Beethoven Fest: Cheli/Williamson/Leone

He recently recorded his 2nd CD on the Naxos label of the music of Liszt/Schubert and has enjoyed his role as performer, producer and music editor for an upcoming all-Schulhoff CD on the Delos label scheduled for a Fall 2022 release. This album features a special collaboration on Schulhoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 with Maestro James Conlon. He also recently completed work as a composer on the documentary Defying Gravity (2021).

With a fascination and appreciation for the benefits of technology especially in our new virtual age, Dominic was appointed Live Director of Tonebase Piano. As a result, he is the host and presenter of numerous virtual events each month to the 4,000+ subscribers on the platform.  As an educator, Dominic is on faculty of the Colburn Community Music School and strives for his students to be imaginative, and knowledgeable and have healthy relationships with their instruments. In his spare time, Dominic enjoys cooking and training for Ironman triathlons.

Named one of CBC Music’s “30 under 30” Canadian classical musicians, Paul Williamson is a first prize winner of the piano category of the Canadian national music festival (2014), the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association national piano competition (2017), and a prizewinner of the WMC McLellan Competition (2020) and the Shean Piano Competition (2022). As a soloist, he has appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and the Fraser Valley Symphony Orchestra. He has performed alongside Julian Pellicano, Alexander Mickelthwate, Aiyun Huang, Orli Shaham, and Jim Walker. He has appeared at Morningside Music Bridge, Orford, Kneisel Hall, Aspen, Hornby, Scotia, Agassiz, and has held residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Music degree from the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he continues to study with Fabio Bidini in the Artist Diploma program. Most recently, Paul returned to the University of Manitoba to serve on the faculty as a piano instructor for the 2022 Winter term. His other musical influences include David Moroz and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Paul is grateful for the support of the BC Arts Council.

One of the most insightful and brilliant pianists of his generation, Italian-born pianist Rodolfo Leone was the first-prize winner of the 2017 International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna. Described as “a true sound philosopher” (Oberösterreichische Nachrichten), Rodolfo released his debut all-Beethoven album on the Austrian label Gramola in May 2018. A second album comprised of Capriccios and Sonatas by Muzio Clementi released by Naxos in 2022 prompted one reviewer to write that “The Italian pianist plays […] in such a charming, fresh and crystalline way that refines the simplest of Clementi’s ideas” (Pianonews).

Rodolfo has performed under the baton of conductors such as James Conlon, Michael Francis, Sascha Goetzel, Xian Zhang and Stéphane Denève.  His performances have brought him to such venues as the Musikverein  (Goldener Saal and Brahms Saal) in Vienna, Steinway Hall in London, the Music Hall of the NCPA in Beijing, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with musicians such as Lynn Harrell, Clive Greensmith, Demarre McGill, Oliver Herbert and the Viano String Quartet. Rodolfo is currently based in Los Angeles where he holds a faculty position at the Colburn Music Academy. He previously studied with Fabio Bidini at the Colburn School of Music, where he was awarded a Master of Music degree and an Artist Diploma. Rodolfo is a recipient of the Amron-Sutherland Fund for Young Pianists.