Hempy Keyboard Series

Live in our theater, virtual in your home. Streaming in beautiful HD!

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Hempy

Each winter the SCA offers a curated selection of intimate piano concerts presented in our lobby. More than just a concert, these world-class musicians perform classical, modern, and jazz works; along with sharing stories and engaging with the audience.

This year we are thrilled to bring the Hempy Keyboard Series performances straight to your living room through an exclusive livestream experience filmed from our Bertha Krueger Reid Theater in Saugatuck MI. After the performance, you can participate in a virtual Q&A session with our performers. Unable to watch the live show? A recorded version of the show will remain active for (72) hours after the live performance.

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2021 Hempy Performers

Dr. Frank Huang

Saturday, Jan 30, 2021

Frank Huang is a Steinway Artist and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Piano at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Previously, he was a faculty member at The College of Wooster and The Cleveland Institute of Music. Described by New York Concert Review as a “thoughtful and accomplished performer” and that his playing was “impressive for its maturity and refinement,” Mr. Huang has gained international recognition for his artistry and technical command.  Others have also acknowledged his talents, as the Chopin Foundation of the United States, Northwest Chapter has commented that “Huang plays with authority and panache”, while El Comerico of Lima, Peru praised his interpretation of Mozart’s Piano Concerto, K.482 “with the utmost sensitivity.”

Chopin, Polonaise-fantasy in A Flat Major, Op. 61
Florence Price, Fantasie Nègre No. 4 in B minor
Beethoven, Variations and Fugue in E flat Major, Op. 35 “Eroica.”

Alexis Lombre

Thursday, Feb 11, 2021

“At [23], Alexis Lombre has the work ethic of a veteran jazz star. “- Detroit Metro Times.
Alexis Lombre is a young jazz pianist who discovered early that the true essence of music is not just about what you hear but how music makes you feel. Her musical mission is to keep the ‘Soul’ in music alive. The 2017 release of her debut album, “Southside Sounds”, does just that, as it is a soulful reflection of her upbringing on Chicago’s Southside. This collection of her original compositions is an attempt to pay homage to the Southside’s lively artistic, cultural heritage. In addition to her debut record, she was featured on “Lifetime: Tribute to Geri Allen” by The Young Detroit Jazz Giants (2018), “Live The Spirit Residency Presents: The Young Masters” (2016), and Mikel Patrick Avery’s “Music for a 1/2 Sized Piano” (2014). She has studied with jazz luminaries which include Willie Pickens, Benny Green, Geri Allen, and Robert Hurst.

Michael Malis

Friday, Feb 26, 2021

Michael Malis is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit, Michigan. A multi-faceted musical artist, he works across genres in improvisational, concert music, and interdisciplinary settings. His March 2020 release, Three Pieces for Piano, was praised by the Southeast Michigan Jazz Association as “thrilling music, with shifting harmonic and rhythmic qualities that require prodigious precise technique and the kind of generic versatility that few pianists achieve.” His duo project with saxophonist Marcus Elliot, Balance, has been praised as “contemporary jazz of the highest order, a benchmark for where the genre can go” (Detroit Metro Times.)

Robert Nance

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Maestro Nance brings a sensitivity and skill to bear as an accomplished soloist and accompanist. He has a Bachelor of Music degree in keyboard performance from DePauw University School of Music. (Greencastle, Indiana) and a Master of Music degree in conducting from the Peabody Conservatory of Music (Baltimore, Maryland) where he distinguished himself as an accompanist and vocal coach.

In addition to his active performance schedule, Maestro Nance has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, a guest conductor for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, collaborated with luminaries as Robert Page, Alice Parker, Broadway legend J. Mark McVey and the Swedish ensemble The Real Group, and he has performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. He has received many honors and awards, including the Indiana Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. The Attitude Series recordings feature Robert’s piano and organ performances, and the recording “The Spirit of Christmas,” featuring Heartland Vocal Artists, has received rave reviews.

How to Watch

Click on the emailed link when you are ready to begin the show and enter the password.. NOTE – if you login before the show begins you will need to refresh your page.

Q&A Post-Performance: Use the chat feature to ask questions of our pianist. An SCA member will make sure your voice is heard! The chat feature will only work on a laptop or tablet.

You can access the recorded performance for up to 72 after the live performance.

Some tips for preparing your viewing experience:
If you plan to watch via your TV…

  • If you own a Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Smart TV or Apple TV, you can download the Vimeo app, connect to your account and stream. Note: live Q&As are not available on smart TVs.
  • You can also Cast or Airplay the performance to your TV. For this option use your smartphone, tablet or laptop to Cast (Google Chromecast) or Airplay (Apple) the screening to your TV.
  • You can plug in your laptop or device into your TV through an HDMI cable.

If you plan to watch via your computer or tablet, click the link provided in your email to begin the show.

Whether you are watching from a TV, computer or phone, make sure your speakers are on and working properly.