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The Chopin Project®: An Introduction

The Chopin Project® strives to connect a global community focused on the work of composer Fryderyk Chopin. It began and continues as the evolving blueprint of its founder, Frederick Slutsky, who is determined to make Chopin’s music more accessible to listeners and music students worldwide, through a variety of web and social media sources, a host of free listening platforms, live concerts, and especially student outreach events.

This website devotes its central effort to making Chopin’s timeless music easily available in one place and free of charge to anyone, virtually anywhere on the planet. The ability to Search, Sort, and Listen to all his music — from classic favorites to underperformed rarities and even “lost” editions — is becoming ever more attainable as we add to the Complete Works and Playlist library. Our opportunity to offer a curation of all of Chopin’s works performed by stellar living performers as well as revered, dead masters, will gain, we hope, a continuing or renewed — perhaps even a first — appreciation of his magical music.

Chopin Project® is a unique component of the continuing worldwide celebration of Fryderyk Chopin’s life and legacy. It has grown to offer several robust, interactive online destinations as well as a live concert series largely centered on Florida’s west coast, dedicated to promoting the discovery, research, inspiration and pure enjoyment of Chopin’s complete works, those of his contemporaries, those who influenced his work, and those he influenced.

Since its genesis in 2007, where it began as an ambitious live concert and symposium series, The Chopin Project® has become a comprehensive, interactive user-focused enterprise. It fulfilled a unique role in the worldwide Chopin bicentennial celebration in 2010. The Chopin Project Facebook community is open to all.  Those preferring Twitter can follow @chopinproject, and those on Instagram can follow @thechopinproject. Also available is something unique: I Can Play Chopin,” ten new arrangements of Chopin’s music for late beginner to late intermediate piano students, offering very early accessibility to music Chopin never intended for players of modest ability.

Enjoy the music!!

P. S. We welcome your ideas!!

Frederick Slutsky
Frederick Slutsky

History

2007

Sarasota Florida resident, Frederick Slutsky, incorporated Frederick Slutsky Arts, a unique artists’ management company dedicated to helping exceptional performing and visual artists in the 21st century, among them American born pianist, Arthur Greene and portraitist and painter, William Russell Walker. As 2007 began, Slutsky explored opportunities to increase the numbers of people visiting his young website and The Chopin Project® was born. 

Sponsored initially by the University of Michigan, the Copernicus Endowment and Slutsky Arts, The Chopin Project (R) began as a live-concert-and-symposium series at UM’s acclaimed School of Music, Theatre & Dance in March/April 2007.  Through a series of nine concerts, renowned teacher and performer Arthur Greene, then in Slutsky’s management roster, and select members of his studio, performed a complete and chronological traversal of Chopin’s solo piano repertory – from his first surviving work, a Polonaise, written at age seven through his last Mazurka, penned in 1849. The Ann Arbor Chopin series was a local success. Slutsky thought it could have a larger, more global reach, especially with new “social” media and in the run up to Chopin’s 200th birthday, year-long celebration beginning in March, 2010. 

Every music lover on the planet loves Chopin, he thought, so Slutsky produced recordings of the nine Ann Arbor concerts. With permission from the University of Michigan and the performing artists, he published the recordings and stories about their musical history as individual posts on his website. Many more visitors from around the world arrived at www.chopinproject.com. 

2008-09

  1. Development of The Chopin Project website
  2. The Chopin Project Facebook Page (currently 10,000+ followers)
  3. Production/Release CD#1: Rarities & Favorites, Vol. 1 (iTunes; Amazon)

2010

  1. World-wide, year-long celebration of Chopin’s bicentenary
  2. Sarasota Chopin Festival 7 live concerts produced by Slutsky and presented by Artist Series of Sarasota (now known as Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota). 5 internationally known, Chopin Project pianists. 7 different full-length concerts presented (5) at The Historic Asolo Theatre, (1) at The Sarasota Opera House, and (1) student outreach program at Booker H. S.). The festival was critically acclaimed by Sarasota press.
  3. The Chopin Project Special, produced by the Education Channel (Sarasota County School Board). The one-hour documentary highlighted the educational outreach component of Chopin Project’s mission to carry the music of the Polish master to young people everywhere. 

2011-13

  1. Production/Digital Release CD#2: Rarities & Favorites, Vol. 2 (iTunes; Amazon)
  2. Production/Digital Release CD#3: Rarities & Favorites, Vol. 3 (iTunes; Amazon)
  3. Chopin Portrait commissioned to William Russell Walker. The portrait is incorporated as part of Chopin Project’s singular brand image.

2014-15

  1. Release of 2 iPhone Apps: Chopin Project 2 and Chopin Project 2 Lite
  2. Publication of “I Can Play Chopin, Vol. 1” (arrangements of 10 Chopin works by Dina Pruzhansky for late beginner to late intermediate piano students, with audio CD)
  3. Release of CD Content Volumes 1-3 in digital format for streaming on Spotify, Google Play, Deezer and many other platforms

2016

  1. Production/CD#4: Rarities & Favorites, Vol. 4 (CD format only)
  2. July 16 and 17, 2016: first live concert presented by Chopin Project since 2010. Salon style in a private home presented by Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota. Matthew Graybil in solo performance. 
  3. September 24 and 25, 2016: First live concert at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota produced soley by The Chopin Project. Matthew Graybil, 2 different programs. One piece from I Can Play Chopin (Etude Opus 10, No. 3), rendered as a duet, was performed by Graybil and a 16-year old Sarasota student. The two programs were each critically acclaimed by Sarasota Herald Tribune’s Richard Storm.  
  4. December 4, 2016: Chopin Project produces Leventritt prize winner Tong-Il Han and Helen Lee in a salon style concert in a private home.

2017

  1. March 4 and 5, 2017: Chopin Project produces 2 concerts featuring Tong-Il Han and Helen Lee at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota. March 4 program is all Chopin with Han in solo performance. March 5 features Han and Lee in an all Schubert duo performance for 4 hands. Both programs were critically acclaimed by Sarasota Herald Tribune’s Richard Storm.
  2. March 6, 2017: Student Outreach at Booker H. S., Sarasota Tong-Il Han and Helen Lee in performance and discussion
  3. May 18, 2017: Chopin Project pianist, Matthew Graybil, in solo performance at the Dali Museum. “Pushing the Boundaries of Musical Form” 
  4. May 19, 2017: Student Outreach at Artz 4 Life Academy, Clearwater
  5. May 20, 2017: Chopin Project’s first concert at Tampa Quaker Meeting: Matthew Graybil 
  6. October 20, 2017 Concert at the Tampa Quaker Meeting. Rhiannon Banerdt, violin and Matthew Graybil, in duo performance.
  7. October 21, 2017: Matthew Graybil in solo performance at Unitarian Universalist Church, Sarasota
  8. October 23, 2017: Rhiannon Banerdt, violin and Matthew Graybil at the Unitarian Universalist Church, in duo performance
  9. October 24, 2017: Student Outreach (masterclass instruction) at State College of Florida 
  10. Slutsky moves to Sarasota

2018

  1. March 2, 2018: Renana Gutman in solo performance at The Tampa Quaker Meeting featuring music by Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Schumann
  2. March 3, 2018: Renana Gutman at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota repeating the March 2 program
  3. March 4, 2018: Renana Gutman at Unitarian Universalist playing music by Bach, Debussy, Ligeti, Schulhoff, and Chopin.
  4. March 5, 2018: Student outreach (masterclass instruction at Booker H. S., Sarasota)
  5. April 6, 2018: Matthew Graybil at the Tampa Quaker Meeting, “Debussy: His Friends and his Enemies
  6. April 8, 2018: Matthew Graybil at the Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg (Chopin Project’s first performance at the Palladium)
  7. April 9, 2018: Meet the Artist at “Art To Walk On” in Sarasota
  8. April 10, 2018: Matthew Graybil at the Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota (Chopin Project’s first performance at Church of the Redeemer.
  9. April 11, 2018: Student outreach: Matthew Graybil masterclass instruction at Booker H. S., Sarasota
  10. Anticipated publication of one or more duets from I Can Play Series
  11. Anticipated release of updated iPhone Apps
  12. Anticipated release of CD#5: Rarities & Favorites, Vol. 5

2018-19

November 9, 2018: Matthew Graybil and Rhiannon Banerdt. Student Outreach, Braden River H. S. 

  1. November 9, 2018: Matthew Graybil and Riannon Banerdt, “Nationalism and Exoticism” The Tampa Quaker Meeting
  2. November 10, 2018: Matthew Graybil and Riannon Banerdt, Student Outreach TBA Pasco County School District
  3. November 10, 2018: Matthew Graybil and Riannon Banerdt, Student Outreach, Hudson Regional Library
  4. November 11, 2018: Matthew Graybil and Riannon Banerdt, “Nationalism and Exoticism” Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota
  5. November 13, 2018: Matthew Graybil and Riannon Banerdt, “Nationalism and Exoticism” The Palladium Theater
  6. December 6, 2018: Arthur Greene, Chopin: Rarities & Favorites, The Palladium Theater
  7. December 7, 2018: Arthur Greene, Chopin: Rarities & Favorites, Tampa Quaker Meeting
  8. December 9, 2018: Arthur Greene, Chopin: Rarities & Favorites, Student Outreach, Hudson Regional Library
  9. December 11, 2018: Arthur Greene, Chopin: Rarities & Favorites, Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota
  10. February 21, 2018: Matthew Graybil, The Harvard Club of Sarasota at The Sarasota Yacht Club (with special appearance by Svetlana Smolina), Other Graybil dates TBA
  11. February 22, 2018: Svetlana Smolina, “Chasing Chopin” at Church of the Redeemer, other Smolina dates TBA
  12. April 19, 2018: Igor Lovchinsky, “Chopin & Gershwin” Tampa Quaker Meeting
  13. April 20, 2018: Igor Lovchinsky,  Student Outreach at The Hudson Regional Library
  14. April 21, 2018: Igor Lovchinsky, “Chopin & Gershwin” Artist Series Concerts (Private Residence)
  15. April 22, 2018: Igor Lovchinsky, “Chopin & Gershwin” Artist Series Concerts (Private Residence)
  16. April 23, 2018: Igor Lovchinsky, “Chopin & Gershwin” The Palladium Theater