Sunday May 3, 2026 Reception Starts at 1:30PM; Performance begins at 2:30PM Tickets: $20 plus applicable fees & taxes Exclusive, Intimate Seating, Limited Tickets Available Light refreshments will be served, cash bar available.
IMPORTANT: do you have a food allergy? If so please call or email the box office to let them know after you've made your purchase so we can do our best to accommodate.
About Our Salon Concerts: The Gravenhurst Opera House invites you to experience Salon Concerts, an intimate new music series showcasing exceptional classical musicians twice a year on a Sunday afternoon.
Held in the coziest of spaces in the Gravenhurst Opera House, these performances feature dynamic ensembles, quartets, trios, and more, offering an engaging and eclectic musical experience.
For Spring 2026, we proudly present Michael Arnowitt.
Michael Arnowitt presents a vibrant and evocative program spanning the 1700s to today. At its heart are three captivating works by Claude Debussy. From Dawn to Noon on the Sea and Hommage à Rameau shimmer with the spacious colour and impressionist beauty for which Debussy is renowned, while the prelude The Interrupted Serenade reveals his gift for vividly portraying human character and emotion.
The concert opens with Bach’s joyful Gigue from the Partita in G Major, followed by the Adagio from Mozart’s String Quintet in G Minor, transcribed for piano by Arnowitt. Mozart’s music moves from warmth and lyricism to expressive intensity, unfolding as a deeply satisfying masterpiece.
The program also includes Variations on a Kentucky Folksong by George Walker, whose dynamic and powerful voice continues to gain long-overdue recognition. Walker was the first Black concert pianist, after World War II, to perform major piano concertos with America’s leading orchestras.
James Grant’s Waltz for Betz, written in 1999 by the Huntsville composer and longtime friend of the pianist, offers a gentle and heartfelt interlude.
The afternoon concludes with the spirited finale of Bartók’s Sonata for Piano — an exhilarating work energized by the folk rhythms and melodies of his native Hungary.
About The Performer:
Pianist, composer, and creative producer Michael Arnowitt is widely admired for his refined touch, tonal imagination, and warm connection with audiences. His performances have taken him on seven European tours, with concerts in France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as tours in Russia and Korea. He is also the subject of the documentary film Beyond 88 Keys, filmed in the USA and Europe.
The Washington Post, reviewing a special appearance at the National Gallery of Art, praised his “exquisite sense of touch, color and musical imagination.” He is currently completing a book of essays, What Makes Great Music Great, to be published by Fomite Press.
Over the course of 26 years, Arnowitt presented the complete 32 Beethoven piano sonatas in an innovative series aligning his own age with Beethoven’s at the time of composition — an exploration of artistic growth and the psychology of aging.
His creative projects often expand beyond the traditional recital format. These have included performances pairing music with culinary tastings, collaborations with visual artists creating live paintings, multimedia programs combining photography and spoken word, and his newest venture, Sense and Sound — a multi-sensory concert experience engaging sight, scent, touch, and taste alongside music.
Michael Arnowitt Website YouTube channel “Michael Arnowitt Music”
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