THE first Staff Concert for 2021 at the Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium took place last Friday April 23, featuring guitar teacher Tony Rowley, piano teacher Lana Chapliiova, and Conservatorium Director Pat Brearley.

Audience members were treated to a wonderful first half which featured Tony who goes by the stage name of Titan Sky.

Tony took his listeners on a magical journey with his indie pop voice, charming lyrics and smooth guitar accompaniment, singing about the beautiful area of Bellingen, his recent marriage and other inspiring stories from his life.

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Following Tony, Lana came on stage to perform two pieces.

The first by Rachmaninov, was a tragically beautiful piece representing the composer’s difficult decision to leave his home country and never return.

This was portrayed perfectly by Lana, with flowing lyricism and a delicate touch from the piano, painting the picture beautifully.

Once they had time to gather their thoughts, Lana provided the enthusiastic audience with a rare treat, performing Intermezzo by Kapustin.

A cross-genre jazz fusion piece, Intermezzo was composed during a time where the young Kapustin would listen to the great American jazz music being broadcast on the radio as he was in hiding to prevent any trouble from the government.

The piece showcased the extraordinary range of the piano and blends both classical and jazz styles with aplomb, resulting in a brilliant yet technically demanding piece for solo piano.

To close the concert, Conservatorium Director, Pat Brearley, joined Lana on stage to perform the exhilarating Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla.

This piece draws from the traditional tango style and mixes it with a predominantly classical instrument, the viola.

From the lush, heartbreaking melodies to the frenetic energy of the final page, the Grand Tango brought the evening to a fun and exciting finish and began the 2021 Staff Concert Series in style.

The next concert at the Conservatorium is Sunday May 2, at 3pm, featuring Peter De Jager (piano) and Lloyd Van’t Hoff (clarinet).

Tickets are available at www.coffscon.org.au and are selling fast.

By Andrea FERRARI