, California, and serves on the faculty of YMA (Young Musicians and Artists) in Salem. He has established a studio of oboe and flute students here in Bend, where his students perform in the Central Oregon Youth Orchestra, the Cascade Winds, the Bend Pops Orchestra and several area chamber groups.

Ryan is particularly excited to serve in the newly created position of Education and Outreach Coordinator with the Central Oregon Symphony Association. He developed the new Music Masters Program, bringing in professional musicians to teach seminars and masterclasses that culminate in public recitals. He manages the expanding Music in Public Places program of free public chamber music concerts, schedules the Symphony Stars! Program demonstrating orchestral instruments in area schools, and coordinates the symphony’s Virginia Riggs Children’s Concert and instrument “petting zoo,” giving kids hands-on exposure to making music.

Ryan will be performing Vincenzo Bellini’s Oboe Concerto in E-flat Major Bellini (1801-1835) was an Italian opera composer known for his longflowing melodic lines, and the oboe concerto is his only surviving purely instrumental work. The concerto is noted for its operatic qualities and bel canto themes, where the solo instrument part is written to give an effect similar to the human voice.

The concert will also feature arrangements of Holst’s Jupiter — Bringer of Jollity from The Planets, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz, Paul Desmond’s jazz standard Take Five, Richard Meyer’s rousing Millennium, Leroy Anderson’s Blue Tango and music from the Warner Bros. Wonder Woman soundtrack. The concert will be held at 2pm on Sunday, March 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Bend.

BendPops.org • RyanZwahlen.com