Masterclass with Pianist Enrico Pace

Program Information

Join us as an audience member for a free public piano masterclass led by acclaimed Italian pianist Enrico Pace, winner of the Franz Liszt International Competition. An internationally sought-after soloist and chamber musician, Pace has performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala, Wigmore Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, and major festivals including Salzburg, Lucerne, Verbier, and Edinburgh. He has collaborated with leading artists including Leonidas Kavakos, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Akiko Suwanai, and Sung-Won Yang, and his recording of the complete Beethoven sonatas for piano and violin with Kavakos received a GRAMMY Award nomination.

In this interactive session, students from the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and through the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association perform and receive personalized coaching from Pace before a live audience. It’s a rare opportunity for music lovers and fellow piano students to observe the creative process up close, as developing artists refine their technique, interpretation, and musical expression under the guidance of one of Europe’s leading pianists.

Artist Biography

Enrico Pace, piano

Born in Rimini, Enrico Pace studied with Franco Scala at the Pesaro Conservatory, where he also graduated in composition and conducting. He furthered his studies at the International Piano Academy “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola, and his invaluable mentor thereafter was Belgian teacher Jacques de Tiège.

After winning first prize at the Franz Liszt International Competition in Utrecht in 1989, Enrico Pace has performed all over the world: Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala and Sala Verdi in Milan, Rome, Berlin, Wigmore Hall in London, Dublin, Herkulessaal in Munich, Prague, Philharmonie in Berlin and various cities in South America. He has been invited to play at numerous international festivals, including Lucerne, Salzburg, Edinburgh, La Roque d’Anthéron, Rheingau, Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Husum and the Brescia and Bergamo Piano Festivals.

Highly regarded as a soloist, he performs with such prestigious orchestras as the Royal Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, the Munich Philharmonic, the Bamberger Symphoniker, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (RFO), the Netherlands Philharmonic the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Göteborg, London and Stavanger Symphony Orchestras, the Brussels Philharmonic, the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg, the Rheinische Philharmonie, the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the MDR-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, the Camerata Salzburg, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the G. Verdi of Milan and the Filarmonica Toscanini of Parma.

Enrico Pace has collaborated with numerous conductors including Roberto Benzi, Gianandrea Noseda, Zoltan Kocsis, Kazimierz Kord, Mark Elder, Lawrence Foster, Vassily Sinaisky, Stanislav Skrowaczewski, Bruno Weil, Andrey Boreyko, Eliahu Inbal, Carlo Rizzi, Jan Latham-Koenig, Walter Weller and Antoni Wit.

Enrico Pace has also collaborated with such violinists as Leonidas Kavakos, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Akiko Suwanai, and Liza Ferschtman, and with cellist Sung-Won Yang, performing with them in Europe, the USA, and Asia.

Other partners in the field of chamber music include not only cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, clarinetist Sharon Kam, pianist Igor Roma and cornetist Marie Luise Neunecker, but also the Keller Quartet, RTE Vanbrugh Quartet and the Prometheus Quartet. A regular guest at chamber festivals, he has visited Delft, Moritzburg, Risør, Kuhmo, Montreux, Stresa and West Cork.

Past highlights include the Beethoven Sonatas cycle, with Leonidas Kavakos, in New York (Carnegie Hall), Athens, Florence, Milan, Amsterdam, Moscow, Tokyo, at the Salzburg Festival and Beethovenfest Bonn, as well as other performances in the United States, Europe and China. He has also performed Bach Sonatas with Frank Peter Zimmermann in New York, Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt, Bamberg and Japan. With Matthias Goerne he brought Schubert’s Schwanengesang to La Scala in Milan. In Zurich, Frankfurt and Cologne he played with violist Antoine Tamestit, in Japan and at London’s Wigmore Hall with Akiko Suwanai, and in Korea and Japan with cellist Sung-Won Yang. As a soloist he has performed in such halls as the Concergebouw in Amsterdam and the Herkulessaal in Munich.

With Leonidas Kavakos and cellist Patrick Demenga he recorded Mendelssohn’s Piano Trios (Sony Classical). His recording of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for piano and violin with Leonidas Kavakos was released by Decca Classics in January 2013 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. In April 2016 Decca Classics released a CD in which the duo performs virtuosic pieces. With Frank-Peter Zimmermann he recorded Busoni’s Sonata No. 2 and J.S. Bach’s Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano 1014-1019 for Sony Classical. In 2011 the Piano Classics label released his well-known recording of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage “Suisse” and “Italie.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to purchase a ticket?
No. This masterclass is free and open to the public. However, registration is required in advance. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

What time should I arrive?
We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the masterclass begins so you have time to find a seat and get settled.

Can I arrive late?
Yes, but please enter quietly and choose a seat with as little disruption as possible to the pianist, students, and audience.

What happens during a masterclass?
Piano students from the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association will perform for pianist Enrico Pace, who will then work directly with each student on interpretation, technique, and musical expression. Audience members are invited to observe the entire process.

Do I need to be a musician to attend?
Not at all. The masterclass is open to everyone. You do not need any musical training or knowledge to enjoy the session.

How long is the masterclass?
The masterclass will run for approximately two hours.

Are children welcome?
Yes. Young musicians and students are especially welcome. We ask parents and caregivers to consider whether their child will be comfortable sitting quietly while students are performing and receiving instruction.

What should I know about masterclass etiquette?
We ask audience members to help maintain a quiet and supportive environment for the participating students. Please silence your phone, avoid talking while students are performing or receiving instruction, and wait for an appropriate pause before entering or leaving.

Should I applaud?
Yes. Applause is welcome after a student finishes performing. Enrico Pace or the masterclass host will help make the natural breaks clear.

Can I use my phone during the masterclass?
Please silence your phone before the masterclass begins. We ask that phones and bright screens not be used during performances or instruction.

Can I take photos or videos?
Photos are welcome before or after the masterclass. Unless otherwise announced, photography, audio recording, and video recording are not permitted while students are performing or receiving instruction.

What accessibility features are available?
The Lilian Piercey Concert Hall is wheelchair accessible and includes [ACCESSIBILITY DETAILS]. If you have a specific accessibility question before attending, please contact Cecilia Concerts and we’ll be happy to help. If you have an accessibility-related seating need, please let us know when you arrive.

Is the venue scent-sensitive?
To help make the masterclass comfortable for everyone, we ask guests to avoid wearing strong scents or fragrances.

Is there parking or public transit nearby?
Free parking is available in the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts parking lot and along side streets. The venue is on major bus routes.

What happens if the masterclass is changed, postponed, or cancelled?
Any changes will be posted on the Cecilia Concerts website and social media channels as soon as possible.