Red Deer’s Matthew Peavoy can now add — Carnegie Hall recital — to his musical resume.
The 22-year-old pianist, finishing up his bachelor degree in music and performance at Brandon University in Manitoba, was selected as one of several artists to play at Carnegie Hall in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition 2015.
Peavoy was among 16 pianists to win an honourable mention in the college students and professional musicians category.
The prize for all winners was to perform at the famous and prestigious New York City venue.
“It was a dream of mine,” said Peavoy about the opportunity to be on stage at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Nov. 28 where he performed Rachmaninoff Etude Tableaux op. 39, no. 9.
He said it was an amazing experience knowing how many legendary performers walked through the same doors, and perhaps played the same instruments.
Artists were judged solely on recordings they submitted to the competition.
Peavoy’s video submission can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc-QCSM4aAo.
Applications came from musicians across the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and South African Republic.
Peavoy was also captivated by New York’s acclaimed theatre and music district.
“Getting to see the musical environment. Seeing how close all these amazing facilities were like Juilliard, the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall — all within a couple blocks of each other. Radio City Music Hall. Broadway theatres. They are right there so if you ever needed inspiration, you could just go see a performance.”
He said New York City has so much to give musicians.
“It would be a place where I would want to live more than I’d want to travel to visit. It’s a place of so much opportunity and energy.”
Peavoy, a graduate of Lindsay Thurber Composite High School and a Red Deer Royals alumnus, said he would like to continue his music studies in the U.S. and eventually join a university faculty.
“Once I get my doctorate in music, I’d love to teach in university because there’s so much that goes into a role like that, not just teaching, but the research you get to perform. You get a wide diversity of experiences.”
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com