For today’s Internet Interlude, we’re pleased to present an encore excerpt from our 2019-20 Musicfest concert season. On February 20th, the extraordinary young pianist Samuel Xu performed as guest soloist with the Festival Orchestra. Currently a student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music, Sam is an alumnus of Musicfest’s Young Musicians Program. Sam first came to Musicfest in 2012, when his prodigious talent was clear to all who heard the young pianist. In the years since, Sam was a frequent winner of Musicfest’s annual Young Musicians Competitions. Further, he served as an exemplary ambassador for our community outreach performances, as well as a beloved audience favorite at our Young Musicians Concerts.
As soloist with the Festival Orchestra, Sam performed the virtuosic Concerto No. 4 of Sergei Rachmaninoff. In response to the audience’s rousing standing ovation, Sam offered an impromptu encore. Here again is Samuel Xu performing the beautiful Prelude No. 21, Op. 11 in B-flat Major by Alexander Scriabin.