January 29, 2010 - Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037

An award winning film directed by Ben Niles, Edited by Purcell Carson and Geoff Obrien.  Note By Note is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037— from forest floor to concert hall. It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production. From the factory floor in Queens to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, each piano’s journey is complex— spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor. Filmed in key Steinway locations—the factory, Steinway’s reserved “Bank,” and private auditions. This film Features interviews and performances with a number of world-class artists including the phenomenal Lang Lang, Hélène Grimaud, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, contemporary singer Harry Connick, Jr. and jazz greats Hank Jones, Marcus Roberts, Kenny Barron and Bill Charlap.

February 19, 2010 -  The Golden Age of the Piano: Great Pianists of 20th Century

Don’t miss this Emmy award winning film for Best Cultural Programming directed by Peter Rosen about the history of the piano with archival photos and film clips of the great pianists of the Golden Age. The program is written and presented by David Dubal, an American academic and pianist. It includes rare footage of Claudio Arrau, Alexander Brailowsky, Van Cliburn, Alfred Cortot, Glenn Gould, Percy Grainger, Myra Hess, Josef Hoffmann, Vladimir Horowitz, Wanda Landowska, Ignacy Paderewski, Artur Rubinstein, and Rudolf Serkin.

March 26, 2010 – Van Cliburn Competition: "Playing on the Edge

Peabody Award winning documentary filmmaker Peter Rosen directed this incisive backstage look at one of the world's most prestigious musical competitions, the Eleventh Annual Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The Cliburn: Playing on the Edge captures the excitement, energy, and anxiety of a handful of thirty gifted young people vying for honors (worth over $20,000) which could help launch their careers, pitted against other young pianists with similar hopes and ambitions. Along with the drama of the competition, this film also includes extensive performance footage from these talented young musicians, some accompanied by a full orchestra led by James Conlon.

April 9, 2010 - Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved

Beethoven's Hair traces the unlikely journey of a lock of hair cut from Beethoven's corpse and unravels the mystery of his tortured life and death. The film begins in modern times, when pair of Beethoven enthusiasts purchases the hair at a Sotheby's auction. The story then looks at the lock's previous owners and culminates in the science that reveals Beethoven's "medical secret." Set to a lush score of some of Beethoven's most glorious music, the film explores the world of forensic testing in sharp relief against the romance of 19th-century Vienna and the horrors of 20th-century Nazi Germany. Winner of 2005 Festival Director’s Prize, Golden Prague Czech Republic, directed by Larry Weinstein. 

May 9, 2010 at 2 PM (in Smith Theatre)*- Copying Beethoven

Vienna, 1824, in the days before the first performance of the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven needs help with copying out the charts, so a promising student of composition, Anna Holtz, 23, is sent to assist him. Copying Beethoven is a dramatic film directed by Agnieszka Holland which takes a look at the triumphs and heartaches of Ludwig van Beethoven's last years, starring academic award winning actor, Ed Harris and Diane Kruger.