Award Winning Concert Pianist, Navy Lieutenant Alex Beyer Thrills Saugatuck Congregational Audience
The Sanctuary at Saugatuck Congregational on Sunday was packed with more than 150 past and future fans of a local musical treasure, Alex Beyer formerly Fairfield and now living at the U.S. Naval base at Norfolk, VA. He is serving his country as a Lieutenant and pilot of the U.S. Navy's E-2 Hawkeye, an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft.
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Alex has entranced area audiences for years, frequently playing concerts at Fairfield's Greenfield Hill Congregational church and extensively both domestically and abroad. Alex, now, 29 has received warm praise for his performances nationally and internationally. In 2016, he received Third Prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition, an international competition for career-starting musicians held in Brussels. and was named one of five finalists of the American Pianists Association Awards.
Recently, he has been a guest soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Brussels Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Royal Orchestra of Wallonia, and the Irish National Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Milwaukee, Charlotte, Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, and Bridgeport Symphony Orchestras, among others. Recent performances have brought him to Greece, Slovakia, Holland, Belgium, and across the United States. He received Sixth Prize at the 2015 US Chopin Competition. He was a 2012 US Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
Above: Alex relaxing in the green room before his performance. He uses that time for several brief meditations to prepare. Also above, Beyer was introduced by Liang-Fang Chang, who holds a doctor of musical arts degree and is Director of Music Ministry at the church, laughing as her introduction was interrupted by her cell phone ringing, reminding everyone to silence their own phones.
Lt. Beyer spoke between selections providing detail on some of the music in his program. Most interestingly, Beyer spoke fondly of a sort of distant connection with Rachmaninoff. Alex's grandfather graduated from MIT and the next day began working for a newly established Long Island company, Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation. In the fall of 1923, Russian aviation pioneer and designer Igor Sikorsky was facing economic disaster when he received a visit from fellow Russian, Rachmaninoff who pulled up to Sikorsky's "factory", which was a chicken house at a friend's farm. Rachmaninoff told Sikorsky, ‘I believe in you and your plane and I want to help you.’ ” The composer sat down and wrote a check for $5,000 (approximately $100,000 today). With a smile, he gave the check to the stunned Sikorsky and said, “Pay me back whenever you can.”
Alex started his musical training early, being taught by his mother, a pianist herself and piano instructor. He then began training with renowned master piano teacher, Julliard trained Yoshie Akimoto of Wilton who won the Steinway teacher of the year award last year. Beyer studied with Yoshie from age 11 onward, and always kept coming back to play for her.
Beyer then attended Harvard (2017) and New England Conservatory (2018) where he maintained a dual degree program, doing normal undergrad at the former while taking lessons and then earned his masters at the latter in the 5th year. His second degree was in mathematics, quite helpful in his Naval career. Immediately after graduatioon in the summer 2018, Alex joined the navy training to become a naval aviator. Alex told WestportLocalPress that after touring internationally and doing pretty well, he found things in the music career path that he was less interested in. He said his musical training, with it's extensive repetition provided a foundation for his flight training. He said he "hit the simulator pretty hard" adding that he "may be a bit of a workaholic". When not deployed Beyer has played in a summer music series at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk at he invitation of series manager, a retired Navy captain who also loves music.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
A packed audience of more than 150 filled the Sanctuary at Saugatuck Congregational Church on Sunday. The audience ranged from the very young to the not-so-very young.
The terms prodigy and gifted have been linked with Alex over the years. As if being a classical pianist at that level was not enough Beyer was an exceptional athlete, playing soccer and tennis.
Alex opened the program with Four selections from Songs Without Words, Op 19b & 30, by F. Mendelssohn and followed with Impromptu in A Flat Major, Op 90 No 4, by F. Schubert and Preludes, Op 28 Nos 1-8, by F. Chopin. Next he performed Preludes Op 32, No 5 in G Major and No 10 in B Minor, by S. Rachmaninoff, Romanian Dances, Sz 68, by B. Bartok, finishing the program with Sonata No 3 in A Major, Op 28, by S. Prokofiev. Beyer played all of these complex and challenging compositions from memory as he has been doing for more than 15 years. His Mom said that "Alex had practiced piano every day of his life"
The audience roared its applause after each piece concluded. Beyer's Mom, Misty (above right) listens attentively as she has many times for many years. Alex tragically lost his Dad in 2008 who was certainly there in spirit. Misty continues to inspire young musicians with her Music For Youth program which she runs in Bridgeport and other Fairfield county schools to educate and promote emerging artists.
After only a minute or so into his standing ovation, Beyer exits the stage and a minute later returns for an encore, sting that he will perform another Rachmaninoff selection, saying with a chuckle "if the piano can take it".
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After another standing ovation for his Rachmaninoff encore, Alex holds a meet & greet session with friends and fans both old and new. At right, Alex takes a photo with two of his mentors, his Mom, Misty and his instructor Yoshie Akimoto., Steinway teacher of the year awardee last year.
To can see and enjoy this phenomenal concert visit the Church's Youtube page:
https://www.youtube.com/live/qUleioRilpI?si=l55vutuI0fO5qgTc
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At the conclusion of the event Alex and the church hosted a masterclass with several of the area's gifted students. Here, Beyer gives notes to Giuseppina Santandrea, a Weston High sophomore who performed Rondo Capriccioso, op.14 by Mendelssohn. Other students involved were Felix Baer, Bedford Middle School, 8th grade on viola, Sabrina Lee, Weston Middle School 7h grader also on piano. On cello, a Staples High senior, Madeleine O'Neill performed Camille Saint-Saens: Cello concerto No. 1, op 33, Mov. III.
Beyer then began his nearly 7 hour drive back to the base in Norfolk.
About the Saugatuck Congregational Concert Series:
The Saugatuck Concert Series came from the idea of opening the beautiful sanctuary to the public. Church should be related to people’s everyday life, not just Sunday services. Also, I hope through the concert series, people in our community can attend professional performances without taking a train down to nyc.
This is our 2nd year of the concert series. The series includes solo recitals, chamber music, and choral concerts. Last year, we held concerts by concert pianist Uriel Tsachor (Queen Elizabeth and Busoni competition prize winner), Hui-Mei Lin, cellist Peter Seidenberg, Westport Orphenians, Western Connecticut State University Chamber Singers, as well as myself and my viola colleague Suzanne Wager.
Their next concert will be on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 3pm. Music Ministry Director Dr. Chang and her colleague, Dr. Hui-Mei Lin, will play a piano four-hand recital. The program includes works by Debussy, Burge, and Schubert.
All the concerts are free and open to the public. Saugatuck believes music is a common language, not a privilege.
This is a self-funded concert series, so donations are greatly appreciated to support the future concert series.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com