The Liliane Questel Recital Series
Founded in 2003 by SCC board member and pianist, Liliane Questel.
Saturday, May 24, 6:00 pm
Gastón Frydman
Gastón Frydman was born in Argentina in 1996 and began playing the piano at the age of 7. His performances received high praise from specialized critics. “An exceptional soloist, Frydman made his debut playing Beethoven’s piano concerto Op. 73, ‘The Emperor’, achieving moments of absolute lyrical inspiration and demonstrating excellent technique, as well as showing himself to be largely proficient in the most intricate passages of the work”. (From Paradise to You). In 2018, Frydman was named the winner of the “Stimulus” prize jointly with Szymon Nehring by the Musical Critics of Argentina Association. He has been the recipient of the “Goerg & Ferdinand Porak Scholarship” from the Mozarteum Argentino between 2018 and 2022, and in 2023 he received the Irad & Rebecca Carmi scholarship. Frydman is currently a member of the MUCHIMUSIC artist roster.
Having won numerous national and international competitions, Frydman has performed recitals in some of the most prestigious venues in Argentina, such as the main hall of Teatro Colón, National Auditorium at CCK, Usina del Arte, Templo Amijai, Teatro San Martín de Tucumán, Austrian Embassy, and Teatro Municipal de Santa Fe, as well as in important venues in the United States (Avram Theater, Gartner Auditorium, Mixon Hall, Kulas Hall, Park Synagogue, Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, St. Luke’s Episcopal), Spain (Teatro Jofre), Austria (Bösendorfersaal, Laudon Palace), Switzerland (Hindemith Institute), Italy (Teatro Ristori), Uruguay (Solís Theater, Atchugarry Foundation), Peru (Santa Úrsula Auditorium), Paraguay (Municipal Theater of Asunción), and Hong Kong (Carmel School). He has performed as a chamber musician, debuting alongside Maestro Rafael Gintoli and more recently appearing with New York Philharmonic violinist Alina Kobialka and with pianists Konstantin Soukhovetski and Yaron Kohlberg, the president of PianoCleveland. His recitals have been featured in important series and festivals such as PianoFest in the Hamptons, Mozarteum Argentino, Chopiniana, Viena International Music Institute, Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum Salzburg, Verona Virtuosi, Semaine Internationale de Piano et musique de chambre Blonay, PianoCleveland -organizers of the Cleveland International Piano Competition-, and M.U.S.i.C (Stars in the classics).
As a soloist with orchestra, he made his debut performing Beethoven’s fifth piano concerto with Maestra Nathalie Marin at the Teatro Colón. This was followed by several performances with the most important orchestras of the continent, including: Rachmaninoff’s fourth piano concerto with Maestro Sánchez Haase and the Asunción Congress Orchestra, Golijov/Grau’s Nazareno (for 2 pianos and orchestra) with the National Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Gustavo Fontana, and Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the National Youth Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Pablo Boggiano. His devotion to new music is equally strong, and he has joined Invasión and the CIM new music ensembles for numerous premieres.
He received masterclasses from Alessio Bax, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Angela Cheng, Arie Vardi, Bruno Gelber, Dina Yoffe, Pavel Nersessian, Paul Schenly, Douglas Humpherys, Edith Fischer, Emmanuel Pahud, Giselle Brodsky, Julian Martin, Michele Campanella, Milana Chernyavska, Mirian Conti, Naum Grubert, Nelson Goerner, Peter Nagy, Pierre Reach, Robert Shannon, Roustem Saitkoulov, Daniel Shapiro, Kathryn Brown, Ilya Kaler, Sharon Robinson, and Jaime Laredo. In Argentina, he studied piano with Edda María Sangrígoli, Pía Sebastiani, and Diego Prigollini, as well as analysis and orchestral conducting with Guillermo Scarabino.
In 2018, he began his studies with Antonio Pompa-Baldi at the Cleveland Institute of Music after receiving an invitation from Sergei Babayan. During his time at CIM he received a bachelor with honors and a Masters in piano performance, as well as a Piano Pedagogy Diploma after one year of teaching in the pre-college of the institution. Frydman currently resides in New York City and pursues a Professional Performance Diploma at Manhattan School of Music as one of the only four students of Maestro Horacio Gutiérrez. Also, he is one of the nine fellows for the 2024 Gabriela Montero Piano Lab Artist Diploma.
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About The Liliane Questel Recital Series
Founded in 2002 as “The Rising Stars Piano Series” by SCC board member and pianist Liliane Questel, a graduate of the Brussels Conservatory and Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of Leon Fleisher. The series’ mission focuses on performance opportunities primarily for participants and alumni of Pianofest of the Hamptons. These highly talented pianists attract a loyal following. The Tenth Anniversary Season celebrated some of those musicians who were not “Rising Stars” by then but celebrated performers. In 2024, the Series was renamed “The Liliane Questel Recital Series” in memory of its founder and to cement her legacy.
Konstantin Soukhovetski, an award-winning pianist, educator, and composer, is the Artistic Director of The Liliane Questel Recital Series.
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A Tribute to Liliane Questel
by Paul Schenly
Liliane Questel’s journey was not just about her own accomplishments as a concert pianist but about the many lives she touched, the music she brought to the world, and the legacy she leaves behind.
From her early days at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels to her studies at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore under the guidance of the legendary Leon Fleisher, Liliane’s musical journey was one of dedication and brilliance. Her performances, whether it was the Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue or the formidable Liszt Sonata, captivated audiences and left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of listening to her play.
But Liliane’s impact extended far beyond the concert stage. She was a mentor, a teacher, and a friend to countless young musicians. Her support and guidance helped shape the careers of many aspiring artists, and her commitment to nurturing talent through the Rising Stars Concert Series, which is now renamed The Liliane Questel Recital Series and will continue to inspire generations to come.
Those who knew Liliane remember not only her musical prowess but also her warmth, humor, and generosity of spirit. Whether it was hosting fabulous parties with her beloved husband Arthur or sharing her insights on music interpretation, Liliane brought joy and laughter wherever she went.
Her love for her family, her husband Arthur, their son Remy, and their beloved dogs Maya and Loki, was evident to all who knew her. They were her greatest treasures, and her devotion to them knew no bounds.
Let us celebrate the legacy she leaves behind. Let us carry forward her passion for music, her commitment to nurturing young talent, and her spirit of generosity and kindness. Her music will continue to echo in our hearts, reminding us of the beauty and joy she brought into the world.
In 2005 after a recital at the Southampton Cultural Center, Fred Volkmer in the Southampton Press reviewing the concert wrote: For those in the audience who know Liliane Questel only as a presenter the evening came as a delightful surprise. We heard a pianist of rare ability, not only someone with a razor-sharp technique, but plenty of temperament and interpretive acuity, someone with a profound commitment to the music about which she has thought so long and so deeply before it emerged from her fingers as they touched the keyboard.
We will always remember Liliane.