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Arts & Entertainment

Pianist Combines Beethoven and Broadway at Library

Dr. Judith Alstadter spans the eras.

Strumming the piano keys with masterful ease, pianist Dr. Judith Alstadter performed "A Piano Sampler: From Beethoven to Bernstein," a concert featuring works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin and Leonard Bernstein, at the Syosset Public Library Saturday night.

Offering a diverse selection of works from the classics to Broadway, Alstadter aimed to please with her poise and technique on the piano.

"I wanted to offer something for everyone's musical taste whether you like the classics or jazz," she said. "I like to do crossover programs from classical music with Beethoven to musical theater with Bernstein's West Side Story. I enjoy playing all kinds of music." 

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The audience clapped with great enthusiasm to Alstadter, and she couldn't have been happier.

"It's a pleasure for me to play and it's a pleasure for the audience to listen to the music," she explained. "It's a win-win situation."

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During the show, Alstadter shared information about the composers and their works.

"It's nice to get a little insight about a brilliant artist in addition to listening to their music,"  she said. "For example, Beethoven, who was revered in his lifetime, was very volatile in his moods. You can hear his many mood changes in his music."

Alstadter has performed concerts in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean, including shows at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. An official Steinway artist, she was honored by the French government for her contributions to the French music in America with the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Art and Letters. A graduate of Juilliard, she received her doctorate from the Yale University School of Music.

A recording artist, her CDs include Vienna to BroadwayWomen Composers: Romantic to RagtimeThe Poetic Piano: Spirituality and Music and Judith Alstadter Plays Gabriel Fauré.

A well-known educator, Alstadter is affiliated with several institutions including Pace University and Five Towns College.

She will next present "Spirituality, Meditation and Music" at the Center for Spiritual Living Long Island in Hicksville on Aug. 15. The workshop is a guided musical meditation, from Gregorian chant to Mozart to nature sounds. It will also include breathing and relaxation techniques, inspiring piano selections, commentary drawn from poets and group singing.

For more information, visit www.judithalstadter.com.

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