Piano Paralympics Demonstration Recital

September 29th, 2005
Piano Paralympics Demonstration Recital
By Professor Martin Berinbaum - UBC School of Music

Vancouver audiences and music teachers will have the opportunity to hear and interact with eight participants who took part in the First International Piano Paralympics held last January in Yokohama, Japan.
The President of the Institute for Piano Teachers of the Disabled of Japan, Mr. Tokio Sakoda, will also be on hand to answer questions and meet interested persons. The eight performing musicians range in age from 13 years to 39 years, and will perform a varied program featuring music by
Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Mendelssohn and several Japanese composers.

Some performers will perform self-composed variations on Sakura Sakura, which was the “imposed” element of the First Piano Paralympics.

The Piano Paralympics is an international piano music festival for pianists who have overcome great physical challenges. The purpose of the Piano Paralympics is not to compete for superiority but to encourage, appreciate and praise special skills through music and to raise social awareness of such achievements. It is the goal of the Piano Paralympics to attract piano students with challenges of Autism, Downs Syndrome and other developmental disorders, blindness, paralysis, birth defects, hearing loss and other special circumstances to take notice of this opportunity to display the musical skills they work so hard to attain.

It is hoped that by giving this demonstration recital in Vancouver at this time it will inspire interest from piano teachers and event organizers, in Canada and other countries to hold the second Piano Paralympics in conjunction with the cultural events surrounding the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics games in Vancouver.

Event Details : 2:00 pm on October 23, 2005 at the UBC School of Music Recital Hall – 6361 Memorial Road, Vancouver. There is no admission charge for this event.

Media Contact: Martin Berinbaum by phone at 604-822-5739 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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