It all started in 1991, when John Leech wanted to surprise
his beloved wife Noretta with a momentous 60th birthday present. The
gift he chose was one that would make a real difference in the life of numerous
gifted, young pianists. The gift he
chose was that together they would help ease the struggle many young pianists
go through to receive the international recognition they deserve and to advance
their careers as artists.
A concert pianist and venerable teacher herself, Noretta
Conci had been the student and assistant to one of Italy’s most famous
pianists, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
This association translated into many friendships within the music world.
Her husband, John, who was touched by the many trials
endured by the gifted musicians he met through Noretta, thought he could
help. He saw that these musicians,
without hired management, were in dire need of international performing
opportunities. “There was never any kind of official support, just a few
dedicated donors and supporters who were invested,” said Leech.
With Leech’s strong links to European and Atlantic
organizations and through his career with the Commonwealth Development
Corporation, he was able to help develop new platforms and audiences for the new
talents whom Noretta was encountering in competitions or were referred to her
by other teachers. “Noretta made it a rule not to recommend her own, current
students to the Trust, to avoid conflict of interests from the beginning,” said
John Leech, who regularly attends performances of many Keyboard Trust
protégées. In fact, I myself met this old-world charming couple last year at
Alessio Bax’s Lincoln Center recital.
The Keyboard Charitable Trust had initially supported
Alessio’s extremely successful career launch, and it was wonderful to see that
their interest in him extended to him personally also. It exemplified the powerful
relationship each of their pianists has with the Foundation – and most of all
to Noretta and John Leech, themselves. It also demonstrated Noretta’s capacity
for recognizing and appreciating true potential in a young talented instrumentalist.
According to their last analytical count, John tells me that
38 percent of Charitable Keyboard Trust’s artists are making a substantial
career on the world’s stages as performers, and an additional 15-20 percent achieve
high academic accolades. The Leeches are the best indication of their artist’s
accomplishment, since they are true and devoted fans of their artists, as well
as their friends.
Through a funny coincidence, I realized how small the music worldreally was,when I was attending the Keyboard Trust’s New York SteinwayHall event,where they were presenting the marvelous
Sasha Grynyuk last Thursday.
But then I ran into them again the following day at the
Lincoln Center rehearsal of the Italian pianist, Francesco Libetta, where they
were hugging and conversing with him in Noretta’s native Italian tongue. I had interviewed
the established pianist and countryman of Noretta the day before, when he had
actually told me about his warm relationship with them and the great personal
connections that had been generously bestowed on him, and how these were
helping him along the way. They had bumped into each other at Steinway Hall,
where Libetta had been practicing, and so they were delighted to catch his
rehearsal at Lincoln Center, during their few days in New York.
Of course you never know which personal connection will in
the end make a difference to any particular artist. Keyboard Trust, with over
60 locations in 11 countries worldwide- but concentrated in the Americas,
Germany, England and Italy-provides valuable opportunities to show talent and
connect it to some of the most prestigious supporters of classical music and
some of their leading artists.
In 1993 a special benefit concert in support of the Keyboard
Charitable Trust took place at London’s Royal Festival Hall, given by Claudio
Abbado with the then European Community Youth Orchestra and pianist Evgeny
Kissin. Together with Alfred Brendel, Claudio Abbado became one of the earliest
trustees of the Keyboard Trust, endorsing the Trust’s high standards of
artistic endeavors. The financial support of big donors like the late Marion
Frank and Nicola Bulgari are directly responsible for the sponsorship of 140
outstanding young talents.
Kissin himself had experienced the generous friendship and
hospitality of the Leeches, when they had hosted Kissin and his family in
London, during the early years of his phenomenal, international career. Never
one to forget any of his friends who welcomed him with open arms, the Leeches
hold a special place in his heart. And Noretta, to this day, admires his
extraordinary talent: “There is only one Kissin!” she whispered to me on a
different occasion when we met – again, at Van Cliburn’s Christie’s auction
preview event.
Most important for many of their trusted artists, the unconditional friendship of Noretta and
John Leech transforms the everyday dealings of concert performances, travels
and accommodations and elevates the experiences of these young talents, as they
are being exposed to new audiences, and trying to make a name for themselves. A
core group of devotees and trustees manage operations for the Keyboard Trust,
but the vital force that brings it all together still lies in the tireless
efforts of the person the Trust was dedicated to: Noretta Leech.
This all came clear to me in a conversation with the young
artist, presented by the Keyboard Trust at Steinway Hall, Sasha Grynyuk. He
said he appreciated how personally engaged the Leeches were as they organized
all their events and he genuinely enjoyed their company, as well. His
relationship with them started about six years ago, when Noretta heard the
Ukrainian graduate of the National Music Academy of Ukraine perform in London,
where he is now based, and is currently receiving artistic guidance from Alfred
Brendel and Murray Perahia.
Chosen as a Rising Star by BBC Magazine and International
Magazine, he also just won the Rio de Janeiro International Piano competition
and the London Guildhall’s school’s most prestigious Gold Medal.
He is most excited about the release of his first recording,
a collection of works by Gulda and Glenn Gould. He showed me his original cover
design that features the chair of Gould floating in an angle almost Chagall-like,
if it wasn’t so Apple-graphics styled black and white dominated. It is really
original how he manages to place Grynyuk in a geometric line on the cover with
Goulda and Gould. The recording will come out June 4th. He played a
sampler, with great flair and technical virtuosity, of Goulda’s four charming pieces from ‘Play Piano Play’
at Steinway Hall. 
His recounting of how excited he was to be chosen by the Piano Classics label ( distributed in the USA by Harmonia
Mundi for this opportunity was upbeat and intelligent and he managed – similar to
his playing -- to embellish his story with just the right amount of intricate
detail. For example, he told me how he had to buy the
rights to the image of Gould’s chair from Sony, who had used it for their
label, but how this was an important detail to him. Our conversation became a
bit philosophical, as we talked about music and life. “It’s all about personal
energy, and how to integrate life and music. It’s all interrelated in the end. Life
is like music and if you lose it in life, you lose it in music.” I think he is referring to enthusiasm here. “There are sudden revelations. You sometimes
solve things in music that you are thinking about in life, and vice versa. The
immediacy that happens when you make music is a state of mind, not a concept.
To me, life as a musician makes complete sense.“
The Keyboard Charitable Trust’s Board of Trustees are an
august crew: Claudio Abbado, Alfred Brendel, Moritz Von Bredow, Richard
Bridges, Nicola Bulgari, Noretta Conci-Leech, Sir Clive Gillinson, Leslie
Howard, John Leech, Sir Geoffrey Nice, Geoffrey Shindler, and Nicholas Snowman.
For all of you still-undetected talent: one can just apply
to the Keyboard Charitable Trust. For more information see their website: http://www.keyboardtrust.org/
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