- André Peck: I'm André Peck, I'm a pianist from La Crosse,
and I'll be playing Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1,
Opus 10, in D Flat major.
My middle name is Previn, so my full name is André Previn Peck,
and I am a descendant of the Previn family.
André Previn, of course, was the extremely famous conductor
and pianist.
I'm more directly related to Charles Previn.
He was a film composer, won an Oscar,
and was nominated for a lot of awards.
[bright piano music]
Prokofiev was different, and there's a lot more dissonance,
and there's new ideas that sparked because of his music.
He wanted the music to reflect the ideas
that he was seeing in society,
and I thought that was really fitting right now
because, you know, we live in a time
where there's a lot of strife everywhere,
and it's kind of important to have your own voice.
[train horn sounds]
We started taking lessons in St. Paul, Minnesota.
My teacher is Dr. Joseph Zins.
- Dr. Joseph Zins: That's right, that's right.
Very good. - André: He's great.
I think he's one of the most down-to-earth people
that I know. - [sings] One, two, three,
one, two, three.
- André: He has this old-school tendencies
that are part of his charm, but also, for me,
they kind of reflect the pinnacle of music.
[piano notes] - There it is, there it is.
- André: It's really important to have a teacher
that both understands you and can communicate with you,
but also has the musical values that I have as well.
- Band leader: One, two, three, four.
[jazz music]
- André: Jazz band has always been kind of a fun thing for me
because the world of solo piano is oftentimes very lonely.
[students talk]
When I get to enjoy my music with other people,
it's more of an exciting experience for me.
- [snaps] One, two, three, four.
When you look at some structures that are in jazz,
and then you compare them to the structures in classical,
and they actually build on each other.
[bright piano music]
Every single note in Prokofiev has a purpose,
and that's kind of been the most important thing for me
to try to discover when I'm playing.
And I really think that it's incredibly important
to find music's connection with one's self.
When I accomplish something on the piano,
it helps me in other parts of my life.
You have to put all of your heart and soul
into being a musician.
[bright piano music]
[applause]