Join us for a powerful evening of music that transcends borders and fosters hope. Thomas Schwan, renowned pianist, will perform all 21 Chopin Nocturnes in a breathtaking recital to raise funds for a cause that saves lives. Our mission is to support surgical training in emerging countries, where access to skilled care can change the course of lives. Your contributions will directly support programs at the University of Illinois Chicago that equip surgeons with the skills needed to provide life-saving care in under-resourced regions. "Together, through music and compassion, we can build bridges and create a better, healthier world for all".
About Thomas Schwan Thomas Schwan (Milano, 1985) is an Italian–German pianist and composer. As a pianist, he performed extensively in Italy, the Netherlands, France, England, Russia, Panama, and the United States. Music honors include First Prize at the World Bach Competition in Boulder, Colorado (2020) and the Honors Diploma and Monte dei Paschi di Siena Prize from Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy (2011). While cultivating a repertoire that spans the whole history of Western music, he is currently specializing in the music of J.S. Bach and has recently given multiple live performances of the complete Well-Tempered Clavier. His WTC interpretations, recorded live in two recitals in 2019 and 2022, have gained an extraordinary following on YouTube and are widely appreciated by audiences, critics, and fellow musicians. Current and future projects include the performance and recording of The Art of the Fugue and the complete Chopin Nocturnes. He was deeply influenced by the instruction and mentorship of pianists Joaquín Achúcarro, under whom he studied at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and at Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and Pamela Mia Paul, his major professor at the University of North Texas in Denton. He is now a Joaquín Achúcarro Legacy Pianist.
As a composer, his music was performed and/or commissioned by members of the Asko|Schoenberg Ensemble Amsterdam, Voices of Change, Dallas Chamber Music Society, Meadows Wind Ensemble, Quartetto Mitja, Trio Chénier, and other renowned ensembles and soloists in Europe and in America. In 2017 he was awarded the Odyssée Artistic Residency as a composer and pianist at Abbaye Royale de Saint-Riquier (France), where he was commissioned a new work to be premiered onsite. He holds degrees from the University of North Texas (D.M.A., 2021), where he studied piano with P.M. Paul and composition with J. Klein, and Southern Methodist University (Artist Certificate, 2009; M.M., 2011 and 2014), where he studied piano with J. Achúcarro and composition with K. Hanlon. Former teachers include G. Galletta, A. Fortuna, G. Possio, E. Brusa, and S. Sargon. He taught piano and composition masterclasses in Italy, the Netherlands, and Panama, and maintains an active performing and teaching schedule worldwide. www.thomasschwan.com
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849) The 21 Nocturnes Thomas Schwan, piano
Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 in B flat minor: Larghetto Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E flat major: Andante Nocturne Op. 9 No. 3 in B major: Allegretto
Nocturne Op. 15 No. 1 in F major: Andante cantabile Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2 in F sharp major: Larghetto Nocturne Op. 15 No. 3 in G minor: Lento
Nocturne Op. 27 No. 1 in C sharp minor: Larghetto Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2 in D flat major: Lento sostenuto
- short intermission -
Nocturne Op. 32 No. 1 in B major: Andante sostenuto Nocturne Op. 32 No. 2 in A flat major: Lento
Nocturne Op. 37 No. 1 in G minor: Andante sostenuto Nocturne Op. 37 No. 2 in G major: Andantino
Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 in C minor: Lento Nocturne Op. 48 No. 2 in F sharp minor: Andantino
Nocturne Op. 55 No. 1 in F minor: Andante Nocturne Op. 55 No. 2 in E flat major: Lento sostenuto
- short intermission -
Nocturne Op. 62 No. 1 in B major: Andante Nocturne Op. 62 No. 2 in E major: Lento
Nocturne in E minor, WN 23: Andante Lento con gran espressione in C sharp minor, WN 37 Nocturne in C minor, WN 6
