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Pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis to Battle at MPAC

originally published: 03/24/2023 

Photo © Mathias Bothor

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Two pianists – two performances – you decide who plays it the best!  Welcome to Piano Battle as performers Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis battle for supremacy of the keyboards.  Piano Battle comes Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) in Morristown on Saturday, April 22 at 8:00pm.

The brainchild of internationally accomplished pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis, the Piano Battle sees the duo go head-to-head on stage, charming and enchanting the audience with a variety of classical pieces. The two artists, with distinctly different performance styles, take turns to perform pieces by composers such as Chopin, Liszt and Debussy. They will even improvise based on the tunes you request.

Tickets range from $29 to $59 and are available for purchase online.

Educated in Hanover, Berlin and London, Paul Cibis has performed on five continents and established an international presence. He has been invited to international festivals in the UK, Germany, USA, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to his many concert appearances, he has been featured in radio and television programs around the world, including the BBC, WDR, 3Sat, ORB, HR, RTHK, and CCTV.

Paul has released several albums, including a collection of French mélodies and piano works by Berlioz, Fauré and Debussy, in collaboration with German mezzo-soprano Barbara Senator. His latest album features a collection of solo pieces by Taiwanese composer Kai-nan Huang.

 

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A committed pedagogue, Paul has taught at Trinity College of Music in London and frequently gives master classes in Germany, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

Born in South Africa, Andreas Kern studied piano in Cologne and Berlin with Günter Ludwig and Pascal Devoyon. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has extensive experience in Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India and South Africa.

Keen to present classical music in unconventional ways, Andreas has developed concert projects and formats that often feature unorthodox venues, or whereby musicians collaborate with artists in other fields, such as theatre and dance. Such performances have successfully drawn a much wider and younger audience than traditional classical concerts.

Andreas Kern has also created the critically acclaimed “arte lounge” for the French-German TV channel Arte. As the show‘s co-host, he has performed with musicians including Mischa Maisky, Renaud Capucon, Sol Gabetta, Sarah Chang, Vadim Repin, Nils Mönkemeyer, Elina Garanca, and Jörg Widmann. He was also the architect of the Piano City Berlin Festival 2010, which featured more than 100 piano performances held in Berlin within one weekend. Since then, Piano City has branched out to other cities such as Milan, Naples and Barcelona.

Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is located at 100 South Street in Morristown, New Jersey.  MPAC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2022-2023 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.