Award-winning local pianists Matthew Krell, left, and Carter Johnson return to their home town for two evenings of music.

Award-winning local pianists Matthew Krell, left, and Carter Johnson return to their home town for two evenings of music.

Duo returns for reunion of music

Local pianists Carter Johnson and Matthew Krell return to present an evening of engaging, entertaining performances

Local pianists Carter Johnson and Matthew Krell return to present an evening of engaging, entertaining performances.

The duo studied in Campbell River under Shelley Roberts from early ages and have been honoured at local, provincial, and national festivals.

They are both recipients of the Virginia Graczak Music Scholarship, the Dorothy Brealey Memorial Scholarship, and the Ruth Scott Chopin Competition, all administered by Campbell River Friends of Music. The pair are featured at numerous concerts and galas each year, and have excelled in competitions across North America.

Most recently, Krell was the winner of the California Association of Professional Music Teacher’s Sonata Competition, and Johnson was a prize winner at the 2016 Shean Competition in Edmonton.

Highlights of their concert will include Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz, but the repertoire will surpass the classical genres to encompass pop, rock, jazz, and more. Performing two nights only, Aug. 19 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Campbell River, and Aug. 20 7:30 p.m. at the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College in Courtenay.

Tickets, $30, are available at Quay West and the Campbell River Art Gallery (CR), Blue Heron Books (Comox), and Laughing Oyster Bookshop (Courtenay).

For ticket reservations, email: ClassicallyEntertained@yahoo.com with your name and number of desired tickets.

Campbell River Mirror