Homestead High School Grad Returns As Acclaimed Concert Pianist

Internationally acclaimed concert pianist Neil Rutman, who grew up in Cupertino, will perform at the APJCC Auditorium in Los Gatos on Tuesday, December 18 at 7:00pm. The performance will include pieces by Debussy, Chopin, Gershwin, and the rock band Queen.

Rutman, a native of San Francisco, was raised in Cupertino and attended Homestead High School.

Rutman has distinguished himself as a top prize winner at international competitions, received numerous awards, and performed in major concert venues around the world.

He has performed in more than thirty countries, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan, and the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He has taken top prizes in several international competitions including the Busoni, Kapell, Casadesus, Joanna Hodges, Concert Artist Guild, a first prize for his performance of the Goldberg Variations at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, and first prizes in two categories at the French Piano Institute International Competition in Paris.

Rutman has also received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and for Artistic Excellence from the Astral Foundation of Philadelphia.

Among his recordings are two Mozart Piano Concerti with the Academy of London Orchestra, an all-Poulenc CD with Emmy Award-winning actor Tony Randall providing the narration in “The Story of Babar the Little Elephant,” and his all-Chopin release on the Pro Musica label.

Rutman trained under the musical guidance of Aiko Onishi. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music and Peabody Conservatory, where he worked with Cecile Genhart, Ellen Mack, and Leon Fleisher. He is currently the Klipsch Artist in Residence at the University of Central Arkansas.

For tickets and more information, go to apjcc.org/rutman or call 408.357.7492.

ABOUT THE JCC (www.apjcc.org)

The Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center (JCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community center and is open to people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Located in Los Gatos, California, the JCC’s programs and services include a state-of-the-art Fitness Center, Aquatics Center, and Tennis Complex, full gymnasium, preschool, summer camps and after-school programs, adult education, art exhibits and cultural events, and social and enrichment programs for children, teenagers, adults and seniors.

The Addison-Penzak JCC is a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley and is affiliated with the JCC Association of North America.