Sounds of music set to fill Paramount Theatre
Published 12:00 am Friday, October 18, 2002
This should be interesting.
Ian Shapinsky will perform Nov. 9 and 10 at the historic Paramount Theatre.
The only question is "Will he stir one's soul with his piano virtuosity or make audiences laugh with his sense of humor?"
He is capable of doing both.
"I won't repeat any music at any of the concerts. It will be different at each concert," Shapinsky said. "How would I describe my music? I was say it is 'exciting.'"
Concert-goers will also have the opportunity for stage seats. They will be sitting in chairs only a few feet from the pianist in full view of the audience.
Shapinsky divides his time between homes in Austin and Hempstead, N.Y., when he isn't on the road performing.
Since 1978, he has been involved with a music program in public schools called "What Is Music For Children." He created it.
His first visit to Austin came in 1992, when he performed in concert at First United Methodist Church.
He is a graduate of the prestigious Julliard School of Music, studied under teachers whose names read like a "Who's Who" of the classical music world and taken international tours that have earned him audiences' acclaim and critics' praise. He has also won his share of first prizes in various music competitions.
"When words end, music begins," Shapinsky said. His parents would be proud of his passion for music. Both his mother and father were concert cellists. "Music is my primary interest," he said with only a hint of understatement.
With impeccable credentials, Shapinsky declines to accept too much praise; preferring instead to share it with others.
He calls himself a "servant of the composers," who tries to "tell their stories."
Telling stories is another art form Shapinsky excels in performing.
Of course, the story about performing at a gas station tops the list. "Will that be leaded, unleaded or Chopin?"
Another classic tells about sitting "on top of the world" in a Swiss hotel high in the Alps.
The anecdotes he relates include stories about performing with his father, Aaron, before his death. Who is this man? Consider his lengthy and varied music history.
Shapinsky has played piano in private homes and given concerts in fine hotels in the United States and Europe. He has played the piano for an audience of young students at a castle in England and before a packed Berliner Hochschule, Berlin, Germany's largest concert hall.
He has given school concerts, played on college and university campuses and the United Nations General Assembly.
He has been on music theater tours, performed with ballet, modern and Spanish dance classes, before radio and television audiences and done concerto and chamber music work where he was both soloist and accompanist.
Since he was 15, he has played at senior centers. He has test-played new pianos for manufacturers testing new technology.
Now, Paramount Theatre audiences will have the opportunity to see and hear what makes this concert pianist different.
He has performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, played in several local churches, visited local schools and admired Austin's own classical musicians.
In fact, Shapinsky said of Austin, "I love it."
When he disembarks an airplane from New York and lands in Minnesota he said, "I feel one-tenth of the stress I felt when I got on the plane in New York."
Playing at the Paramount Theatre is Shapinsky's way of saying "Thank You" to a place that grows dearer each day. "The Paramount Theatre is a great music center for all the arts," he said. "They don't building buildings like that anymore."
The Saturday, Nov. 9 concerts will be held at 2 and 7 p.m. and the Sunday, Nov. 10, concert will be held at 2 p.m.
Adult tickets are $10 apiece and student tickets are $5 apiece. The special "stage seats" are $20 apiece. Proceeds will benefit the Paramount Theatre's restoration.
For more information about tickets, contact the Paramount Theatre box office (434-0934) or visit Black Bart's/Nemitz's in downtown Austin.