Op/ed: Worldview Chadds Ford

Given the horrendous events in Paris last Friday, a concert may seem of little consequence. For me, the concert at the Brandywine River Museum of Art last Thursday demonstrated how important art is and how we can take for granted living here in Chadds Ford.

The Brandywine River Museum is everything a great museum is all about. Artists display their work side by side, inspiring new and future artists. Concerts inspire non-musicians and new musicians in an architecturally lovely space with thrilling views of historic and beautiful countryside.

Uniquely, the museum features the artistic genes of the wildly diverse and thrilling Wyeth Family. I am honored to have my Great Grandfather’s art hanging among them, to have grown up in Chadds Ford enjoying Halloween and hayrides hosted by Andrew and his wife, to have an architect father, and to express my art with flowers for events at the Museum.

When I called Linda Prickett to thank her for the tickets to the concert, I was surprised to learn that when she was on the founding board of the Museum. She had given the grand piano that has brought forth the artistry of so many marvelous pianists.

She told me that one of her favorite events had been a performance by father and son pianists, Rudolph and Peter Serkin introduced by father and son artists, Andrew and Jamie Wyeth! I was not surprised she had given such a glorious instrument as she had also given Stefan Kozinski, my husband, such a gift after he played with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

Back to the concert, Dizhou Zhao played Chopin’s extraordinarily difficult Op. 10  back to back with Liszt’s “impossible to play” Transcendental Etudes S. 139 Book 1.

Chopin dedicated this particular Etude to his friend and contemporary superstar of the Romantic time period, Franz Liszt, which illustrates why the two of them changed the piano repertoire for all time.

Astral Artists bring the musicians to the museum. Their mission is to encourage young artists by providing performance venues thereby enabling passing classical music to the next generation. Vera Wilson, founder of Astral Artists, was at the concert thanking concert goers and inviting them to future concerts.

In addition to supporting young musicians, Stefan and I felt it was important to have fun with music. We created many of children’s music education programs called SymFunnies. We hope those programs keep the music alive for generations who will hopefully add in  their own fun.

Art is the great bond of the world, from generation to generation and nation to nation! It is important that we support our museums visually, artistically, musically, and monetarily.

Don’t miss the next Astral Artists presentation at the Brandywine River Museum, February 18: a performance by the Greek-Russian Cellist, Timotheos Petrin and pianist, Sejoon Park.

Francena Chalfant
Resident Chadds Ford Township
Founder
Kozinski Music Archives

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