Kessa Mefford is an award-winning concert pianist and musician who has a studio and lives in Peekskill. In December 2022, Kessa made her Carnegie Hall debut with a historic program; “Ravel: All of It,” the complete art songs of Ravel with soprano Kristina Cook which can be purchased on KessaMefford.com or via Itunes or Amazon. 

Kessa wanted to bring classical music to Peekskill and a few years ago began hosting classical musicians monthly in a series called “Piano at Noon”. Piano at Noon is the first public classical music concert series in the City of Peekskill. The classical lunchtime concert series will be held at the Mefford Music Studio at 1016 Brown St, also referred to as the Paramount East or the Masonic Temple. The venue is an intimate space, with the capacity to seat 25-30.

This Tuesday, March 12 at Noon, tenor Matt Marano will join Kessa Medford in performing art songs in French, German, English, and Italian, by Debussy, Schubert, Vaughan Williams, Rossini, and Tosti. Matt has been singing with Taconic Opera since 2020. He most recently appeared as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos. Before that he appeared in Taconic Opera’s productions of Manon by Massenet, Manon Lescaut by Puccini, and La Traviata by Verdi. He has also appeared with the New York Opera Conservatory in the lead roles of Norma, Lucia di Lammermoor, Pearl Fishers, Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Il Tabarro, Tosca, and Elixir of Love. Matthew graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Tickets for the March 12 and all “Piano at Noon” series can be purchased using this link and are $10 if reserved in advance. Tickets can also be bought at the door for $15 via cash or Venmo. The series will still accept donations from attendees who wish to contribute more than this! All proceeds go directly to the performing artists. More upcoming dates, performers, and repertoire for the series will be added as they are scheduled. 

Don’t miss April 5, 2024 when pianist Cade Roberts will perform the complete Schubert Sonata D.960. This was Schubert’s last sonata before his death, and one of the most beautiful pieces of piano music ever composed. Cade Robets is an active recitalist and chamber musician who has performed throughout Europe and the United States including at Carnegie Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Pärnu Concert Hall (Estonia), and St. Peter’s Church (Vienna). Recent engagements have included performances at the Gijón International Piano Festival (Spain), Orchestra of St. Luke’s Young Artists Series, and New York Estonian House. In May he will earn a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music where he studies with Marc Silverman.

Follow Kessa Mefford on Facebook and on Instagram via the hyperlinks. 

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