pianist, producer, composer
The Piano Theatre Artist Group was founded in 2009 by Elizabeth and her sister, Sonya, in order to create public access to the arts and to engage audiences with innovative combinations of classical music, theatre, literature, art, dance and technology.
As Artistic Director of Piano Theatre, Elizabeth devises concerts, interactive and immersive performances, and integrated arts projects to bring classical concert music to diverse and under-served communities.
Below are samples of Piano Theatre's program offerings.
In 2011, Piano Theatre began a collaboration to create a concert tour integrating literature, music, art, and multimedia for children. Called Pianimal, this project presents piano pieces, theatre and artwork inspired by animals, with integrated live video projections and artwork to promote arts education in an entertaining way. Pianimal presentations have taken us to Australia, the United States and Canada, and we are releasing a concert video free for download online, which brings us closer to our goal of giving children everywhere access to fun, attractive music and integrated arts.
Pianimal includes the music of Dvorak, Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Scirabin, Dutilleux, Mussorgsky, and Saint-Saens.
Collaborators:
Artwork: Eden Bachelder, Natalie Hall, and Angèle Gougeon
Animation: Shaun Seong-young Kim
Poetry: Christopher Steger
Transcriptions: Elizabeth Schumann
Documentary video: Maureen Anway
American
Haikus
American Haikus, a performance vehicle for actress and pianist, captures a fleeting series of poignant creative moments through poetry and music. Piano Theatre commissioned and gave the world premieres of these works in 2010.
1. The clouds are following each other into eternity
2. Bird was gone and distance grew immensely white
3. The summer chair - rocking by itself in the blizzard
4. Mist before the peak – the dream goes on
5. Protected by the clouds, the moon sleeps sailing
6. The days go – they can’t stay – I don’t realize
7. Late afternoon – the lakes sparkle blinds me
8. God’s dream – it’s only a dream
9. The sound of silence is all the instruction you’ll get
Music by Hugues Leclair (1962-)
Poetry by Jack Kerouac
Encounters
Encounters is a concert program of storytelling and music based on themes of life, love, and loss.
Enoch Arden, for narrator and piano
Poetry by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Music by Richard Strauss
Schubert and Schumann Song Transcriptions
Aufenthalt (Schubert-Liszt)
Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert-Liszt)
Auf dem Wasser zu Singen (Schubert-Liszt)
Standchen von Shakespeare (Schubert-Liszt)
Der Erlkonig (Schubert-Liszt)
Widmung (Schumann-Liszt)
Carnival
of the
Animals
Piano Theatre offers an exciting new treatment of Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, with live recitations of poetry, stunning projections of illustrations, and performances of original arrangements for piano four hands and duo piano.
Carnival of the Animals for Two Pianos and Orchestra
by Camille Saint-Saens
Poetry by Christopher Steger
Artwork by Natalie Hall
Transcriptions by Elizabeth Schumann