Sue Medford, News Coordinator

Info@pianoarts.org • 414-962-3055

www.pianoarts.org • www.facebook

Lucas Amory, 2024 PianoArts Competition Winner, returns to Milwaukee with Sister Leah for concerts featuring Prokofiev duos

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. (Feb 20, 2025) – PianoArts winner Lucas Amory will return to Milwaukee with his violinist sister, Leah Amory, to perform an All-Prokofiev Recital on Friday March 7 at 7:00 pm at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 1100 North Astor Street, and a Family Concert on Sunday, March 9 at 2:30 pm at Bay Shore Lutheran Church, 1200 East Hampton Road. Admission is free. Donations accepted.

Journalist Tom Strini's insightful interviews with the artists and in-depth discussion of Prokofiev's music will be available to subscribers of PianoArts newsletters and to the general public by visiting pianoarts.org.

On Friday, March 7, the duo will perform Sergei Prokofiev's dramatically different and groundbreaking sonatas No. 1 and No. 2. The evening opens with guest speaker, The Reverend Randy Bush, who will offer his insights on Prokofiev's music and introduce the duo. The Reverend Bush has studied music extensively in Europe and holds a master's degree in piano performance.

On Sunday, March 9, the well-known actress, Kelly Doherty, will join the Amory duo as the storyteller who takes children on a journey to a "Musical Storyland" where they hear Prokofiev's classic "Peter and the Wolf" and meet other musical animals. A kid-friendly reception follows.

"To hear Lucas Amory perform goes beyond his exceptional technical abilities." said Sue Medford, PianoArts Founder. "You are swept away with his joy about music and performing music. We are excited about having him as an artist in residence with Leah. Hearing Prokofiev's technically demanding and powerful violin piano sonatas in one evening is an opportunity not to be missed."
During their residency, the Amory duo will also perform for hundreds of Wisconsin youth who participate in school musical groups and in music teaching studios. The duo will give a recital for piano students of all ages in Waterford, present an open rehearsal for high school orchestras at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, give in-school master classes with mini recitals, perform at the Milwaukee Art Museum, and present a Family Concert.

"They can't wait to begin." said Ms. Medford. "One of the teachers shared with me that bringing this level of artistry to her students is a dream come true – so inspiring for them all."

About Lucas and Leah Amory

Pianist and Conductor Lucas Amory (New York, City, NY) is the first prize winner of the PianoArts 2024 North American Competition. He is a master's degree student in piano performance at the Juilliard School in the studio of Julian Martin, having recently graduated from Harvard as a recipient of the Robert Levin Prize in Music Performance with a double concentration in German and Music, while concurrently under the tutelage of Hae-Sun Paik at the New England Conservatory of Music. Lucas has also received top prizes at the James Yannatos Concerto Competition, Lyra Young Artists Music Competition, the Claudette Sorel International Piano Competition, and the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. He is also a 2020 Presidential Scholar of the Arts. He has involved himself in countless opera and musical theater productions both in directorial and répétiteur roles, as well as having been employed as a Ferris Fellow in the Harvard University Choir.

Leah Amory, violin (New York, City, NY), is a second-year violinist studying at the Curtis Institute of Music with Pamela Frank and Erin Keefe. She made her concerto debut at age 15 as the First Prize winner of International Virtuoso. Other prizes include being a winner of 2021 National YoungArts, Grand Prize winner in NY Chamber Players, finalist in the Lyra Competition and Juilliard Concerto Competition. She also enjoys chamber music, which has led her to perform with peers from the Perlman Music Program and as part of Juilliard's ChamberFest. She has made appearances with Bruce Adolphe in Alice Tully Hall and led members of the Back to Bach Project as Regional Director. She is grateful for her mentors including Catherine Cho, Itzhak Perlman, and Li Lin. Leah is also a member of non-profit music organizations such as Concerts in Motion and Community Table.

About PianoArts 

For the past 26 years, PianoArts has been devoted to the performance and appreciation of classical music by identifying and mentoring a new generation of pianists with exceptional musical and verbal communication skills and by presenting them to diverse audiences. The organization presents a challenging international competition for pianists, ages 17 – 22, that has an equal emphasis on offering support to young artists building classical music careers.

XXX