Rising Stars of California with Lara Downes: Home
Acclaimed Steinway Pianist Lara Downes, lauded by NPR as “a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship” and praised by the Washington Post for her stunning performances “rendered with drama and nuance,” brings her musical virtuosity, charismatic stage presence and passion for nurturing gifted young artists together in Rising Stars of California.
Rising Stars introduces community audiences and K-12 classrooms to some of the state’s most accomplished young pianists, instrumentalists and vocalists ages 8-18, all winners of prestigious national and international youth music competitions. The level of virtuosity, passion and infectious enthusiasm displayed by these young artists is truly inspiring.
Rising Stars Artist Members have appeared at some of the most prominent performance venues nationwide, including Carnegie Hall, the White House, NPR's From the Top, Tanglewood and the Martha Stewart Show, and in concert halls and festivals throughout Europe and Asia. They represent the best and brightest of the emerging generation of musical leaders in California today.
In Rising Stars of California concerts Ms. Downes performs solo piano works and collaborates with these talented young musicians, sharing their inspiring personal stories from the stage in an entertaining performance-with-conversation format, showcasing their artistry in charming and memorable chamber music performances.
The Rising Stars Artistic Ambassadors program is a unique K-12 education initiative that brings Lara and Rising Stars musicians into school classrooms as artistic ambassadors, with concerts/demonstrations, master classes, student coachings, and other innovative education activities. These experiences inspire student audiences, and enable Rising Stars artists to articulate and share their unique talents and perspectives, and go to their communities empowered as cultural leaders. Rising Stars artists are trained to work in low-income schools and their communities, in a service effort representative of the proposed “Artists Corps” supported by President Obama's arts platform.