Pianist Teresa Walters, a familiar face on the world’s greatest concert stages, is performing in Penticton Wednesday night.
Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, Walters came upon her musical prowess in a surprising fashion.
“I was a complete surprise. We didn’t even have a piano. My grandmother had one with missing keys and chips and such. The family was all gathered around the table one day in the kitchen and I was just four years old. Something came on the television and suddenly I went to the piano and played it,” said Walters. “All the adults stopped what they were doing and looked at each other saying we didn’t know she could play. They immediately got me lessons and I am grateful.”
Walters is considered by many as one of the top tier piano soloists in the world. She has performed as recitalist and orchestral soloist on six continents and in most of the U.S. Venues including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Salle Cortot in Paris, Moscow’s Great Hall and more.
She will next grace the stage at the Cleland Community Theatre as part of the Penticton Community Concert series.
“The 88 keys are still the same, the music is the same, the compositions are the same and the calling I feel to do this is the same,” said Walters of how she approaches each stage. “There are more things that are similar, even when I am in a country where I don’t speak the language when you hear the opening bars of the music everyone understands. That is what I think I love most about what I do. It supercedes any cultural barriers and a heritage we share as world citizens.”
Walters is like a musical ambassador who engages the audience with her uniquely branded Keynote Comments. The inspiration came to her while performing on college campuses. Walters shares information about the music before performing various selections. Her comments are insightful and often entertaining.
The Penticton Community Concert Society strives to bring first-class live entertainment to the Penticton area. Over the years they have presented nearly 300 concerts and have filled over 200,000 seats. This season they will be bringing the New Oxford String Quartet on Oct. 11, Bergmann Piano Duo, Artists of the Royal Conservatory Ensemble on March 22, 2014, and will have a showcase devoted to local artists on May 7, 2014.
Season tickets for all five concerts can be purchased at the Shatford Centre. These tickets are $90 for adults and $15 for students.
For the first time in its 60 year history, Penticton Community Concerts is selling single tickets and their first show is Wednesday, Sept. 25, with Walters. Single tickets can be purchased at the Shatford Centre or at the door at the Cleland Community Theatre on the concert night.
Tickets are $30 for an adult and $5 for a student.
