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Famed pianist to offer free concert

Thanks to generous Valley philanthropists Marcia and Gary Nelson, acclaimed pianist Richard Glazier will offer a free performance at Hanna Boys Center. Entitled “Richard Glazier Presents Gershwin – Remembrance and Discovery,” the event takes place Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Hanna Auditorium, 17000 Arnold Drive.

  An impressionable young Glazier saw the film “Girl Crazy” with a score by George and Ira Gershwin when he was only 9, before his years of classical training. So excited by the music he heard, Glazier was prompted to write a fan letter to famed lyricist Ira Gershwin. 

  After corresponding with each other for three years, Gershwin invited his young friend, then 12, to meet him in Beverly Hills. During their visit, Ira Gershwin asked Glazier to play a tune on the piano that once belonged to his brother, legendary composer George Gershwin. Fueled by Ira Gershwin's encouragement and interest, Glazier dedicated himself – that very day – to the Gershwin repertoire and the “American Popular Songbook,” eventually becoming one of the genre's leading authorities on the material, which he will share in Sonoma.

  Reservations are required by contacting Tamara Stanley at tstanley@hannacenter.org or 933-2504.

For more details, visit hannacenter.org.