Peter Saltzman to Bring One-Man Show PIANO DIARIES to the Athenaeum, 5/28-7/6

Chicago-based composer/solo pianist and singer-songwriter Peter Saltzman will perform Piano Diaries, a one-man show blending monologue and music, in the Athenaeum Theatre's Studio One, 2946 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, from May 28 - July 6, 2014, Saltzman has announced.

In this multi-media performance for which Saltzman has written the text and music, he will share his journey toward creating a new form of music that fuses elements of jazz, classical and pop. Saltzman delivers imaginary dialogues with composers who have influenced his writing, such as Bach, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Sting. His narration is interspersed with performances of old jazz standards, Bach fugues, his original pop songs, complex original piano compositions, and a great deal of improvisation. Sample tracks from the show can be heard at www.pianodiaries.com/live-show.

A composer with a love of jazz, classical and pop, Saltzman asks his audiences to join him in challenging the traditional boxes in which these three musical genres have been confined. Why, he asks, can't music have the strong melodies of pop without pop's predictable structures, the spontaneity of jazz but with a greater commitment to melody, and classical-like structure incorporated into an accessible, contemporary sound? When in his imaginary dialogues with earlier composers he reminds them that their so-called "formulas" were created not by composers but by music theorists of later generations, Saltzman raises metaphysical questions about the nature of creation (both cosmologically and artistically), sparking an imaginary debate with Albert Einstein.

Saltzman's entertaining 80-minute show combines piano, humor and projections to provide a program of music for lovers of all genres and a new way to think about music. The title was taken from Saltzman's popular blog, www.pianodiaries.com, through which Saltzman has been sharing his own music as well as his observations and thoughts about music in general with his online readers/listeners since 2009. The staged Piano Diaries will be directed by Edwin Wald.

ABOUT PETER SALTZMAN: Peter Saltzman is a composer, pianist, singer-songwriter, and entrepreneur, with a long and rich career in the music industry. Musical groups he has led since he was a teenager include The Peter Zak Band, The Revolution Ensemble, and The Peter Saltzman Group; covering genres from jazz to pop to classical. He has released three albums: Songs from Two States, a collection of 1980's style original pop/rock songs; Kabbalah Blues/Quantum Funk, a critically acclaimed jazz/classical/ pop fusion; and his most recent release, Things Better Left Said.

As a composer Saltzman's works have been performed and recorded by ensembles throughout the world, including a recording of his orchestral dance suite Walls (1996) by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. The same work was commissioned and performed by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The Dallas Morning News called Walls "powerful stuff." His music has been licensed for television shows, jingles and industrials, including My Name is Earl.

ABOUT EDWIN WALD: Originally from Dallas, Texas, Edwin Wald is a veteran actor, director, designer, composer and acting/vocal/dialect coach. Mr. Wald's Chicago directing credits include: Sorry, Wrong Number, for THEM Theatre Co.; Edward Albee's Sand: Three Plays on a Beach, for Sun Partners; Medea/Cyclops for Razor's Edge; and Cat Tales: Stories from the Family Feline for Little Giant Productions. Mr. Wald served as assistant director and production coordinator for Gilligan's Island: The Musical for Minnow Productions (Sherwood Schwartz). He was dialect coach for Organic Theatre Company's acclaimed production of Clive Barker's In the Flesh. Mr. Wald is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Piano Diaries
Written and performed by Peter Saltzman
Directed by Edwin Wald

Preview (General Public) Wednesday, May 28
Preview (General Public plus Press) Thursday, May 29 at 8:00 PM
Opening Night plus Press Friday, May 30 at 8:00 PM
Preview ticket prices: Adults - $14.50, Children under age 10 - $12.00

Opening Night - Friday, May 30 at 8:00 PM
Regular Run - Friday, May 30 - July 6, 2014
Ticket prices - Adults - $27.00, Seniors 65+ and students - $17.00, Children under age 10 $12.00
Thursdays - Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 2:00 PM
Additional performance Wednesday, July 2 at 8:00 PM
No performance Friday, July 4

Tickets can be ordered through the Athenaeum Theatre Box office, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, IL 60657, online at www.athenaeumtheatre.org, or by phone at 773-935-6875.