Campbell River’s Carter Johnson will be presenting the grand finale to this year’s Comox Valley Piano Society concert season.
At a Sunday afternoon concert on April 22, concertgoers will have the rare opportunity to see and hear this up and coming 15-year-old pianist whose talent is beginning to receive recognition across Canada.
Last summer, Johnson represented B.C. in the national competition in Regina and despite being the youngest performer on the stage, came away with $4,500 in prizes as well as high praise from attending teachers and critics. Carter has trouble curbing his enthusiasm for the music he is going to perform. The Bach he will present is “one of the most beautiful of the composer’s preludes and fugues,” he says.
The Beethoven Sonata op.31 #1 is rarely heard but is charming and full of humour; Ravel’s Jeux d’eau is “virtuosity perfectly paired with lyricism.”
He will also be playing two works by Chopin and The Piano Variations by the Canadian composer Jacques Hetu. The later work is in the modern idiom which many listeners find difficult. But Carter feels he has found a remarkable piece of music and is sure he can convince the audience of its merits. Johnson says he has been influenced by many pianists and teacher-clinicians but has special praise for his teacher, Shelley Roberts with whom he has been studying for 10 years. He says he is always looking for inspiration, ideas and guidance but in the end, “I want to put my own brand on whatever I play.”
The concert is on Sunday, April 22 at 2:30 p.m. at the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College. All tickets are $15 and are available at Videos’N More, Laughing Oyster Books and Blue Heron Books. Tickets will also be available at the door. For more information call 339-7782