Dichter to be joined by Palm Beach Symphony for performance of Rachmaninoff

During a program full of vivid storytelling, bold rhythms and international flair, Misha Dichter will bring his commanding piano artistry to Dreyfoos Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. The audience will be captivated by a breathtaking performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is one of the first stops on Dichter’s 80th-birthday tour. The Palm Beach Symphony Masterworks Series Concert opens with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful The Snow Maiden Suite and continues with Gabriela Lena Frank’s vibrant Elegía Andina and Manuel de Falla’s fiery The Three Cornered Hat.

“Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody for piano and orchestra consists of 24 variations on the last of Paganini’s set of Caprices for violin. Each variation is a little jewel and has its own character,” said Palm Beach Symphony Music Director Gerard Schwarz, who will conduct the orchestra. “Misha, our piano soloist, is a great artist and a dear friend. I’ve heard him play the piece before and I know we’re in for a real treat.”

Dichter was born in Shanghai to parents who fled Poland at the outbreak of World War II. Dichter and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was two and he began studying the piano at five. At 20, while enrolled at the famed Juilliard School in New York City, he won the silver medal at the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which helped launch an enviable concert career. Shortly thereafter, on August 14, 1966, Dichter was the guest soloist in a Tanglewood performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Erich Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a concert that was broadcast nationally on NBC and subsequently recorded for RCA. Two years later, he made his New York Philharmonic debut under the baton of Leonard Bernstein, collaborating on the same concerto. Appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra, the principal London orchestras and every major American orchestra soon followed. Dichter’s discography is legendary, iconic and musically omnivorous, encompassing the major scores of Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Gershwin, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Schubert, Schumann, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.

In 2007, Dichter took a three-month hiatus from the concert stage to deal with the onset of Dupuytren’s Disease, a contracting of one or more fingers. After successful surgery and physical therapy, he returned to public performance and became a supporter of, and spokesperson for, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Dichter is also an accomplished writer, having contributed articles to many leading publications including The New York Times, and a talented sketch artist. In 2012, he released an e-book titled “A Pianist’s World in Drawings” of his music-related illustrations.

Fiercely dedicated to extending his artistic traditions to new generations of pianists, Dichter conducts widely attended masterclasses at major conservatories, universities and music festivals including Aspen, Curtis, Eastman, Harvard, Juilliard, Yale and Holland’s Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Before Dichter takes the stage, Palm Beach Symphony will usher in winter with a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden Suite. Known for Scheherazade and Flight of the Bumblebee, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote 15 operas. “Snow Maiden was originally one of those 15 operas and then he made it a short suite of exquisite, beautiful music called The Snow Maiden Suite. He orchestrated in the most subtle and beautiful way,” said Maestro Schwarz. “This extraordinary music envelopes you as you sit in the theater. When you think about Snow Maiden, you visualize snow and frost. When spring comes, the snow melts and the snow fairy comes. It’s a bizarre story.”

Following intermission, the Symphony will heat things back up again with Elegía Andina, the first orchestral piece written by Lena Frank, a young American composer, in 2000. Born in 1972, the multi-cultural musician is of Peruvian, Chinese and Spanish descent. The Three Cornered Hat by de Falla will close out the show. The famous Spanish composer was commissioned to write this as a ballet, and he made two suites.

“There’s so much wonderful music in the complete ballet that many people don’t know, so I made a third suite that’s 30 minutes long,” explained Schwarz. “It includes all the material from de Falla’s first two suites and more, so you get a real flavor of this absolutely charming, wonderful work.”

The Masterworks concerts continue at the Kravis Center with Alisa Weilerstein, cello (Jan. 13); Vadim Repin, violin (March 2), Simon Trpčeski, piano (April 19) and Emanuel Ax, piano (May 17). The complete 2025-2026 Season schedule is available at palmbeachsymphony.org. Individual tickets and season subscriptions for the concerts are on sale now. Concert tickets range in price from $27.50 to $104.50. Tickets may be purchased online at PalmBeachSymphony.org, by phone at (561) 281-0145 and at the Palm Beach Symphony Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 700 South Dixie Highway, Suite 100, West Palm Beach.

Principal cellist Claudio Jaffé will host the Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learn on December 11. Held the Thursday preceding each concert, Lunch & Learns are also scheduled for Jan. 8, Feb. 26, April 16 and May 14. Individual tickets are $125 per session and may be purchased at PalmBeachSymphony.org. These informal and informative sessions take place in the Symphony’s conference room located in the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties building, 700 S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach. Guests will enjoy a three-course gourmet lunch catered by SandyJames Fine Food & Productions and a selection of wines curated by Palm Beach Symphony sponsor Private Cask Imports while deepening their connection with the musicians and performances through a glimpse behind the curtain of how the Symphony prepares for concerts, selects repertoire and more. Attendees will learn about the subject matter and composers that will be performed during the upcoming concert, while enriching their concert experience. Complimentary valet parking is provided.

Jaffé launched his solo performance career at the age of 11 with an orchestral debut in his native Brazil. His recitals and guest solo appearances with multiple orchestras have brought him to play in prestigious artistic centers around the world including New York City, London, Tokyo, Ottawa, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. The New York Times describes Jaffé as “an elegant and accomplished artist” of “taste, technique, musicianship and a contagious youthful enthusiasm.” He is principal cellist of Palm Beach Symphony and Music Director of the Florida Youth Orchestra. A prize winner in numerous national and international competitions, Jaffé received four degrees from Yale University including a Doctor of Musical Arts. He served as dean of the Lynn University Conservatory of Music and created its Preparatory Division, began the Strings Program at St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, has conducted the Florida Youth Orchestra for more than 25 years, performed as principal cello for the Florida Grand Opera for over 15 years and a member of the Delray String Quartet for more than 10 seasons and taught at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He’s conducted, performed and taught at the Santa Catarina Music Festival and performs regularly at the Sunflower and Buzzards Bay Music Festivals.

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include Cindy and Jerome Canty, Mrs. James N. Bay, Carol and Harold Baxter, C. Kenneth and Laura Baxter Foundation, Inc., Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, Leslie Rogers Blum, Jerey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Jerome J. Claeys, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Michelle DuBois and James Roiter, Ray K. Farris, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation, Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Paul* and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo Gressette, Irwin and Janet Gusman, Walter Harper, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, HSS Florida, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Elaine Kay, Aban and Percy Kavasmaneck, Leonard and Norma Klorne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Gary and Linda Lachman/The Lachman Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Palm Beach Design Masters, Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez and Dr. Jesus Perez-Mendez, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Karen Hunt Rogers, The Honorable Ronald A. Rosenfeld, David Schafer, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Kimberly V. Strauss, Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods.

*Deceased

ABOUT PALM BEACH SYMPHONY

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 90,000 students in recent years. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.

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