Grace Music to Offers LI High School Students a Chance to Perform Billy Joel's Music at Carnegie Hall

Grace Music School will hold a press conference on November 10 at 1 PM to launch a first-of-its-kind piano competition featuring classical works from Billy Joel's album "Fantasies and Delusions." The winner of the competition will earn a $1,000 prize and perform at the school's Carnegie Hall concert on June 2, 2017.

The aim of this competition is to increase the awareness and appreciation of these extraordinary compositions and their contribution to the body of great classical works.

The school's owners have made the piano competition the focus of a Grand Opening Celebration they are holding November 12 and 13 because Billy Joel is the musician who first comes to mind when considering Long Island's musical heritage. Furthermore, the piano competition was inspired in part by a YouTube video in which Mr. Joel explained that "Fantasies and Delusions" is his all-time favorite album. He added that if a piano student was to ask their teacher if they could play a "Billy Joel" piece, he would want the student to learn the music from Opus 1, 2 or 3 from "Fantasies and Delusions."

The school's director Grace Heaphy said, "I could not imagine a more fitting way to celebrate our Grand Opening Celebration then having this Piano Competition. It not only helps expose Long Island's aspiring pianist to this great music, but also gives them a chance to perform at one of the greatest music venues in the world. I hope this competition will spotlight these lesser-known, but incredible compositions so they become part of the repertoire young pianists are taught."

Immediately following the 1 PM press conference, performances will be given by students from the Long Island High School for the Arts. The Grand Opening Celebration will take place over the weekend of November 12 and 13 from 1 to 5 PM each day. The event will feature student performances, door prizes, an opportunity to win 6 months' free piano lessons along with a free piano rental, free 30-minute trial lessons, and refreshments.

This is open to the public and all are welcome. Individuals specifically interested in registering for the piano competition must be between the ages of 13 to 18 and can do so immediately after the press conference and at the Grand Opening Celebration.

Schedule of Events:

Press Conference and Piano Competition Registration Kickoff -

November 10 at 1 PM

Location: Grace Music School at Steinway and Sons, 505 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747

• 1:00 PM - Press conference

• 1:30 PM - Performances by Long Island School For The Arts

• 2:00 - 3:00 PM - Registration for Piano Competition

Grand Opening Celebration -

November 12 and 13 from 1 to 5 PM

Location: Grace Music School at Steinway and Sons, 505 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747

• Student Performances each hour on the hour starting at 2 PM

• 1:00 - 5:00 PM - Registration for Piano Competition

• 2:00 - 5 PM - Trial music lessons

• Door prizes/raffles/refreshments

Competition will be held at the Steinway and Sons Showroom April 1st & 2nd 2017, time TBD. Winner of that competition will perform at Carnegie Hall in June 2017.

Note: Piano competition is open to all students ages 13 - 18 years. Must register to compete. For more information and details on the competition call: 631-239-6169.

Watch Billy Joel speaking about his classical album "Fantasies and Delusions" below!

---

Grace Music School is Long Island's premier music school with two convenient locations in Western Suffolk County. They offer a variety of lessons including piano, strings, voice, guitar, percussion, and woodwinds. Their Fort Salonga School trains approximately 400 musicians each week. They recently opened their second location at the Steinway & Sons piano showroom in Melville. They have the distinction of being the first-ever music school integrated into a Steinway owned showroom. The school at the Steinway & Sons location provides music lessons to students of all ages and features a beautiful performance space where students can showcase their talent. It houses nine lesson studios and a café styled waiting room with bottled water, WIFI and other amenities. Visit www.gracemusicschool.com for more.

To post a comment, you must register and login.