Pianist Heather Taves presents “Come From Away” at UPEI

Heather Taves returns home to PEI and to the UPEI Music Department on Friday, October 24 at 7:30 pm where she will present her solo piano recital, 'Come From Away.'

Drawing on the stories her parents, and stories her aunts and uncles told about their lives, Taves' recital at UPEI will trace the history of her family as refugees from Russia in the 1920s to 1968, when her family moved to Prince Edward Island. Her musical journey will include pieces by Chopin, Debussy, Stravinsky, contemporary composer Keenan Reimer-Watts, as well as Taves' own composition, 'My Mom and Glenn Gould: A Two Part Invention.'

Taves performs in classical, contemporary, and folk idioms as a pianist, improviser, and composer. She has recorded five albums. She is also an organic gardener and cook, presents house concerts, and is involved with community sustainability projects. Initially emerging as a classical artist, her graduation recital from McGill University at age 19 was broadcast across Canada by the CBC. Winning a Canada Council Grant to obtain her Master's of Music at Indiana University, she joined the legendary piano class of Gyorgy Sebok, but simultaneously discovered her interests in world music, early music, and jazz. After graduating, she performed over 80 concerts a year while teaching at the McGill Conservatory in Montreal. Since obtaining her doctorate at Stony Brook in New York, she has served as a piano professor in Ontario, first at Brock University, and since 1996 at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The New York critic Greg Sandow has praised Taves' path-breaking curriculum to help students develop their own voice through improvisation and community engagement.

Tickets are $15/$10 for students and seniors, and are available at the door, online here, or in advance by calling (902) 566-0507.