Posts by admin

Kabul Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3

Posted by admin on Jan 16, 2012 in Afghanistan, Containing, Countries, Photos | 0 comments

Day 1:

Just arrived in Kabul!  Weird how familiar Kabul feels from last January.  Weirder still is that there is a sewing machine in the room at the guest house.

The air quality is strikingly poor and quite suffocating.

Saw Elham and Milad the two best pianists at the school.  They came to school even though it was a weekend!  Weekends here are Thursday and Friday.  The week runs Saturday through Wednesday.

Day 2:

Click on the pictures to view in a larger size.

Please leave a comment!

Commemorating the Tunisian Revolution at the Kennedy Center

Posted by admin on Jan 16, 2012 in Concerts, Containing, Countries, Tunisia, Videos | 1 comment

This past January 8, along with Tunisian violinist, Nidhal Jebali, I performed a concert at the Terrace Theatre at the Kennedy Center commemorating the first anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution.  The concert was webcast live so we had an audience in Tunisia, as well as around the world.

WATCH THE CONCERT HERE

Here’s the concert blurb: Rising-star Tunisian violinist Jebali and American pianist Gallagher play a program featuring their own original compositions, as well as works by Franck, Paganini, and Jaloul Ayed, the Tunisian Minister of Finance, in commemoration of the one year anniversary of the Tunisian revolution.

And here is the program:

Hamid                                                                                          Jaloul Ayed

Chagrin d’Amour                                                                        J. Ayed

Prelude No. 1 in C Major                                                            F. Chopin

Deliverance                                                                                J. Ayed

Etude Op. 25 No. 2 in F Minor                                                   F. Chopin

Jasmins                                                                                     J. Ayed

Kimball Gallagher, piano

Obsession                                                                                 E. Ysaÿe

Nidhal Jebali, violin

Metamorphoses                                                                        N. Jebali

Kimball Gallagher, piano

Nidhal Jebali, violin

Prelude No. 34 for Connie and Gordon                                    K. Gallagher

Prelude No. 25 for Aida                                                            K. Gallagher

Prelude No. 24 for Kamel                                                         K. Gallagher

Prelude No. 33 for Jaloul                                                          K. Gallagher

Sidibou Said                                                                             J. Ayed

Etude Op. 10, No. 10                                                               F. Chopin

Boujafar                                                                                   J. Ayed

Kimball Gallagher, piano

II. Allegro Appassionato                                                           C. Franck

from Sonata for Violin and Piano 

                                  Nidhal Jebali, violin

Kimball Gallagher, piano

 Caprice No. 5 in A minor                                                       N. Paganini

Nidhal Jebali, violin

Fantasy on Tunisia Folk Theme                                              N. Jebali

Nidhal Jebali, violin

Kimball Gallagher, piano

Bangkok, Thailand

Posted by admin on Apr 23, 2011 in Audios, Concerts, Containing, Countries, Photos, Thailand, Uncategorized | 0 comments

In 2009 I donated a home concert to the Eugene Oregon Symphony. At the concert (Concert #9 of the 88 concert tour) I met 2 Thai eye doctors, Somsran, and Damrongpan. They both work with a foundation called the “Eye Care Foundation” conducting vision restoring cataract surgery in rural areas of Thailand. Several months later, they introduced me by email to their friend Jumbhot Chuasi. Led by him, the Fund for Classical Music Promotion and Siam Society extended an invitation to me to perform at the Cultural Center in Bangkok in April of 2011.

For the prelude for this concert, I used the word Siam to generate the main 4 note motive. At Jumbhot’s suggestion I also include the name of King of Thailand, Bhumibol.  The prelude alternates between the ‘Siam’ motive and the ‘Bhumibol’ motive.   Incidentally, the King  is a composer of jazz melodies!  Here is his first song:

I’m glad I included his name in the prelude because soon the Siam Society will be publishing this prelude in their journal and also presenting it to the King in acknowledgment of his Seventh Cycle (meaning the beginning of the 7th decade of his reign).

Prelude No. 21 for Siam Society and King Bhumibol

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. The crowd was very warm and engaged.  Absolutely loved Bangkok, the food, the royal palace, the massages all wonderful and highly recommended.

In addition, I gave a master class at the Siam Society. They played Schumann, Brahms, and Beethoven. Quite talented and committed…one of the students is now attending Oberlin Conservatory.

with Jumbhot

with Damrongpan

With members of the Siam Society after the concert

Taiwan

Posted by admin on Apr 20, 2011 in Concerts, Containing, Countries, Photos, Taiwan | 0 comments

As soon as I arrived in Taipei, I met with pianist Hannah Hsu Wang, with whom I performed at Bach Hall, an intimate hall with an incredible Steinway B piano.  Coincidentally, Hannah studies with Seymour Bernstein, who was the teacher of my life long piano mentor, pianist, Joseph Smith.  Seymour has also been an inspiration to me over the years.  Also on the first day in Taipei, I met with several Juilliard alums including Lun-Yun Cheng who immediately asked me to perform at Tainan University of Technology where he is the Dean of the School of Music.  The concert was set up on just 2 days notice!  That same day, I performed in the evening at the Wan-Sa Salon, run by Shih-Jung Chen, out of his home.  He had one of the best Bösendorfer pianos I’ve ever played!  In addition I gave a masterclass at the Tainan National University of the Arts.  After 3 concerts and a master class in less than 3 days I was exhausted!  Over the weekend I was fortunate to join the Yintuan hiking group for 2 days in Hualien.  Gorgeous hiking and a wonderful group of people. Other highlights of Taiwan included the incredible variety of food at every meal and the astonishing proliferation of motorcycles. The week in Taiwan was truly a memorable whirlwind of new people, new places, and new foods (and concerts) and I can’t wait to go back.

Shanghai

Posted by admin on Apr 10, 2011 in Audios, China, Concerts, Containing, Countries, Photos, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Shanghai was my first stop on the Asia tour.  Some of my experiments included waking up at 6am and sitting outside a nearby coffee shop and teaching my students in New York by skype!  I had a wonderful tour of Shanghai’s old city from a student of Yun Sun, a very kind piano professor at the Shanghai conservatory.  The concert was held at a German expat’s home in a high-rise apartment building.  I noticed that the building did not have a 4^th floor, or a 14^th floor as those are both unlucky numbers in China.  Also, it did not have a 13^th floor to accommodate the westerners’ superstitions as well.  So in the elevator it was 1,2,3…5, 6,7,8,9,10,11,12…15. Ha!

At the concert I performed a piece “Postlude” by the Chinese composer Huang Ruo, a friend of mine from Juilliard.  This piece spurred on a discussion about cultural identity in music ie. What is “Chinese” music? Someone brought up a piece of traditional Chinese music on his ipad and had me sightread it.  After the concert all of my hosts colleagues and friends stayed around and we played games for several hours.

Prelude No. 19 for Lemeng and Stephan with Emma and Carla