American Pianists Association Fellows to release CD with party

The American Pianists Association (APA) Fellows Spencer Myer and Stephen Beus along with former Fellow Michael Sheppard are set to release CDs on the Harmonia Mundi label. This is the first time APA Fellows have released a CD on an international label. In celebration, the APA will host a release party Nov. 14, 2007 in the Omni Severin Ballroom Lobby, downtown Indianapolis.
The event is open to the public beginning at 5:30 p.m. All three pianists will perform throughout the evening, as guests enjoy the world class music and delicious hors d’oeuvres. The recital, lasting approximately one hour, will begin at 6:30 p.m.
“I first found out I would be recording a CD for Harmonia Mundi in the early summer of 2006, a few months after winning the APA Fellowship. I was over the moon, because I knew Harmonia Mundi as not only a major label, but a well-respected label of the highest class and taste,” Myer said.
Every three years APA holds the Classical Fellowship Award in Indianapolis. The competition is a two part Premiere Series, in which each competitor performs with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and participates in local concerto curriculum events. At the end of the long competition and vigorous finals, two pianists are then awarded the APA Classical Fellowship Award.
“One of the best parts of being a Fellow is the frequency of performance opportunities. I'm discovering that there are certain aspects of being a pianist and musician that can only really be developed on stage,” Beus said. “Having the opportunity to perform frequently, in both high profile settings and more relaxed environments, has helped be grow in ways that I never could have otherwise.”
As a Fellow, the pianist receives a cash award of $75,000, performance activities, publicity and career assistance.
“The 3-CD series with Harmonia Mundi is an extraordinary opportunity for these 3 Fellows at a pivotal point in their careers,” said APA artistic director Joel Harrison. “But almost of equal value is the boost to APA’s visibility internationally, since these CDs are being marketed as an APA series through Harmonia Mundi worldwide. “
Harmonia Mundi was founded in 1958 and is dedicated to classical music. The company has branches across the world including France, Germany, Spain and the United States. For more information about the APA Fellows, visit www.americanpianists.org

.About American Pianists Association (APA)
The mission of the American Pianists Association is to discover, promote and advance the careers of world-class, American, classical and jazz pianists through competitions, performance tours and educational programs for the enrichment of audiences world-wide. In addition, the American Pianists Association assumed control of Indy Jazz Fest in 2003, which it now leads and manages. More information is available online at www.americanpianists.org and www.indyjazzfest.net.
The American Pianists Association receives support from the City of Indianapolis through the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation the Indiana General Assembly through the Indiana Arts Commission and the U.S. Congress through the National Endowment for the Arts, among others.