Holly Stephey & Richard Glazier extraordinaire!
Every artist has an epiphany. For classically-trained, award winning pianist Richard Glazier, it happened at age nine, when he saw the film “Girl Crazy” with a score by George & Ira Gershwin. So excited was he by the music he heard, Glazier was prompted to write a fan letter to famed lyricist Ira Gershwin. After corresponding with each other for three years, Gershwin invited his young friend, then 12 to meet him in Beverly Hills. During their visit Ira asked Glazier to play a Gershwin tune on the piano that once belonged to his brother legendary composer George Gershwin. Fueled by Ira's encouragement and interest, Glazier dedicated himself that very day to the Gershwin repertoire and the American Popular Songbook, eventually becoming one of the genre's leading authorities..Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Glazier began studying piano when he was 6 years old. Trained in the classics, Glazier earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Piano Performance from Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, where he studied with famed pianist and teacher, Menaham Pressler, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Music.In addition to Ira Gershwin's blessings, Glazier has received the Alumni Achievement Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music for his contributions to the American Popular Song. He also won several major international piano competitions including the Pro Musicis International Award and the National Federation of Music Clubs' Grand Prize. He also was selected as a Steinway Artist.Glazier's concerts have inspired two national television specials: "From Gershwin to Garland A Musical Journey With Richard Glazier, which was broadcast on PBS stations throughout the country in 2010& "From Ragtime to Reel Time Richard Glazier in Concert, which starts airing on PBS stations in March 2012.
Every artist has an epiphany. For classically-trained, award winning pianist Richard Glazier, it happened at age nine, when he saw the film “Girl Crazy” with a score by George & Ira Gershwin. So excited was he by the music he heard, Glazier was prompted to write a fan letter to famed lyricist Ira Gershwin. After corresponding with each other for three years, Gershwin invited his young friend, then 12 to meet him in Beverly Hills. During their visit Ira asked Glazier to play a Gershwin tune on the piano that once belonged to his brother legendary composer George Gershwin. Fueled by Ira's encouragement and interest, Glazier dedicated himself that very day to the Gershwin repertoire and the American Popular Songbook, eventually becoming one of the genre's leading authorities..Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Glazier began studying piano when he was 6 years old. Trained in the classics, Glazier earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Piano Performance from Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, where he studied with famed pianist and teacher, Menaham Pressler, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Music.In addition to Ira Gershwin's blessings, Glazier has received the Alumni Achievement Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music for his contributions to the American Popular Song. He also won several major international piano competitions including the Pro Musicis International Award and the National Federation of Music Clubs' Grand Prize. He also was selected as a Steinway Artist.Glazier's concerts have inspired two national television specials: "From Gershwin to Garland A Musical Journey With Richard Glazier, which was broadcast on PBS stations throughout the country in 2010& "From Ragtime to Reel Time Richard Glazier in Concert, which starts airing on PBS stations in March 2012.