Concert pianist Margaret Fingerhut will be performing in St Peter’s Church, Chapel Street, Congleton at 2.30pm on Sunday, 20th October with a programme entitled “Ukraine – A Piano Portrait”.
Ms Fingerhut said she had become increasingly involved in using the power of music to raise money for charitable causes. In 2019 she undertook a major recital tour, devising and performing a special programme of words and music called “Far From the Home I Love” across the UK to raise money for refugees and asylum seekers.
In 2022, she collaborated with a young Ukrainian filmmaker to produce a powerful video that raised money for emergency vehicles in Ukraine.
She was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours in recognition of her services to music and charitable fundraising.
Proceeds from the recital will go towards ambulances for Ukraine with a contribution towards the English lessons for the Congleton Ukrainian community.
Born in London of Ukrainian and Polish heritage, Ms Fingerhut has had a distinguished career which has taken her all over the world. She is particularly known for her innovative recital programmes in which she explores the highways and byways of the piano repertoire. As a concerto soloist she has appeared with all the UK’s major orchestras in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican. She is often heard on BBC Radio Three and Classic FM and many radio stations worldwide. Her extensive discography reflects her long-standing fascination with exploring lesser-known repertoire, including works by Bax, Berkeley, Bloch, Dukas, Falla, Finzi, Grieg, Howells, Leighton, Novák, Stanford and Suk as well as several pioneering collections of Russian and French piano music. Two of her Bax recordings were short-listed for “Gramophone” awards, and her disc of solo piano music by Tansman was awarded the “Diapason D’Or” in France.
The Bechstein piano in St Peter’s celebrates its 100th birthday this year and the church has an excellent acoustic. The recital will last about an hour and will be followed by refreshments included in the ticket price. Tickets are available from the town hall information office at £10 for adults. Children under 16 are free accompanied by an adult. For further information, call 01260 272315.
