Composer and pianist Jeffrey Biegel will be performing several concerts in Marquette this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Jerry LoFaro and Jeffrey Biegel)

MARQUETTE — Pianist Jeffrey Biegel will be performing composer George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” alongside two jazzy pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich, at his concert this upcoming Saturday.

A renowned composer and musician, Biegel is an alumni of the famed Julliard School performing arts conservatory in New York City. His career has led him to a Grammy-winning recording, playing major concerts with orchestras all across the globe, and more than 30 commissioned works by living composers.

Biegel serves as the opener for the Marquette Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 season and will be playing the 1924 critical edition of Gershwin’s piece on a Steinway piano that Gershwin himself specifically selected for Louis G. Kaufman. He will also be playing Shostakovich’s pieces Tahiti Trot and Suite for Variety Orchestra – Number One, the latter of which will feature musicians from the MSO and string students from both Marquette and Negaunee high schools.

Biegel says that the opportunity to play in Marquette came from connecting with MSO Music Director and Conductor Octavio Más-Arocas.

“I worked with Octavio’s predecessor in Mansfield, OH, Robert Franz, who also conducted a world premiere in Windsor, Canada a couple years ago, and, I’ve always maintained contact with the orchestras, even when conductors (have) changing of the guard…Octavio was starting to have presence on social media platforms which really is, for me, a gift because we didn’t have that 30 years ago,” Biegel explained. “At one point, he just reached out on Facebook Messenger and he asked, ‘(I know) you play “Rhapsody in Blue,” and are you available to fill in as we have this need to have a pianist come in. I know it’s short notice…’ so I said ‘sure’ so we coordinated it and here we are. I will finally get to work with him. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about him and I followed him. He’s been very kind, very humble and very accessible and to me, that’s what it takes. I’m really grateful that he remembered and reached out. I’m looking forward to meeting him and working with the orchestra for the first time.”

Citing Gershwin’s music and “Rhapsody in Blue” in particular, Biegel highlighted some of the influences of cross-cultural sound and notes of other composers found within Gershwin’s music, especially prevalent in the orchestral suite Biegel will be performing this weekend.

“He was no slouch. He was inspired by the great people, and he was always tipping the hat. This is what’s so important about Gershwin: (he was) always tipping the hat to something, whether it’s the Eastern European dances that are in ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ or Beethoven or Prokofiev or Scott Joplin and his own acts, or Chopin and Debussy. There’s some quotes of Debussy in Gershwin’s music, or Cuba in the ‘Cuban Overture’ or (An) ‘American in Paris’ or soulful blues, gospel blues in ‘Porgy and Bess,'” said Biegel. “The thing I learned about Gershwin is even though he was inspired by all (of) these wonderful cultures and composers, it just churned through him like a food processor but it came out totally original.”

During his time in Marquette, Jeffrey also offered free masterclasses for students — one for Northern Michigan University students and one for high school/middle school students. He says that a part of musical legacy is making sure the next generation simultaneously understands musical traditions and is also looking forward to creating new work.

“I always say ‘When we teach, we learn,’ and I learn as I’m teaching. It just reinforces what I’m doing, but sometimes (the students) they’ll do something (where) I learn something that I loved. (I think) ‘I never thought of that…’ (To a) composer, say, that’s like somebody bringing something different to their piece and it’s like ‘Well, I never thought of that but it works.’ That’s what it’s all about, so it’s nice to do that and they really enjoy the experience because it’s like, you want to try to bring out the best of that person you possibly can. (You) want to take something that’s good and make it great enough for them, and that’s something to carry on with. The best teachers are the ones who help students teach themselves,” Biegel shared.

Biegel also has a solo recital titled “Informance” planned while he’s in the area, where he will perform and discuss the works of Frédéric Chopin and Edvard Grieg. A light reception will follow the event.

Biegel’s Gershwin and Shostakovich concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Kaufman Auditorium, located inside Graveraet Elementary School, which is located at 611 N. Front St. His solo recital will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday inside the Reynolds Recital Hall on NMU’s campus, located at 1401 Presque Isle Ave.

Tickets for Biegel’s Gershwin concert can be purchased online at nmu.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3706 or by visiting one of the NMU Ticketing Office’s physical locations. Tickets for Biegel’s soloist recital can be purchased online at nmu.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3874. The ticketing office can be contacted by calling 906-227-1032 or via email at tickets@nmu.edu.

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.