Breckenridge Texan

Breckenridge band students were treated to a concert featuring masterpieces performed by two Piatigorsky Foundation artists, cellist Evan Drachman and pianist Chelsea Wang, at the National Theatre on Monday. The concerts were sponsored by Friends of Historic Breckenridge.

In addition to playing music for the students, Drachman also answered students questions and discussed the history of classical music and the history of the cello and how its design created and amplified the sound of the music it made.

Drachman is the founder and artistic director of The Piatigorsky Foundation, and has become a respected authority on the presentation of live classical music for diverse audiences everywhere. His career combines musical talent with artistic vision.

In 1999, Drachman recorded his first CD, A Frog He Went a Courting, with pianist Richard Dowling.  Following that success, he and Dowling released two more recordings, Infinity in 2004 and Romance and Revelation in 2007.

Drachman has appeared regularly as a soloist with orchestras, and in recitals and chamber music performances across the United States and abroad.  Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he studied at the Peabody Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, and received his BMA from the Curtis Institute of Music.  He has spent his summers performing at music festivals in the United States and abroad. Drachman lives in Maryland with his wife, Joan, and their two sons, Eli and Oliver.

Praised by the New York Times as an “excellent young pianist,” Wang has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in many venues across North America, Asia, and Europe, including The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Merkin Hall in New York City.

She is a prizewinner and finalist of many national and international piano competitions, and has performed alongside eminent musicians including Ida Kavafian, Ani Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom and other inspirational mentors.

Wang has been a soloist with orchestras across the country, including Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Des Moines Symphony Orchestra.  She has been featured on radio shows including NPR’s “From the Top,” “What Makes It Great,” along with programs on Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New York’s WQXR, and Philadelphia’s WHYY Public Radios.

A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Wang is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvaia, where she studied with Ignat Solzhenitsyn and Meng-Chieh Liu.  She is currently pursuing a Graduate Diploma with Leon Fleisher at Peabody Conservatory.

Last year, The Piatigorsky Foundation presented a tour of West Texas consisting of nine concerts that reached over 1,175 people in Snyder, Fort Stockton, Marfa and Junction.  Likewise, this year The Piatigorsky Foundation aims to reach hundreds of people across West Texas to increase awareness and appreciation of classical music in communities throughout the state.

Cellist Evan Drachman answers students’ questions during a concert at the National Theatre on Monday. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenrige Texan)

Cutline, Top Photo: Cellist Evan Drachman and pianist Chelsea Wang perform for Breckenridge band students during a concert at the National Theatre on Monday. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)