Gladys Frisch Harris Piano Festival
The Gladys Frisch Harris Piano Festival at Hastings College brings outstanding teacher-performers to the Hastings College campus for a day of informative and inspiring activities, all free of charge to festival participants!
The Festival attracts clinicians who share their expertise with piano students, teachers and the Hastings College community — including an opportunity for students in grades 8-12 to attend free of charge and work with the guest clinician and Hastings College faculty. These master class sessions are a great way to coach literature for upcoming solo recitals, Guild Auditions, contests or NMTA District Festivals.
2027 Piano Festival
The 2027 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, February 13, 2027 at the Gray Center (map) on the Hastings College campus.
We are pleased to invite all students grades 8-12 to attend this event free of charge, and request a lesson with our guest clinician, Daniel Adam Maltz, and Hastings College piano faculty member, Jonathan Sokasits. Please register below.
Festival Schedule
9:00 am — Welcome with Daniel Adam Maltz and Jonathan Sokasits
10:00 am — Master classes featuring area high school students.
1:00 pm — Solo recital with Dr. Jonathan Sokasits featuring music inspired by birds.
2027 Guest Artist - Daniel Adam Maltz
Daniel Adam Maltz is a fortepianist based in Vienna, Austria.
He is the leading fortepianist of his generation, performing in 50+ cities per year as a soughtafter recitalist, concerto soloist, director, and Lied accompanist.
He is also an esteemed educator, having visited 60+ universities as a guest artist and clinician since 2022. Daniel specializes in Viennese Classicism — especially the works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert — performed on the Viennese fortepianos of their time.
He brings his expertise in the Viennese sound, culture, philosophies, and performance practices of the Classical era to his interpretations.
Daniel is “considered the foremost performer in the world of the fortepiano” (Aspen Daily News). Critics say he puts “[Beethoven’s] tenderness, longing and frustration into the very notes” (Orlando Sentinel) and “It was a privilege to hear an artist of this caliber” (The Antic Arts).
Daniel studied fortepiano performance at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He refined his command of historical practices through private study with Ingomar Rainer.
He also hosted Classical Cake, the podcast about Viennese classical music and culture.
For 2027, Daniel launched a 90-city tour commemorating 200 years since Beethoven’s death.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Jonathan Sokasits at 402.461.7359 or jsokasits@hastings.edu.
History of the Gladys Frisch Harris Piano Festival
Gladys Frisch Harris, a member of the Hastings College class of 1932, spent more than fifty years of her life teaching private piano and organ pupils. She actively taught until two days before her death on Thanksgiving Day, 1981.
Following graduation, Harris taught high school music for two years, and then became a substitute teacher in the Evanston, Illinois public schools. She studied pipe organ in Chicago and attended the Diller-Quaile School of Music in New York.
Harris and her husband, the Reverend James W. Harris, were married in 1934 and had two sons, James and John. Mrs. Harris was a member of the Evanston Music Club and the Board of Directors of the West Suburban Symphony in LaGrange, Illinois. Her dedication to the field of music education still continues today through underwriting this annual student/teacher workshop.
This annual festival occurs in March or April. It is a wonderful performance opportunity that helps students prepare for district festivals, auditions and spring recitals. Over the years, the festival has undergone a number of changes before arriving at its current format.