Rhapsodic Keyboards: Music for Piano and Organ

Cited by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as a “local prodigy,” American born pianist Joseph Irrera has concertized across the globe with appearances at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Spivey Hall, and Eastman’s Kodak and Kilbourn Halls. At the age of 18 he made his debut with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. Additional concerto performances include appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Penfield Symphony, Genesee Symphony Orchestra, and Georgia Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with conductors Christopher Seaman, Leonard Slatkin, Delta David Gier, and Raffaele Ponti. Internationally he has performed throughout Europe and Latin America.

Organist, trumpeter, composer and conductor, William Picher was born to a musical family in Portland, Maine, and began taking organ lessons at the age of 7 with his father, Frank Picher. Bill holds music degrees from the University of Maine, Eastman School of Music and Catholic University of America. He served for eight years as a trumpet instrumentalist with the famed United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C., where he performed regularly at the White House, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and in many of the great concert halls throughout the United States. He has performed with the Florida Orchestra, the Orlando Philharmonic, the Bach Festival Society, the Mt. Vernon Chamber Orchestra, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, as well as at Walt Disney World, where he has also served as conductor, organist, vocal coach, rehearsal pianist and member of the Walt Disney World Orchestra.