The Lamar Louise Curry Concert Series seeks to present captivating music in a beautiful space to the people of South Florida.  This ministry of First United Methodist Church Coral Gables is designed to provide a vital community outreach that enriches the lives of all ages— spiritually, culturally, and educationally—through music!

Thomas Pandolfi, Concert Pianist

Featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and works by Chopin

January 26, 2024 at 7:30pm

This concert is free of charge

Thomas Pandolfi is one of the leading pianists of our time, hailed a “phenomenon.” He began his career early on while at The Juilliard School (BM & MM) where the young prodigy caught the influential ear of Vladimir Horowitz, who would become his mentor, and legendary composer, Morton Gould. Since then he has been an audience favorite, selling out the world’s most prestigious stages, including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Strathmore, The Kennedy Center, Kiev Opera House, Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum, London’s Cadogan Hall, and many others.

DC Metro Arts calls him, “exhilarating… a rare mix of technical accuracy and cool confidence.” “His artistry and technique were simply astonishing,” said the Metropolitan Arts Reviews. The Washington Post boasted he is a “master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line… Pandolfi's large-scale pianism seemed under tight control yet in no way muted the passion of his performance… projected with an exquisite sense of lyrical gesture.” “A standout among today's young pianists... His virtuosity and strength… might have had some believing that Liszt himself had taken over the keyboard,” said the Asheville Citizen-Times. “The mastery of the scores, the precision of the playing, and the finesse of the expression were all simply spectacular. It was a truly bravura performance, both in the virtuosic and in the reflective pieces, yet one completely without gratuitous exaggerated display,” acclaimed The Boston Musical Intelligencer.

In addition to being recognized as one of the greatest interpreters of the Polish masters such as Chopin, Paderewski, and Godowsky, this versatile pianist has received accolades from everything from Bach to Gershwin, with Morton Gould saying, “It’s the finest performance of Gershwin I have heard since the composer himself.” His original and virtuosic transcriptions of popular works, such as West Side Story and Phantom of the Opera, are one-of-kind, jaw-dropping, and dramatic encores that keep audiences of all ages returning to his performances again and again.

Mr. Pandolfi is a Steinway Artist and will begin recording for Steinway Spirio later this year. Mr. Pandolfi’s performances have been broadcast by PBS, WETA (Washington, DC), WQXR (NYC), WRCJ (Detroit), DCN TV (China), The Sound (DC), and many others worldwide.

Born in Washington, DC into a musical family, Pandolfi began his studies with his father and continued on with principal teachers Sasha Gorodnitzki, Adele Marcus, and Gyorgy Sandor. He holds a BM and MM from The Juilliard School.

First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables
536 Coral Way
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 445-2578

Support the Concert Series

The Lamar Louise Curry Concert Series would not be possible without the financial generosity of many individuals. We are currently seeking underwriters for the 2023-24 series at three levels:

• Bronze (up to $99)

• Silver ($100-499)

• Gold ($500-$1,000)

Please contact Seth Carlson, Music Director, if you are moved to support reaching out to our community through our music ministry. Thank you!