9th Annual San Francisco International Piano Festival
Opening Night: Postcards
Éva Polgár, piano (San Francisco debut)
Jeffrey LaDeur, piano
Samuel Barber Souvenirs for piano four-hands
Derek Bermel Turning
Franz Liszt Bénédiction et serment for piano four-hands, S. 628
Franz Liszt Deux légendes, S. 185 – I: St. François d’Assise: La predication aux oiseaux; II: St. François de Paule marchant sur les flots
Franz Liszt Gaudeamus igitur (Humoreske) for piano four-hands, S. 586
The 9th annual San Francisco International Piano Festival is proud to present its opening night concert at Old First Concerts, continuing the festival’s long-standing partnership with the series. As the season celebrates a kaleidoscope of international voices, the festival opens with Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs, a charming and sparkling suite of dances reflective of different musical traditions. Derek Bermel’s Turning presents a profound postcard in variation form, written after the composer’s studies in Ghana. Beginning with a simple hymn tune, the work explores an eclectic palette of musical styles in dramatic fashion. The music of Liszt is featured throughout the evening, a master musical storyteller who exploits the full tonal and technical possibilities of the piano.
This program features the San Francisco debut of renowned pianist Éva Polgár in solo works by Liszt and in duo works with festival founder and artistic director Jeffrey LaDeur. Ms. Polgár maintains an active and international performance schedule along with her dedication to mentoring the next generation of musicians. Her performances have been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, and at prominent venues throughout the United States and her native Hungary. Don’t miss this varied and exciting evening of classics and rare gems!
The San Francisco International Piano Festival is supported in part by a grant from the Ross McKee Foundation.
About the artists
Pianist Éva Polgár is a sought-after recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, educator, and adjudicator. Critics praise her for her “intelligent interpretations” (Funzine Magazine) and “emotional power” (New York Concert Review). Her dedication to her native Hungarian culture has led her to research Béla Bartók’s piano arrangements of his original orchestral compositions and to specialize in the music of Franz Liszt. Her solo album, Liszt: Harmonies patriotiques et religieuses, was released under Hunnia Records. She has appeared as a panelist and expert on BBC World Service’s program The Forum: Franz Liszt – Hungarian pianist and painter in sound.
Polgár has toured the Americas, Asia, and Europe. As the Hungary Foundation’s Cultural Ambassador of the Year in 2022, she performed a full program of musical treasures from Central Europe and Hungary at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Nichols Concert Hall in Chicago. Her concerto performances include appearances with conductors Horst Förster at the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Tamás Vásáry at the Danube Palace in Budapest, and Okko Kamu at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Her chamber music debut recitals at Carnegie Hall featured violinist Kristóf Baráti and clarinetist Bence Szepesi, and at the Kennedy Center she performed with pianists László Borbély and Gábor Varga, all to high critical acclaim. She has also collaborated with Klára Csordás (voice), Márta Ábrahám (violin), and Vilmos Szabadi (violin), among other renowned artists. Her long-standing duo partner is flutist Lisa Bost-Sandberg, with whom she recorded Asha Srinivasan’s virtuosic work Utthishta.
An avid promoter of contemporary music, Polgár actively collaborates with composers and new music performers. Her solo and collaborative repertoire ranges from Pierre Boulez to emerging composers. As a member of the InterSpheres Trio, alongside flutist Lisa Bost-Sandberg and percussionist Jacob Harpster, she has built an impressive performance history, commissioning and premiering works such as i/o (2017) by Daniel Tramte and dualith (2017) by Balázs Horváth, in addition to performing other trio and duo repertoire on national and international tours. She gave the world premiere of Andrew S. Lloyd’s Préludes: Book II at the University of Texas at San Antonio, supported by the Barlow Endowment. In the realm of cross-disciplinary endeavors, she collaborates with visual artist Sándor Vály. Their experimental music albums, released under Ektro Records, have been broadcast by Finnish Radio.
Polgár has won top prizes in competitions, including the 2012 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition (LAILC). In 2017, she was elected co-director of LAILC alongside Dr. Katherine Hickey, a role through which she fosters young musicians in the early stages of their professional careers. To support her work in mentoring emerging talents and promoting the musical heritage of Franz Liszt, the Hungarian Academy of Arts awarded her a three-year grant to design a series of twenty-nine concerts in Hungary and the United States between September 2020 and August 2023.
A graduate of the Franz Liszt University and the Sibelius Academy, Polgár earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas (UNT). Her former mentors include Jenő Jandó, Hamsa Al-Wadi Juris, Lívia Rév, Orsolya Szabó, and Adam Wodnicki.
A committed educator and adjudicator, she has given masterclasses and appeared at festivals and competitions such as LAILC, the Bogotá International Piano Festival in Colombia, East China Normal University, the Pacific Stars International Piano Competition, and the Southeastern Piano Festival, among many others. She is currently Assistant Professor of Piano and Keyboard Area Coordinator at East Tennessee State University. In addition to her teaching appointment, she serves as President of the Appalachian Music Teachers Association and as Executive Secretary on the Executive Board of the American Liszt Society. In this capacity, she hosted the American Liszt Society Festival at East Tennessee State University in fall 2025.
Jeffrey LaDeur is known for his rare blend of insight, spontaneity, and approachable, communicative stage presence. Clic Musique Magazine (France) lauded “… an irreproachable legato, a beautiful palette of nuances, and an always well-balanced sound.” Having inherited a rich tradition of pianism and interpretation from Annie Sherter, student of Vlado Perlemuter and Alfred Cortot, LaDeur has established himself as a compelling exponent of classic and new repertoire. In March of 2018, LaDeur made his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on the centennial of Claude Debussy’s death. He appears regularly with orchestra and maintains a repertoire of over 40 concerti. LaDeur is the founder and artistic director of the San Francisco International Piano Festival and president of the American Liszt Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.
2023-2024 season highlights include engagements at the International Piano Series, College of Charleston, Mendocino Music Festival Piano Series, Rossmoor Chamber Music Society, and the Vallejo Symphony led by Marc Taddei. LaDeur’s most recent solo recording features music of Liszt and was released by Music & Arts in April of 2022. Critic Henry Fogel wrote, “The beauty of his coloration, the rightness of his phrasing, and his sensitive dynamic shaping, all draw the listener into Liszt’s world.” A chamber musician of distinction, Jeffrey’s collaboration with mezzo soprano Kindra Scharich has produced To My Distant Beloved, an album exploring the connections between Beethoven and Schumann through cycles in song and solo piano works. LaDeur has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Robert Mann, Bonnie Hampton, Ian Swensen, Axel Strauss, Geoff Nuttall, and the Alexander String Quartet.
An active educator, Jeffrey offers masterclasses frequently as guest artist in universities throughout the United States and coaches gifted pre-college piano and string ensembles at Young Chamber Musicians in Burlingame, California. LaDeur holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and San Francisco Conservatory of Music in piano performance and chamber music, respectively. Jeffrey counts among his teachers Mark Edwards, Douglas Humpherys, Yoshikazu Nagai, and Robert McDonald.
