Kirill Gerstein “shows his stripes” at Gilmore Keyboard Festival
All ears were trained on Kirill Gerstein as he took the stage at the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan in May. In his review of Gerstein’s performance at the festival’s gala on May 8, Stuart Isacoff of the Wall Street Journal commended Gerstein for his “blazing technique, including a wonderful command of color and nuance” and wrote that, “The Gershwin was magnificent, with a sense of playfulness and stylistic flair seldom encountered.” In January, the Russian-born pianist became the sixth recipient of the coveted Gilmore Artist Award, worth $300,000 and described as “music’s answer to the MacArthur Foundation ‘genius’ grants” (New York Times).