Pam Goldberg is a true pioneer in the way we listen to live classical music today. She is a concert pianist who felt passionately about the way people were experiencing the typical classical music concert. With an emphasis on presentation & location Pam has been a forerunner in the alt-space classical music movement.
‘‘This all-late Schubert recital from 2017 stands as one of those affectionate demonstrations of a gifted pianist, Pam Goldberg, a pupil of chamber music veteran Joseph Kalichstein. By now, Ms. Goldberg’s program has become quite familiar, so we judge her by her easy finesse and realization of Schubert’s especial style. The B-flat Major Impromptu that opens the program, built as a theme-and-variations, offers Goldberg a panoply of …’’
‘‘Pam Goldberg is greatly admired in the New York City area for what the biography in the program book calls her “entrepreneurial pursuits”-in particular, her founding of Classical Café and the Rite of Summer Music Festival, both aimed at expanding audiences by presenting classical music in new venues. As we’re reminded by this release -her third CD, although the first to be reviewed in Fanfare-she’s a first-rate pianist as well.’’
‘‘You may have the impression Pam Goldberg is playing Schubert on her piano just for you, as I did, when you listen to her lovely, forthright unembellished rendering of his compositions on her MSR Classics album. Her unpretentious, not ostentatious, score-perfect style results in a beautifully recorded, even-toned listening experience as she cruises though “Impromptu in in B-Flat Major,” “Piano Sonata in A Major” and Schubert’s Standchen arranged by Liszt.’’
‘’An enjoyable program of piano music by SCHUBERT – and by Schubert transformed by Liszt – in convincing performances by Pam Goldberg. The pianist’s way with the music is rooted in honesty and precision, but also in the warmth of a romantic spirit. The experience of hearing Goldberg’s pianism leaves one wanting to hear more from her.’’
‘’Think of the piano as an aural palette, comparable to the color palette used by painters, and you will have some idea of what pianists often look for in assembling recitals, whether in-person or recorded. The music itself takes center stage on an MSR Classics CD focusing on Schubert as interpreted by Pam Goldberg…’’
‘’I’ve been putting off reviewing Pam Goldberg’s performance of Schubert’s Sonata in A Major, D959 (MSR Classics). This sonata, composed at the end of Schubert’s exasperatingly short life, demands everything from the listener and at least as much from the performer. In a world swimming in light music, this is a work of weight, substance and complexity. It is hard work to listen to. It ruthlessly grabs and demands our attention, and we yield because it is also beautiful and perhaps even perfect. My lazy self did not want to become entrapped…’’
“Goldberg brings the energy and valiance of playing before live audiences to these recordings…In these renditions of music by Schubert, and by Schubert as re-imagined by Franz Liszt, our soloist shows herself to be an artist with great musical intellect, but also a warmth of spirit.”
“Pam Goldberg’s excellent new Schubert release…Standchen is beautifully interpreted.”
Life isn’t about finding
yourself.
Life is about creating
yourself.”
Described by The New York Times as a “fine pianist” Pam Goldberg has performed on many of New York’s stages, including Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, and at the New York Historical Society, Tenri Cultural Institute, Jewish Museum and Museum of Jewish Heritage. Widely acknowledged to have created the blueprint for venues like Le Poisson Rouge and SubCulture, Goldberg created a unique environmental concept for both performer and audience, one distinctly different from the traditional concert hall. In 2000 she founded Classical Cafe, a non-profit concert series under the auspices of the 92nd Street Y that took place in a jazz club setting on New York City’s upper west side. The significantly positive response to Classical Cafe led to a focus on reaching a larger audience base, and consequently a move to Governors Island as the next venue to host The Rite of Summer Music Festival. The festival’s inaugural concert took place in July 2011 and performances continue up to the present day. In addition to Goldberg’s concertizing and entrepreneurial pursuits, she also teaches privately in New York, and served on the piano faculty of the Diller-Quaile School of Music for 10 years. As a recording artist, she has released two CDs, one featuring Schumann’s Kreisleriana and Mozart’s Sonata in B-flat major, K.570, and the other an album of Mozart sonatas for piano and violin with violinist, Christine Sohn. Pam Goldberg, who earned her Bachelors degree from Connecticut College and her Masters degree from Manhattan School of Music has studied with Joseph Kalichstein, Stephanie Brown, Arkady Aronov and Miyoko Lotto.
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The Rite of Summer Music Festival on Governors Island was founded in 2011 by pianists Pam Goldberg & Blair McMillen. Rite of Summer features free outdoor concerts of classical and cutting-edge contemporary music, performed by many of New York’s best-known soloists and ensembles.
These musicians, all of whom perform on some of the world’s most prestigious concert stages, are excited about reaching a younger and more eclectic audience base on Governors Island. The festival’s “concert hall” is Nolan Park – a huge shaded grassy field where listeners are encouraged to sprawl out on blankets, picnic, and take in the great outdoors. Audiences of all ages are captivated by the series, the setting, the music, and the full Governors Island experience.