Shriver Hall Concert Series Presents Acclaimed Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, June 12

On Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 5:30pm, Shriver Hall Concert Series - Baltimore's premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists - presents Irani-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. Esfahani was the first and only harpsichordist to be a BBC New Generation Artist (2008-2010). He is a 2009 Borletti-Buitoni prize winner, and has been nominated for Gramophone's Artist of the Year for 2014, 2015, and 2017.

Esfahani performs a recital full of extraordinary color, vitality, and freshness, featuring Johann Pachelbel's Fantasia ex dis and Chaconne in D major; Louis Andriessen's Overture to Oprheus; Domenico Scarlatti's Six Sonatas; J.S. Bach's Toccata in D major, BWV 912; and Luc Ferrari's Programme commun for harpsichord and tape. Noted for his charisma and virtuosity, Esfahani excels at the instrument's traditional repertoire while also working with today's leading composers.

"I'm honored to be making my debut in a unique city with a program every bit as characterful and full of life as Baltimore, whether it's Scarlatti's depictions of the tension between inner life and the tumult of the everyday world, or Luc Ferrari's provocations to a society whose relationship to music has fallen into routine," said Esfahani. "I can't wait to be at Shriver Hall on an all-too-rare visit to the United States."

Concert Information
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 5:30pm
Shriver Hall | 3400 N. Charles Street | Baltimore, MD 21218
Tickets: $44 for seated ticket or home livestream.
Link: https://www.shriverconcerts.org/concert/mahan-esfahani-harpsichord/

JOHANN PACHELBEL: Fantasia ex dis
JOHANN PACHELBEL: Chaconne in D major
LOUIS ANDRIESSEN: Overture to Oprheus
DOMENICO SCARLATTI: Six Sonatas
J.S. BACH: Toccata in D major, BWV 912
LUC FERRARI: Programme commun for harpsichord and tape

About Mahan Esfahani
Mahan Esfahani has made it his life's mission to rehabilitate the harpsichord in the mainstream of concert instruments, and to that end his creative programming and work in commissioning new works have drawn the attention of critics and audiences across Europe, Asia, and North America. He was the first and only harpsichordist to be a BBC New Generation Artist (2008-2010), a Borletti-Buitoni prize winner (2009), and a nominee for Gramophone's Artist of the Year (2014, 2015, and 2017).

His work for the harpsichord has resulted in recitals in most of the major series and concert halls, amongst them London's Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, Berlin Konzerthaus, Zurich Tonhalle, Wiener Konzerthaus, Cologne Philharmonie, Edinburgh International Festival, and the Leipzig Bach Festival, and concerto appearances with the Chicago Symphony, Ensemble Modern, BBC Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, Czech Radio Symphony, Orquesta de Navarra, Malta Philharmonic, Montreal's Les Violons du Roy, Hamburg Symphony, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, with whom he was an artistic partner for 2016-2018.

His discography includes recordings for Hyperion and Deutsche Grammophon - garnering one Gramophone award, two BBC Music Magazine Awards, a Diapason d'Or and 'Choc de Classica' in France, and an ICMA. Esfahani studied musicology and history at Stanford University, he studied harpsichord privately in Boston with Peter Watchorn before completing his formation under the celebrated Czech harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková. He can be frequently heard as a commentator on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 and as a host for such programs as Record Review, Building a Library, and Sunday Feature where he is currently at work on his fourth radio documentary. Born in Tehran in 1984 and raised Potomac, Maryland, he now lives in Prague. Learn more at www.mahanesfahani.com.

About Shriver Hall Concert Series
For more than 50 years, Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) has been "Baltimore's finest importer of classical music talent" (The Baltimore Sun) and the area's premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists with a mission to craft performances and educational programs at the highest level of excellence. A 5-time recipient of Baltimore Magazine's distinction "Best Classical Music" in its annual "Best of Baltimore" issue, the coveted subscription series features many of the world's most renowned soloists and ensembles, presented in The Johns Hopkins University's Shriver Hall.

Founded in 1966 by Dr. Ernest Bueding, a pharmacologist at The Johns Hopkins University, and a group of similarly dedicated music enthusiasts, SHCS set out to make an important contribution to the vitality of an already vibrant city. When flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal walked onto the stage of Shriver Hall for the first concert, more than 1,100 people witnessed the launch of what is now recognized as a remarkable success story: Shriver Hall Concert Series. In the succeeding years SHCS has presented hundreds of acclaimed and emerging International Artists in classical chamber music and recitals and a legacy of important debuts and premieres. In addition, SHCS collaborates with local schools and subsidizes hundreds of student tickets each season.

The list of artists presented by SHCS is remarkable-Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Ewa Podlés, Maurizio Pollini, Jacqueline du Pré, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jordi Savall, András Schiff, Rudolf Serkin, Janos Starker, Daniil Trifonov, Lynn Harrell, Emmanuel Ax, Alban Berg Quartet, Guarneri Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, and Quartetto Italiano, among many others. SHCS also has a history of championing important musicians early in their careers, including Richard Goode, Hilary Hahn, Hélène Grimaud, Dawn Upshaw, Lang Lang, and the Emerson String Quartet. Commissioned composers include Timo Andres, Sebastian Currier, Jonathan Leshnoff, James Lee III, Hannah Lash, and Nina C. Young.

Designed specifically for the community, SHCS offers the Discovery Series, a series of free concerts presented in venues throughout the region focused on artists emerging on the national and international scene. Artists featured include Narek Hakhnazaryan, Colin Currie, Xavier Foley, and the Dover Quartet. SHCS also offers the annual Spring Lecture Series, a series of free talks focused on annual topics related to the intersection of music and society, and a variety of student programs.

For more information, visit www.shriverconcerts.org.