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The Chopin Project are Mike Preddy, Ornela Ervin, Kyung Lee and Michael Glenn Williams.
The Chopin Project performs unusual recitals of the the music of Chopin and those composers in his close association. Founded in 2007, the group creates unique programs that bring the music and person of Chopin alive together onstage. Their concerts are engaging, entertaining and illuminating to audiences familiar or unfamiliar with Chopin. GWhiz Arts & Sciences produces the shows.
Guest artists, lecturers and panelists have included:
Wojciech Kocyan (prizewinner 11th International Chopin Competition)
Sean Chen (youngest contestant 2005 National Chopin Competition)
Francoise Regnat
Peter Yazbeck
Dmitry Rachmanov
Edward Francis
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| Kyung Lee
Kyung Lee immigrated to the U.S. from Korea at age 9 and made her debut with orchestra at age 10 and her first television appearance at age 11. She won the prestigious Van Steenberg Scholarship at the University of Miami. At age 21, she won the West Regional Chopin Competition. Kyung holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Piano Performance Major from USC. She currently teaches at Pepperdine University and privately.
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Michael Glenn Williams
Michael Glenn Williams Technologist, composer, pianist, record producer, concert producer and artist agent. Michael was named composer-in-residence for the 2010 Lake Como Festival, and presented solo piano recitals throughout Italy including the International Piano Academy’s “Piano Master” series. His most recent orchestra commission “Rising Stars Overture” was nominated for the 2011 American Prize. His piano piece “Poem of the Adventurer” was featured in International Piano magazine, spring 2011. His jazz group “1 40 4 20” has released two albums: “Jazz Trespassers” and “Wet”, to critical acclaim. Michael G. Williams’ music and piano performance is featured on movies including “Wicker Park”, “Wonderland” and “The Limey” from Universal Pictures. An album of his classical solo piano music titled Lyricism: Songs Without Words was release in 2006 by Roberto Prosseda for AIX Media Group (www.aixrecords.com). Another recording of his piano music entitled Digital Animation was released in 2009 by Enrico Pompili and Gabriele Baldocci pianists, on the Stradivarius label. His music is published by GWhiz Arts & Sciences (www.gwhiz.com) As a pianist, Michael Williams is the founder of The Chopin Project, performing unusual, multimedia recitals of Chopin’s music.
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| Ornela Ervin
Ornela
Ervin was born in
Korce, Albania. She toured
Albania at the age of 10 including her
first solo appearance with the Korce orchestra. She attended the Academy of the Fine Arts in
Tirana, studying with Anita Tartari and Till Engel. She was the laureate in Albania's first
Chopin Competition. Ornela recorded for the Albanian State Radio and TV, and
was awarded by the Albanian State government. Moving
to the United States in 1997, she now teaches privately, and lives in Thousand Oaks California with her husband Jeff and their daughter, Megan.
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| Michael Preddy
Michael
Preddy began
playing piano at the age of four and has never looked back. He studied
privately for twelve years with William Chaisson of Houston, TX where he won
numerous awards and accolades. He continued his education with Abbey Simon and
Albert Hirsch at University of Houston where he earned a Master of Music Degree
in 1981. Always a bi-musical player of both the classical and popular idiom, he
went to work in the same year for the legendary Smothers Brothers as their
conductor/pianist and continues to appear with them in concert performances
across the USA.
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