Renowned pianist, CU prof David Korevaar diversifies repertoire for free show

Aug. 24—For many creatives, the unrelenting draw to a particular art form surfaces in childhood.

Surrealist painter Salvador Dali had a public exhibition at the Municipal Theater of Figueres, in Spain, when he was just 14 years old.

Three-time Tony Award-winner Bernadette Peters made her Broadway debut at age 10, as Tessie in Frank Loesser's "The Most Happy Fella."

By age 6, pianist Dr. David Korevaar had already started piano studies. At age 13, he became a student of the late American virtuoso Earl Wild. Today, Korevaar's career is filled with collaboration, international acclaim and inspired instruction as a professor within University of Colorado's College of Music.

From conducting master classes in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as part of the U.S. State Department's cultural envoy program to performing last summer with Carpe Diem String Quartet at the Snake River Music Festival in Idaho, Korevaar remains a sought-after performer and teacher stateside and internationally.

While he stays committed to the classical music that was produced before his time, he also thrives on working with contemporary composers.

On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Korevaar will perform as part of CU's "Faculty Tuesdays" series. The free concert — that also will be streamed online — will be held at College of Music's Grusin Hall, 1020 18th St., on campus in Boulder.

Attendees are encouraged to contribute donations within a "pay what you can" scale. Proceeds benefit future programming for the College of Music.

When not taking the stage and inspiring the next generation of musicians, Korevaar can be found snapping photos during backcountry hikes, including jaunts to Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.

We caught up with the award-winning musician to learn more about what attendees can expect from his upcoming concert, his fruitful journey into chamber music and the joy he feels with the return of live performances.

Kalene McCort: Love that "Faculty Tuesdays" allows folks to see such high-caliber performances at no charge. What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming performance, and what can attendees and livestreamers expect?

David Korevaar: The "Faculty Tuesdays" series has been an amazing resource for our community and our faculty for the 22 years I've been here. Pre-COVID, we commonly had completely full houses — sometimes even with stage seating — with a nice mix of students, community and faculty colleagues. While last year's series didn't have quite the numbers we've had in the past, I have high hopes that we will be working our way back as people become more comfortable with the situation.

An important part of the live performance experience is the shared sense of community of having the audience together — we lost so much of that during the first year of the pandemic, so I look forward to being part of the process of regaining that wonderful synergy of audience and performer energy.

In terms of my program, I am presenting works that sum up where my own energies have gone during these last couple of years.

* A Beethoven Sonata, reflecting my lockdown project of performing all of the 32 Sonatas and more of Beethoven's solo works from my home and posting the videos to my YouTube channel

* The wonderful Sonata in E minor by the pioneering Black composer Florence Price — representing the efforts that my colleagues and I have been making to expand our repertoire horizons to include unfairly neglected work by women and people of color

* A group of Chopin works, in particular six of the Etudes — reflecting my revisiting of all 24 of Chopin's Etudes over the last year or so, a project that I intend to carry through into recording as well.

KM: Do you recall any "aha" moments in childhood or teen years when you knew that classical and chamber music would be a part of your career path?

DK: In sixth grade, I was sure I would become a flutist. I was studying with a wonderful teacher at that point and knew in my heart that classical music is where I wanted to be.

A couple of years later, my then piano teacher Sherman Storr — an alum and former faculty member at CU — brought me to the great American virtuoso pianist Earl Wild, who took me on as a student at a time when he was living in Palm Springs and not touring very much.

For several years, in my teens, I was his only regular student. That encounter cemented my love for music, my conviction that this would be my life, but also switched my focus decisively to the piano. I played chamber music throughout my high school years, both in various duo situations and as a member of a piano trio made up of colleagues from the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra, where I was a flutist still.

KM: I know you are a big fan of collaborating with and supporting fellow contemporary composers. What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of working with the next generation of talent at CU Boulder?

DK: I have performed some new works by CU faculty colleagues over the years — the late Richard Toensing, Dan Kellogg, Carter Pann and Michael Theodore — as well as one or two works by CU students.

I also encourage my own students to play music of their peers and have had the pleasure of coaching them through that learning process as well as working with them, together with the student composers, in helping shape those performances.

Our "Pendulum" series, now under the direction of Egemen Kesliki and Annika Sokolofsky, is a fantastic outlet for our student composers and performers, and it is always thrilling to see the work that comes out. I am impressed by the wide range of musical interests — far beyond my own rather narrow ones — that our young composers and performers draw upon. The level of creativity continues to amaze me.

KM: I'm curious, what other genres of music or artists do you enjoy that readers may be surprised to know about?

DK: Actually, I'm quite unusual in how narrow my own musical tastes and interests are. I don't see this as a strength, necessarily. I am envious of my students' and many of my colleagues' ability to explore so widely.

KM: You've had such a dynamic career. Are there any bucket-list goals you'd like to see take shape in the near future?

DK: This is such a different time from anything I've lived through. Where so much of my bread-and-butter work has been in performing and audio recording for CD, we've seen a huge drop off in performances and a dramatic fall in the demand for commercial audio recording, as CDs have quickly become obsolete in the age of online delivery, and a new generation has become accustomed to free content.

It's hard to predict the future. I'm still hoping to leave my mark on further recordings and to resume international travel. But I'm not yet seeing the form that these things will take. Frankly, what is the future of recording? Is there a viable model?

In the meantime, I will continue to explore new repertoire, and I'm currently particularly interested in the composer Cécile Chaminade. I'll be doing a "Distinguished Professor" presentation of a couple of her pieces on Sept. 21 in Grusin Music Hall.

Sept. 24 will mark the first of three mini-chamber concerts Korevaar will perform with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. This first program will feature Piano Quintets by Elgar and Schumann and take place at the Adventist Church, 345 Mapleton Ave., Boulder. Tickets are $25.