Trpčeski Takes to the Keys with PB Symphony

Simon Trpčeski
(Courtesy CM Artists New York)

(Press Release) West Palm Beach, Fla. (March 3, 2026) – Enjoy a gripping afternoon of intensity, flair and modern masterworks during the next Palm Beach Symphony concert, led by music director Gerard Schwarz, on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. at Dreyfoos Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. Virtuosic and charismatic, Simon Trpčeski takes on Sergei Prokofiev’s technically dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26. The Symphony opens the afternoon with a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s sparkling Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 3 and concludes with the raw emotional power of Dmitry Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47.

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Macedonian pianist Trpčeski (pronounced terp-CHESS-kee) has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years. Launched onto the international scene 20 years ago as a BBC New-Generation Artist, his fast-paced career has seen him collaborate with more than 100 orchestras on four continents with appearances on the most prestigious stages.
 
“I've been working with Simon since he was a child, and I'm amazed at what an incredible artist he has become," said Maestro Schwarz. "The Prokofiev concerto is a masterpiece, and it will be an absolute joy to revisit it with Simon."
 
Following the concert, Trpčeski will be hosting a piano masterclass on Monday, April 20 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Palm Beach Opera (425 24th St. in West Palm Beach). During the masterclass, Trpčeski will provide an individual coaching session in front of an audience. Student musicians will perform a prepared piece for expert feedback on areas for improvement, including musical technique, style, interpretive qualities, presentation and overall musicality. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP with the number of people in their party by Monday, April 6 via email to Bryce Seliger, Education & Programming Associate, at [email protected].
 
Trpčeski has recorded award-winning discography that includes Rachmaninoff’s complete works for piano and orchestra and Prokofiev’s piano concertos, as well as works by composers such as Poulenc, Debussy and Ravel. His latest solo album, Variations, was released in Spring 2022 and features works by Brahms, Beethoven and Mozart. It received CD of the Month in Fono Forum (Germany) and an Editor’s Choice in Gramophone (UK).
 
Born in 1979, Trpčeski is a graduate of the School of Music at the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje, where he studied with Boris Romanov. Committed to strengthening the cultural image of his native country, his chamber music project Makedonissimo weaves Macedonian folk music tradition with highly virtuosic, jazz influenced riffs and harmonies into one unique sound.
 
With the support of Macedonia’s leading cultural and arts organization KulturOp, Trpčeski regularly works with young musicians to help cultivate the talent of the country’s next generation of artists. In 2009, he received the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia and in 2011, he became the first-ever recipient of the “National Artist of Macedonia” title.
 
To begin the concert, Palm Beach Symphony will fill the concert hall with Stravinsky’s Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 3. “He uses an alto flute, a G flute, in a gorgeous middle section of the piece,” Maestro Schwarz said of the composer’s creative choice.
 
The concert concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47. This is a pivotal piece in the career of Shostakovich, whose life was complicated by his relationship to the government, in particular Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union. “The fifth symphony was the turning point for Shostakovich because it became so successful internationally that it made it impossible for anyone to destroy him,” Maestro Schwarz explained of the historical backstory. “It starts in what we call a minor key, which is generally more dour or serious. The end of the fourth movement is triumphant in a major key. Harmonically, it’s an uplifting key. I do it as he wrote it, which is relatively slow. Our job as performers is to look at those notes on the page and make them come alive.”
 
Beginning at 2 p.m., West Boca Raton High School Jazz Combo will greet guests with a special pre-concert performance in the Kravis Center lobby.
 
The 2025-2026 Masterworks Concert Series concludes at the Kravis Center with Emanuel Ax, piano (May 17). Tickets range in price from $27.50 to $104.50. Tickets may be purchased online at PalmBeachSymphony.org, by phone at (561) 281-0145 and at the Palm Beach Symphony Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 700 South Dixie Highway, Suite 100, West Palm Beach.
 
Palm Beach Symphony Assistant Conductor Harris Han will host the Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learn on April 16. Held the Thursday preceding each concert, the final Lunch & Learn of the season is scheduled for May 14 and will be hosted by Maestro Schwarz. Individual tickets are $125 per session and may be purchased at PalmBeachSymphony.org. These informal and informative sessions take place in the Symphony's conference room located in the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties building, 700 S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach. Guests will enjoy a three-course gourmet lunch catered by SandyJames Fine Food & Productions and a selection of wines curated by Palm Beach Symphony sponsor Private Cask Imports while deepening their connection with the musicians and performances through a glimpse behind the curtain of how the Symphony prepares for concerts, selects repertoire and more. Attendees will learn about the subject matter and composers that will be performed during the upcoming concert, while enriching their concert experience. Complimentary valet parking is provided.
 
Harris Han serves as the Assistant Conductor of Palm Beach Symphony and Frost Symphony Orchestra. He is the winner of the 2025 Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Conducting Fellowship and, on the recommendation of the orchestra and Music Director Jaap van Zweden, led the orchestra in a performance of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra in Lotte Concert Hall. In past seasons, he has served as Assistant Conductor of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (NY), Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra (MI), Ithaca College Opera Studio (NY) and as a cover conducting of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (MI). He was invited to the Bach and Beyond Baroque Music Festival in Fredonia, NY for many summers as harpsichord soloist and violinist. Harris has received additional training via the 2024 Riccardo Muti Opera Academy in Japan, the 2024 George Enescu Conducting Masterclass in Romania and the Pierre Monteux Festival and School in Hancock, Maine where he served as Assistant Conductor and Violinist in 2023 and 2024. He was also a Conducting Scholar at Greensboro, North Carolina’s Eastern Music Festival in 2022.
 
In May 2025, Han graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with a Master of Music in Orchestra Conducting. A trained pianist and violinist, he has served as a collaborative pianist at the University of Miami, Florida International University, the University of Michigan, Cornell University and Ithaca College. He has played violin and piano with the Symphony of the Americas, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano and Violin Performance from Ithaca College School of Music where he studied piano with Charis Dimaras and violin with Calvin Wiersma. At Ithaca, Han won the 2022 Mary Hayes North Competition for senior piano majors and the 2020 Concerto Competition. Conducting teachers include Jaap van Zweden, Palm Beach Symphony Music Director Gerard Schwarz, Cristian Macelaru, Kenneth Kiesler, Hugh Wolff and Grant Cooper. Han is the recipient of the 2025 Career Assistance Award from The Solti Foundation U.S.