Musician as Detective: SFCV talks with Hanick about how he balances old and new

“Conor Hanick premieres new work by Adams” would seem to be a perfectly reasonable headline for a review. But in fact, it leaves out an essential piece of information: Which Adams?

Excerpts from interview with Tom Jacobs

San Francisco Classical Voice

Photo credit: Rob Davidson

On the opening night of the Ojai Festival in June, before joining colleagues for a stunningly intense rendition of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Hanick gave the world premieres of two short pieces by John Adams. On Aug. 1, at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, he returns to a work he premiered three years ago: No Such Spring, a piano concerto by John’s son, Samuel Adams.

“I wouldn’t say I approach either of their bodies of work through the lens of their familial relationship,” he said during a recent interview at the Music Academy, where he has led the solo piano department since 2019. “They’re so distinct in my mind.

Hanick, who will turn 44 in August, performs a whole lot of contemporary music, and his fall schedule reflects that. He’s recording a new set of piano etudes by Nico Muhly and tackling two major works by Messiaen: The song cycle Harawi with Julia Bullock in Portland, and the massive 12-movement Des canyons aux étoiles in the outdoor Stargazing Theater at La Casa del Zorro, just outside San Diego.

But he also loves the standard repertoire, such as Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet, which he's rehearsed with his students at Music Academy of the West. We talked with him about how he balances the old and new, and how he approaches teaching gifted students.

Read interview in full here.