Originally published in Finger Lakes Times on March 30, 2025
In a world filled with news alerts, scrolling feeds, and the ever-present hum of daily life, few places remain where we can simply be. For pianist Henry Kramer, music is one of those rare spaces. A live performance engages the senses, yet offers a moment of presence — a way to connect personally with ourselves and the people around us.
Next month, Kramer, one of the most successful pianists of his generation and a longtime resident artist at the Geneva Music Festival, returns to share a preview of his upcoming Carnegie Hall recital alongside violinist Blake Pouliot. Before the duo takes the stage in New York City in one of the world’s most iconic venues, Geneva audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience the program up close.
The performance blends together intensely emotional works, excitement and energy, and moments of quiet introspection. While some pieces reflect on history and human struggle, the program offers space for reflection and connection.“That’s what I find is the most healing aspect of sharing music,” Kramer said. “We can step away and just exist in it.”
Kramer’s start in music came in an unexpected way: not with formal training in early childhood, but with the music his friend would bring over and work on.
“I watched her play and then figured it out by ear on my family’s old upright,” he recalled. “I’d never touched the piano before, but I couldn’t be torn away.”
Recognizing his instinctive ability, his mom signed him up for piano lessons at 11 years old. Shortly thereafter, he was playing Chopin and Mozart and winning every competition he entered. By the time he was a teenager, there was no question that music would be his life.
His early, intuitive approach to music shaped the musician he would become and continues to define his artistry today. His distinctive style has propelled his career, earning him international recognition. In 2019, he was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant by Lincoln Center, one of the most coveted honors bestowed on young American soloists.
At the heart of the upcoming concert is a long-standing artistic collaboration. Kramer and Pouliot have performed together for nearly a decade in a rare partnership that balances the depth of musicianship with the ease of friendship.
“We’re very serious when it comes to our rehearsals,” Kramer said, “but as friends, we’re the silliest people together. I think that balance is rare, and it’s one of the things that keeps us together as a duo.”
That chemistry radiates on stage.
“Blake is so gestural. He paints these big expressive strokes, which gives me this free space to be in dialogue,” Kramer said. “It’s never about one person leading or following and there’s little worry about mismatching our intentions because we’re already completely in tune.”
What will audiences take away from the April performance? Kramer hopes people will leave the concert feeling connected — to the artists, to the music, to themselves, and to each other.
“I think it’s about allowing ourselves to feel, to share a space where we don’t have to verbalize everything, we can just be present,” he said.
This kind of presence and connection, he believes, is something many people neglect to make time for. When things in the world don’t seem to fit together, music helps us make sense of it.
Kramer and Pouliot are performing right here in Geneva before they head to Carnegie Hall. Their concert begins at 7:30 p.m. April 12 in Froelich Hall at the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Standard tickets cost $40. Buy them at genevamusicfestival.com.
Kramer and Pouliot will return in May for summer festival concerts at the Geneva Music Festival, offering even more opportunities to experience the duo’s artistry.
The April 12 performance is made possible in part by sponsors like Lyons National Bank, whose support helps bring world-class artists to the Geneva Music Festival stage.
This article was first published in Finger Lakes Times on March 30, 2025. You can read the full version here.
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The Geneva Music Festival is recognized by the U.S. IRS as a non-profit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Festival’s business address is P.O. Box 543, Geneva, NY 14456, (315) 326-1951, info@genevamusicfestival.com.
