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The Adams Foundation Piano Recital Series
How It Started
When John and Richard Contiguglia attended their
40th class reunion at Yale in June of 1999, they presented their
classmates and their wives with a piano recital in Sprague Hall, which
took place before the formal class dinner. During the dinner, a
classmate, Stephen Adams, whom Richard and John had not known as
undergraduates, introduced himself to them, remarking at the time that
the only topic of conversation at his table was the twin’s earlier
recital. During the dinner Mr. Adams had been honored for his
generous gift to the Yale School of Music as part of the class reunion
gift to the university.
After this encounter Mr. Adams invited Richard and
John to give a concert at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara for the
benefit of the Music Academy of the West. During their visit to
Santa Barbara, the Contiguglias were asked by Mr. Adams how someone
like him could help pianists like them. Richard and John
responded that, what pianists like them needed was not subsidy, but
work, as the market for live music, particularly for piano recitals,
was fast disappearing in America.
They proposed to Mr. Adams the idea of organizing
piano recitals in small communities that would be sponsored locally,
but that the Adams Foundation would subsidize. Subsequent
conversations and proposals led to a pilot-project of 5 different
venues, each presenting 2 piano recitals, under the title of the Adams
Foundation Piano Recital Series. The Contiguglias recruited
outstanding American pianists to be part of the program and received a
commitment from Steinways to make its concert-department pianos
available to the artists. Thus began a novel program that all
parties hoped would regenerate piano recitals throughout America.
The Results
Responses from participating pianists and local sponsors were equally enthusiastic:
"The absence of live performances at the community level has
contributed to an estrangement on the part of audiences from classical
music, and to audiences doubting their own responses to the
music. Sadly, these audiences have sought the reassurance that
comes from the marketing of superstars and the pronouncements of
critics as a substitute for personal reactions to the beauties of the
piano's art. I, as a performer, feel inspired by the
possibilities that the Adams Series represents, and I sense that
audiences will develop their own genuine responses by being exposed to
an older and truer idea of what a recital really is. Adams
chooses small halls with excellent acoustics." -Jeanne Stark-Iochmanns
"After an Adams recital by Jon Nakamatsu, an elderly lady wrote me: I
left the church with chills on my body (the recital ended with Brahms
Sonata in F Minor). The music, the artists, the pianos create a
visceral presence, impossible in most large modern halls." -John
Contiguglia
"There was a time when great pianists of the day - Serkin, Arrau,
Richter - came through our area, but nowadays presenters say they can't
make money on them. But along comes the Adams Foundation that is
actively working to bring live music at affordable prices to smaller
venues. Without the support of this generous and visionary
foundation, the Performing Arts Series would not have been able to
present the extraordinary musicians we have. Judging from the
response of the cheering crowds at the concerts, piano recitals will
once again become a dynamic thread in the cultural tapestry of 'The
Rennaissance City'" -Michael Ducharme, Director of the Nazarian Center
for the Performing Arts in Providence, RI.
After 13 years the Adams Piano Recital Series came to an end, but not
without the following letters of appreciation from many of the
participating pianists to the Contiguglias and to the Foundation:
Simone Dinnerstein: "Dear Richard and John, I am so sad to hear that
the concerts will be coming to an end. You and Richard really created
something very special, with the very generous support of Denise and
Steven Adams. It has been an honor and a privilege for me to be part of
this series."
Jon Nakamatsu: "Dear John and Richard, I cannot tell you how sorry I am
to hear the news. I CAN tell you how eternally grateful I am to you
both for the wonderful experience which you afforded me during these
past years with the Adams Foundation. You have done amazing work and,
through the Foundation, brought music to places that otherwise would
never hear such repertoire and artists. I am so honored to have met and
known you both and look forward to seeing you in the future. You’re
tops on my list!!! Thank you for everything. Much affection, John N."
Joseph Kalichstein: "Hi Friends, I am sickened by this. Thank you both
for your part in this fantastic venture, and I feel very lucky we got
to know each other! Let’s stay in touch. With a big, big hug, Yours,
Yossi"
Steven Mayer: "Dear John and Richard, Thank you for many years’ worth
of opportunity, experience and happy times. You and the Adamses are
both rare and wonderful people. May your spirits go on in endless
reincarnations as this particular one comes to a close. With affection,
Steven"
Ursula Oppens: "Dear John: These concerts were wonderful, and I am
grateful to have participated in them. Thank you so much for having
included me. With best wishes, Ursula"
Soyeon Kate Lee: "Thank you, John! I have been meaning to write you --
I was so sad to hear about the Adams Foundation discontinuing ... but
you both have done so much for pianists and audiences, and have our
gratitude!"
Frederic Chiu: "Dear John and Richard, Thank you for bringing this to
life and for nurturing it, on behalf of myself and the audiences that I
was able to reach through this. I appreciate so much the incredible
effort and dedication you’ve put into this program. I feel fortunate to
have been able to experience it in these final years, as what you say
is very true: there is no other program like this. Again, many thanks,
Frederic"
Ann Schein: "Dear
John and Richard, It was with profound sadness that I received your
message about the termination of the Adams Foundation Piano Recital
Series. This visionary project has brought pure joy to each of
your chosen pianists and, hopefully, it has brought the great
literature of the piano to countless audiences and new young
talents across the country...a great mission! It has been a unique
privilege to be a part of this inspired mission, and the extraordinary
generosity of Denise and Stephen Adams; your tremendous artistry,
recognized instantly by these two beautiful souls, when you performed
at Yale, will resound in our American cultural history. It has been an
honor to have been included in these memorable twelve years. With
affection and respect for you both and with the hope that our special
friendship may continue unabated."
Jeanne Stark-Iochmans: "My most cherished friends: When we met, I was
very excited about your appreciation, and after you opened the
wonderful opportunity for me to actually share my music-making in these
made-to-order venues (Adams Recitals), I know, and I told you both many
times, “You have changed my life.” I am infinitely grateful to you for
my having lived all these years of these experiences, truly the most
exciting times of my life. I felt so worthwhile, and I know I sounded
better at each concert. I am so sad that the program is now ending,
but, also, I am forever grateful, since I know that the power of good
never ends. Love, Jeanne"
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