By Peter Roos
If you love classical piano music, you might know of Rebecca Penneys, a Steinway artist who won the unprecedented “Special Critics Award” at an international Chopin competition in Warsaw at the age of 17. As she retired from a career teaching classical piano at the prestigious Eastman School in Rochester, NY, Rebecca and her husband Ray resettled in St. Pete Beach. Rebecca so enjoyed interacting with and mentoring aspiring concert pianists at the international piano festival she ran at Chautauqua, NY, each summer that she began the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) 10 years ago, utilizing the incredible all-Steinway facility in Barness Hall on the USF Tampa campus. The 11th festival is June 27-July 17. Rebecca describes her festival, the 40 attendees selected by audition from almost 200 applicants, and the faculty of 25 who are a Who’s Who of Piano: “RPPF is a 3-week tuition-free collegiate piano festival that brings together the top aspiring artists from all over the world. These kids are in the gifted and accelerated educational programs, mostly under scholarship. Talent is recognized whether rich or poor. The trick is how to develop it and create opportunity. Most RPPF alum come halfway around the world to America to better themselves. They are tops in their respective schools. Their families work very hard to teach them English, get them into these schools, find the funds for travel and tuition or loans and the connections to stay in the USA. Most do not fly home because of the cost. They come to RPPF and the USA because they believe in the American dream and work toward permanent US residency.” Weekdays are a busy mix of private lessons, public master classes and Satellite concerts, two of which are in south Pinellas.
Satellite Concerts July 6 – 4pm – Eckerd College (ASPEC Lewis House, 4200 54th Ave. S, St. Petersburg)July 6 – 6:30pm – Westminster Shores (125 56th Ave. S, St. Petersburg)
Celebration Concerts at Barness Hall July 15 – 7pm – 2 Piano 8 Hand Extravaganza! What Pianos & Pianists Do For FunJuly 16 – 2pm – Student Showcase – Featuring 40 RPPF Artist Students
A complete list of RPPF events is provided on our website paradisenewsfl.com. Everyone is welcome to drop in, free. Visit rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org for more about this summer’s RPPF events. Subscribe to the RPPF YouTube Channel for a host of inspirational videos, some from prior festivals. You can find selection of Rebecca’s CDs, DVDs, Blue-rays at rebeccapenneys.com. Kindle can be found on Amazon.