The final concert of the Merrill Area Concert Association’s ‘16-‘17 season will feature a dazzling performance by a distinguished duo on a majestic grand piano provided especially for this special occasion. Misha Dichter and his wife Cipa will play four-handed repertoire at a matinee performance on Saturday, May 6, at 3 p.m. in the Merrill High School Auditorium.
The Dichters are Steinway artists with careers spanning five decades. Together, they have toured North America and Europe, presenting both masterworks and neglected scores of the two-piano and piano-four-hand repertoires.
Born in Shanghai to parents who had fled Poland at the outbreak of World War II, Misha Dichter and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was two, where he began studying the piano at age five. At the age of 20, while enrolled at the famed Juilliard School in New York City, he won the Silver Medal at the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which helped launch an enviable concert career.
Cipa Dichter was born in Brazil of Polish-Russian parents and had her first piano lessons at the age of six. She made her professional debut at 16 with the Symphony Orchestra of Brazil and came to the United States to study at the Juilliard School shortly thereafter.
The pair met at The Juilliard School as students and made their first joint appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1972, only a year after the birth of their first child. They have been performing together ever since, with the result that not only their history but also their musical performances reflect a certain romantic synchronicity that breathes a special quality into their music.
Attendance at Merrill Area Concert Association performances is by membership only. A season membership card will not only get you into all MACA concerts, but any Antigo or Medford concert association events as well.
Memberships may be purchased at the door, but it is best to make arrangements in advance. Memberships for the upcoming season are now being accepted as well. Check out the new lineup at www.merrillconcerts.org, or pick up a brochure describing next season’s performances when you come to the concert.
For additional membership information, email [email protected] or contact Meagan at 715-252-6295.