Now in its fourth year, the Piano on the Rocks International Festival is fast approaching. The weekend after Easter, in three successive concerts, Piano on the Rocks will again celebrate the fusion of words and music into an art form greater than the sum of its parts. Repertoire this year includes compositions from the eighteenth through the twentieth century that provides a wealth of variety. From Domenico Scarlatti to works by our guest composers, the Festival provides a cross section of compositions – by well-known composers as well as those that our audiences will be hearing for the first time.

Spectacular musicians from all over the world will perform a wide range of works by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Garcia Lorca, Debussy, the wonderful Piano Sonata for 2 pianos by Poulenc, the charming Cat Duet by Rossini, and other surprises. This year, five performers, known to Sedona audiences from previous festivals, will return. They include Portuguese pianist Vasco Dantas, American pianist Cynthia Raim, French/American pianist Sandrine Erdely-Sayo, narrator Elizabeth Peña, and soprano, Barbara Di Toro. We are pleased to welcome three new artists to the Festival including mezzo soprano Carla Dirlikov Canales, composers Anna Rubin and Andrew Rudin.

Mezzo soprano, Carla Canales, has performed with international opera companies and orchestras, and has been recognized as an arts and culture advocate, through her work with the US State Department, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. Composer Anna Rubin will narrate her contemporary work, For the Love of Bees, which celebrates the centuries-long interdependence of humans and bees.

In addition to two recent awards by the Maryland State Arts Council, she has been honored multiple times by both the Ohio Arts Council and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Composer Andrew Rudin received the American Academy of Arts & Letters Music Award in May 2018. Piano on the Rocks will celebrate Andrew Rudin’s 80th birthday during the festival.

Friday evening’s performance will be held at the Church of the Red Rocks at 5:00 PM with the theme “Invitation to the Dance”. Saturday 4/27 and Sunday 4/28 performances will be at 3:00 PM at Sedona United Methodist Church. Saturday the theme will be “Sounds of Nature” and will feature Anna Rubin’s extraordinary work, For the Love of Bees. Sunday’s performance will conclude with “All-Time Favorites”. All performances are free, with a suggested donation of $20.00.