Monster Concert, 8th annual Keyboard Fest

PUEBLO – With Halloween creeping up, it is a fitting occasion for Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Monster Concert, featuring five grand pianos performing at once beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4. The Monster Concert is part of the Music Department’s eighth annual Pueblo Keyboard Arts Festival, Nov. 2-4, which also features solo and ensemble concerts, master classes, and a young artist competition. All Festival events are free and open to the public in Hoag Recital Hall. 

The Festival will conclude with Saturday night’s Monster Concert, a compilation of CSU-Pueblo’s piano faculty, students, and alumni, piano teachers and their students from Southern Colorado, the CSU-Pueblo Orchestra, and guests from the Pueblo Symphony. Musicians will be traveling and attending from all across the state.

Dr. Zahari Metchkov, a faculty member of CSU-Pueblo’s music department, described the event as unique, as pianos are typically solitary instruments and not usually present in large scale collaborative settings. With a focus on community outreach, the event attempts to bring pianists and those who aspire to learn the instrument together.  Musicians will consist of faculty, current students, alumni, and special guests, including guest artists Michelle Cann; Dr. Zahari Metchkov (faculty) and Dr. Timothy Hsu (conductor of the CSU-Pueblo Chamber Orchestra), CSU-Pueblo students and alumni, as well as regional private piano instructors and their students.

This year’s impressive musical lineup will include Bach Concerto for Two Keyboards and String Orchestra in D Minor, Mars from the Holst’s The Planets, Sabre Dance, by Khachaturian, and Danza Archaiga, an original composition for 12 pianists on 2 pianos by Bulgarian composer Alexander Yossifov, among others.

CSU-Pueblo Music Department alumni are invited to a free pre-concert reception beginning at   6 p.m., an hour before the Monster Concert commences. Non-music-alumni-guests will have a fee of $10 to attend. For more information, contact the music department at 719.549.2552.

Other festival events include:

• CSU-Pueblo Piano Studio and Ensembles Concert, 7 p.m., Nov. 2. Musicians perform a great selection of works for solo piano and duos with other instruments and voice offered by CSU-Pueblo students.
• Masterclass, 5-7 p.m., Nov. 3, musicians will work with CSU-Pueblo faculty and enjoy the “Big Hall” acoustics.
• The Young Artist Piano Competition, 9 a.m., November 4, Offering cash prizes in Junior and Senior divisions, this event gives students a chance to showcase their accomplishments at the keyboard. The experience will prove positive and valuable for their growth as they present seasoned repertoire, or prepare for even more important performances.  First prize for High School division has been raised to $300 this year due to generous support from the community.