Honens Announces Line-Up Of Artists For 2019 Festival

The award-winning Honens Festival returns September 5 to 8, 2019 with four days of extraordinary piano and chamber music.

Highlight performances include the Miró Quartet (with Calgary native William Fedkenheuer), award-winning Polish piano / accordion Duo 19:21, and pianists Jon Kimura Parker, Nicolas Namoradze (2018 Honens Prize Laureate), Pedja Muzijevic, Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, and Katherine Chi (2000 Honens Prize Laureate). Honens Family Day at the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts takes place on Saturday, September 7 and includes Masterclasses (piano and violin), Storytellers, and a 70th birthday tribute to revered Canadian composer Alexina Louie (who will make a special cameo appearance). The Festival wraps up at Central Memorial Park with the ever-popular Open Air.

Headlining this year's Bison Noir is rising star singer / songwriter Gabriel Kahane. Kahane, of whom The New Yorker says, "...at thirty-seven, he is one of the finest, most searching songwriters of the day..." will perform his 2018 release Book of Travelers.

"To say that I'm thrilled about the 2019 Honens Festival would be a big understatement – it's music for the soul and for the mind. Featuring everything from a Bach Capriccio and Beethoven string quartet to a Rossini Overture for one piano six hands and performances for all ages-indoors and out, this is Honens' musical love letter to the city of Calgary," comments Honens Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker.

Tickets to the 2019 Festival, available April 9, range in price from $10 to $57 and can be purchased online at honens.com or by calling 403-299-0140. Discounts are available for youth under age 18, "A440" members, aged 18 to 39, and seniors aged 65 or older. Festival passes, offering tickets at more than a 20% discount, are also available.

ABOUT HONENS
Honens discovers, nurtures, and presents Complete Artists-21st century pianists for 21st century audiences. The Honens International Piano Competition takes place every three years and is considered one of the world's most prestigious events of its kind. Honens prepares its Laureates for the rigours and realities of professional careers in music and creates opportunities for growth and exposure. The annual Honens Festival is one of Canada's premier classical music events, intended to share Mrs. Honens' love of world renowned music with Albertans every year.

Esther Honens created a legacy of musical excellence to be enjoyed for generations. In 1991, Mrs. Honens gave $5 million to endow an international piano competition in her hometown of Calgary, Canada. Her generosity, vision, and love of music continue to touch the lives of musicians and music-lovers at home and around the world. Honens' Legacy Partners follow in Esther Honens' footsteps by securing Honens' future and ensuring its continued ability to offer a broad scope of programming and community outreach projects.