Welcome to the Belle Époque Magique Concert Series at Leysin American School
 

Magic happens when artists come together with LAS students and the Leysin community. Through Belle Époque Magique, we welcome local and global talent to not only perform in the beautiful Grande Salle at the Belle Époque, but to engage our community through workshops that allow a deeper insight into the music.

Belle Époque Magique allows us to step into the music in way that is truly unique. By hosting these events, our goal is to continue to uphold our commitment to deepening culture by furthering our mission of developing innovative, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world. 

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Upcoming Performance

Amadeus Piano Quartet

January 23, 19h30 – 20h30
Leysin American School Belle Époque Grande Salle
CHF 20 (free/gratuit: LAS & <12)

The Amadeus Piano Quartet was founded by Robert Zimansky, who was the first concertmaster of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande for many years. With his friends from Geneva, the quartet regularly plays Mozart, Brahms, Fauré, etc., but it also offers lighter transcriptions of well-known orchestral and piano pieces.

Cellist Stephan Rieckhoff, who lives in Leysin, has invited his partners in the Amadeus Piano Quartet to join him in a concert at the LAS. The program will begin with a lively overture by the Italian opera composer Gioacchino Rossini and continue with a quartet by Gabriel Fauré, who was one of the most famous proponents of the French romantic movement. The concert will conclude with melodies from "Porgy and Bess" the opera by George Gershwin portraying the hardships of a Black community in the slums of Charleston in the 1920s. These tunes are very well-known and have been sung and transcribed by many famous musical artists since then.

Robert Zimansky, violin
Originally from Iowa City, Robert studied with John Ferrell and later with Sally Thomas and Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School. He subsequently joined the OSR as the first concertmaster. He has played many solo concerts with the world's most famous conductors and was a professor at the conservatories of Geneva and Zurich. 

Barry Shapiro, viola
Born in the USA, Barry has taught at Michigan State, Indiana, and the Shangai Conservatory.  A member of the Pittsburgh and Detroit Symphonies, Barry became the principal violist of the OSR in 1988. He has played with many famous ensembles, including the Emerson String Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio.