RAUE CENTER ANNOUNCES LANCE LINPSKY TO ROCK THIRD ANNUAL NATIONAL PIANO CONFERENCE
Raue Center For The Arts has announced the lineup for the third annual National Piano Conference at Raue Center. The organization is thrilled to announce that Lance Lipinsky of Chicago’s “Million Dollar Quartet” will play the big event for a second time! His appearance last year at Raue Center was a SOLD OUT show in which he appeared as part of a performance entitled Jerry Lee & Friends: An Evening of The King, the Killer & Cash! This year, Lance returns, but he has brought with him his own band of rockabilly rockers, the Lovers. The conference runs from June 27, 2014 to June 29, 2014. Lance Lipinsky and his band The Lovers will perform on June 29, 2014 at 7:00 pm.
“Its a great opportunity for people to come out and hear a wide range of Music, from Rockabilly to Broadway, Patriotic to Classical, Christian to new Age” And the best part– you can meet the talents!” Richard Kuranda, executive director Raue Center For The Arts.
As a life-long entertainer and songwriter, Lance Lipinsky’s career has had plenty of highlights. Lance got his big start portraying Jerry Lee Lewis in Las Vegas Revues, and currently performs as Lewis on Chicago stages in Million Dollar Quartet, his true passion and talent lies in his ability to play his original music. Lance’s story begins when he was just a child, when he fall in love with all things rockabilly; he went on to high school, starting bands, playing music, and becoming a general entertainer and showman; it was at only 17 years of age when Lipinsky dropped out of high school, moved to Las Vegas, and was discovered! He went on to become a Jerry Lee Lewis impersonator touring around the country and finally settling in Chicago, he decided to start the band of which he’s always dreamed.
This incredible showman has led his band of talented musicians onto stages around the world for over 3 years, and they’re only picking up steam. The band plays a special brand of revived rockabilly, rock’n’roll, classic country, and 60’s pop, which is to say that it relies heavily on the influences of the past, but remain ever moving forward. Lance has called his own music “a continuation” of 1960’s pop music.
In addition to the awe-inspiring music of Lance Lipinsky, Raue Center is bringing Kurt Bestor back to the stage once again! Kurt Bestor has performed at Raue Center multiple times throughout his career. Most recently Bestor brought the Elgin Symphony Orchestra with him as the composer and conductor as well as an ensemble player. Kurt Bestor is perhaps best know for as a composer for and player of keyboards and synthesizers, specializing in New Age, film scores, jazz, and Christmas music.
The conference will also feature Raue Center favorite, Danny Wright. Danny’s music is embraced across genres and borders. Nineteen of his albums remain steady on Amazon’s Top 100 Hot Sellers in the Adult Contemporary category, and Billboard Magazine as a Top 10 artist in the New Age genre thrice named him. Twice, the National Association of Record Merchandisers as the Best Seller in the New Age category has nominated him.
“The National Piano Conference at Raue Center, now in its third year, brings together piano music lovers, educators and advocates in a weekend full of fabulous music and extraordinary talent that can not be found at any other arts center in the country. As this conference continues to grow, I believe it will become an important and cherished event for McHenry County.” – Melissa Thomfohrda, marketing director Raue Center For The Arts
The National Piano Conference at Raue Center 2014 Line-Up:
Friday, June 27
Master Class with Michael Pecak and Juilan Dawson | 10a
Free with RSVP
Giving Voice to the Piano
About the Master Class: The piano is the ultimate musical instrument and this class explores why that is so. Throughout history, composers have harnessed the potential of its 88 keys as a means of communicating the countless sonorities of life. From tender whispers to grandiose pronouncements, from daydreams to philosophical debates, from the vocal to the orchestral, the piano can ‘do it all.’ Michael Pecak, international concert pianist, and Julian Dawson, professor of music at Northwestern University, will discuss and perform several masterpieces by Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and other classical greats, demonstrating how through their music the piano ’speaks’, how it ’sings’, and how it evokes a full symphony orchestra. Free and open to teachers, students, pianophiles, and music-lovers, this class will engage you with the piano’s expressive subtleties and foster your imaginative listening.
To RSVP please call 815.356.9212.
Piano Salutes America with Michael Pecak and Gary Girouard and special guest the Chicago Metropolitan Brass Ensemble | 8:00p
Free Concert with Suggested donation at the door
A dynamic, inspiring salute to liberty and our nation’s veterans with stirring performances from Gary Girouard, Michael Pecak and special guest, Chicago Metropolitan Brass Ensemble.
Saturday, June 28
The Piano Goes Broadway with Kurt Bestor and Danny Wright | 7:00p | Tickets start at $29
Back by popular demand, the music of Broadway will lift everyone’s spirits this summer as we celebrate our country through music.
Sunday, June 29
The Piano Goes Crazy with Lance Lipinsky and the Lovers | 7:00p | Tickets start at $41
Entertainer and songwriter Lance Lipinsky, who portrays Jerry Lee Lewis in the Chicago production of Million Dollar Quartet, delivers his own explosive pumping-piano performance! Lance showcases his 1950′s and 60′s influences in his original music while blending his heroes like Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee in this “must see” rockin’, piano attraction.
June 27-29
Piano Marathon in Raue Center lobby
Piano players from all over the region participate in a piano-playing marathon all weekend in Raue Center’s lobby. If interested in being a part of the piano marathon, please contact Tim Paul at tim@pianotrends.com
Raue Center’s National Piano Conference is sponsored by Piano Trends Music Company and Sage Products, Inc.
About Raue Center For The Arts
Raue Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 13 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic, downtown Crystal Lake, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination. For additional information, visit rauecenter.org, facebook.com/RaueCenter and twitter.com/RaueCenter.