Free Pro-D Workshop: Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Monday, September 30th,
10am – 12pm

Teachers and interested community members are invited to a free seminar on Beethoven’s piano sonatas with LCMS composer-in-residence, Marcel Bergmann. In this workshop, Marcel will explore some of the sonatas that were written around 1800 and onward – Op.26, Op.27/2 (“Moonlight”), Op.28,Op.31/2 (“Tempest”) and Op.31/3. If time permits, one or two works from the later period (i.e.Op.78, Op.90) might be included as well.

Marcel will discuss the specific musical and formal aspects of each work as well as particular challenges, teaching approaches and practice tips.

The seminar will be held in the Rose Gellert Hall on Monday, September 30 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

About Marcel Bergmann

A native of Munich, Germany, Marcel Bergmann studied musicology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover with Arie Vardi. For the last 25 years, Marcel has enjoyed an active musical career as a performer, composer, improviser, lecturer and teacher.

Marcel has been involved as composer and musical director in a variety of theatre, cabaret and multimedia projects. The BavarianTelevision, Arte and other European broadcasting corporations, have broadcast his music for television features. In 2004, he was a composer-in-residence for Calgary Opera’s Let’s create an Opera programme. In 2005, Marcel’s Urban Pulse for two pianos was premiered as the commissioned work for The 10th Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition. His large-scale work, Requiem for a Lost Girl, premiered in 2010 at Calgary’s High Performance Rodeo and was also presented as part of the New York Music Theatre Festival in July 2012, as well as at the Vancouver Opera Festival in 2018.

Marcel has been commissioned by various organizations including the CBC, the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble, the Spiritus Chamber Choir, the Langley Community Music School, the VSO School of Music, and the San Francisco International Music Festival.

In addition to his international performing career as one half of the Bergmann Piano Duo, he has been active as a chamber musician, clinician, juror, collaborative pianist and vocal coach. In 2004/2005, Marcel and his wife were Artistic Directors of The Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition and Foundation in Miami. He has been on faculty at Mount Royal University, the University of Calgary, and served as Artistic Director, as well as Director of Program Advancement, at the Langley Community Music School. He has also been involved in various musical activities at The Banff Centre for the Arts. From 2009 -2013, he was Professor of Music at Mohawk College in Hamilton/Ontario.

Marcel is currently Artistic Director of White Rock Concerts and Resident Composer at LCMS. He is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre.