A native of Los Angeles, Norman Krieger is one of the most acclaimed pianists of his generation and is highly regarded as an artist of depth, sensitivity and virtuosic flair. As the Los Angeles Times put it, “Krieger owns a world of technique-take that for granted. He always knows exactly where he is going and what he is doing. He never for instant miscalculates. He communicates urgently but with strict control. He is alert to every manner of nuance and at every dynamic level his tone flatters the ear.”
Myung -Whun Chung, Donald Runnicles, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Jaap van Zweden and Zubin Mehta are just a few of the conductors with whom Krieger has collaborated. Krieger regularly appears with the major orchestras of North America, among them the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and the National Symphony. He has performed throughout Europe, Asia and South America including tours of Germany, France, Poland, Holland Scandinavia, Korea, China, New Zealand and Israel. He recently performed at the PyeongChang Music festival in Korea. In September 2014, he recorded the Brahms Sonata Op. 1 and the Piano Concerto No. 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Philip Ryan Mann, which will be released on Decca.
In recital, Krieger has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico and Asia, while chamber music collaborations have included appearances with soprano Sheri Greenawald, violinists Paul Huang, Sarah Chang, Pamela Frank and Mihaela Martin, violist Nobuko Imai, cellists Myung Wha Chung, Jian Wang, Edward Aaron and Frans Helmersen as well as the Tokyo string quartet. His debut at New York City’s prestigious Carnegie Hall and Mostly Mozart Festival earned him an immediate invitation to Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series. Krieger made headlines by being named the Gold Medal Winner of the first Palm Beach Invitational Piano Competition.
He began his studies in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Esther Lipton. At age 15, he became a full-scholarship student of Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School where he earned both his Bachelor and Master degrees. Subsequently, he studied with Alfred Brendel and Maria Curcio in London and earned an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he worked with Russell Sherman.
A champion of contemporary music, he features the music of John Adams, Leonard Bernstein, John Corigliano, Daniel Brewbaker, Donald Crockett, Judith St. Croix, Lukas Foss, Henri Lazarof and Lowell Liebermann among his active repertoire.
Krieger is the founding artistic director of The Prince Albert Music Festival in Hawaii. Since 2008, he has served on the summer faculty at the Brevard Music Festival in North Carolina. From 1997 to 2016 he was a professor at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. In August 2016 he was appointed Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
The Carolina Concert Choir began in 1979 as the Carolina Chamber Singers, a madrigal group of 12 voices. The group was under the direction of Dr. Robert Barrow, retired head of the Music Department at Williams College. From 1980 to 1996, the choir was directed by Beverly Ward, dean of the Western North Carolina chapter of the Guild of Organists. The group performed classical and contemporary pieces, some composed by Ward. For the next six years, now renamed the Carolina Concert Choir, the group was led by several guest conductors. In 2002, Bradford Gee was hired as Artistic Director/Conductor. He led the Choir until 2013. Under his aegis, the Choir performed at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.
In 2013, Professor Lawrence Doebler became the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Choir. He had a rich and varied career as a choral conductor, teacher, clinician and organizer. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Washington University. He first taught and conducted at Smith College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Then, throughout his 35 years at Ithaca College, in addition to concert performances there, he led the Ithaca College Choral Union and Symphony Orchestra in concerts at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and other major venues. During his five years with the Carolina Concert Choir, Professor Doebler led us with performances providing an eclectic repertoire of classical, popular, and unique compositions such as Carmina Burana. He took the choir to perform the Mozart Requiem at Carnegie Hall during May 2018.
Today, under the direction of our new Artistic Director and Conductor, Dr. Michael Lancaster, the Carolina Concert Choir is comprised of the highly capable voices of auditioned singers from Hendersonville, Asheville, Brevard, and upstate South Carolina. Our repertoire continues with a varied mix from the classical choral and choral/symphonic literature and lighter fare, including many favorites at our concerts. The Carolina Concert Choir is proud to take its place along with Flat Rock Playhouse, the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra and local arts organizations in enriching the cultural environment of our community.
