Pianist Tanya Bannister to perform in Musical Arts Society series
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER

Photo courtesy of NMAS

Tanya Bannister has led an interesting life as a professional pianist, a career that began when she was five years old. Bannister will perform in concert on Nantucket on Tuesday, July 22 at 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church on Centre Street, as part of a summer long series presented by the Nantucket Musical Arts Society.

Bannister was born in Hong Kong to a Japanese mother. Her father is half- British and half-Danish. She lived in a number of locations including Italy, Germany, Canada, Kansas and London before moving to New York City four years ago. She started piano lessons in Hong Kong when she was four and gave her first public performance there at the age of five.

Bannister said she had intense training in Hong Kong and studied with a Portuguese teacher in Lawrence, Kansas before attending England's Royal Academy for two years. She went on to a piano academy in Italy and studied in Germany and Austria.

"I've always loved music. I just wanted it to be my life, but at six or seven you don't really know what that means," she said in a recent was at an amateur music festival founded two years ago. The festival is run by professional musicians who coach up-and-coming talent in an Austrian Alps setting. "It's amazingly like 'The Sound of Music,'" she added.

Bannister now plays internationally, offering solo performances, and also as a member of chamber music ensembles.

"It's one of my passions," she said of chamber music. "It's a little more social than being a solo pianist. You really get to exchange ideas. It's an amazing thing."

For her Nantucket concert, Bannister will perform Shumann's Abegg variations, his first published piece of music, as well as "All Dreams Begin With A Horizon," an original piece written for her by contemporary composer Christopher Theofanicis. Bannister calls it "a very lush piece of music" from an artist who has already been commissioned by many major orchestras. Additionally, she will perform Liszt's "Terrantella" and Albeniz's "El Puerto." The piano concert, which includes other selections, lasts approximately one hour.

Bannister has never been to the island and it is an experience she eagerly awaits.

"I'm really looking forward to coming," she said.

After she leaves Nantucket, Bannister will spend time with her eight-month-old baby and her father's family in England, then travel on to Japan to be with her mother's family and present a concert before returning to Manhattan.

Concert tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for students. They are on sale at Antiques Depot on Easy Street, the Lochtefeld Gallery on Fair Street and at the door the night of the performance. Call 228-1287 for more information. I