Four pianists, four concertos, and four different composers add up to big concert for the New Horizons Symphony Orchestra this weekend, and one that they have aptly titled “Power Four.” For the second year in a row, conductor Jorge Martinez-Rios has invited pianists who have chosen other professions but who are also accomplished musicians who love to perform.
Stan Sisskin, who will open the concert with the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, has music degrees but spent most of his career as a software developer. Jonathan Shih originally trained to be a pianist but an injury led him to become an engineer. He will perform the first movement of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. The only professional in the group is NMSU’s new piano professor, Jung-Won Shin, who stepped in at the last minute when the fourth pianist couldn’t make it. She will perform the opening movement of Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. And Carl Di Casoli, who performed here last year as well, is a biostatistician who has won numerous amateur piano competitions. He will perform the entire Piano Concerto in E-flat Major by Franz Liszt.
Conductor Jorge Martinez told Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin that last year’s concert was popular with both the audience and the orchestra. Learning the long opening movements from three concertos and all of the Liszt concerto is a challenge, he said, as is learning to listen to four different performers with different styles and interpretations. But, he added, “we know we’re doing this for our audience, to get better [as an ensemble], and to feature successful people in other fields who also happen to play at a high level,” he said. “So I think it covers a lot.” Listen to the entire interview to about the concertos, the musicians, the joy of making music, and more.
The free concert is on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at 3 p.m. at the Atkinson Recital Hall.
Musical clips:
• Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven, I. Allegro con brio: performed by Leif Ove Andsnes with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (Sony, cd#420582);
• Clips 2 & 3: Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg, I. Allegro molto moderato: and Piano Concerto in A Minor by Robert Schumann, I. Allegro molto moderato, performed by Murray Perahia with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis (CBS/Sony cd #44899);
• Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat by Franz Liszt, performed by Martha Argerich with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado (Philips cd #67002).