From Liberace to LED lights – Charlie Albright shines the brightest!
PPI’s traditional audience are no strangers to talented pianists. Over the course of any given season we quite literally get a glimpse into the finest pianists of today and tomorrow, as our vision and mission clearly states. But with Charlie Albright (our “Piano Beach” soloist this past February, slated to be our second “Boundless” performer in May 2026), we hit on something (for us!) quite new, quite bold and, dare we say, boundless in its creative and artistic scope. Like an accomplished older sister furtively envying her younger sister’s carefree ease, Charlie embodies everything classical music in the 21st century secretly wants to be: playful, experimental, fun! Which is why we created the “Boundless” series: A space where we hope to really tap into the feeling Charlie inspires in all of his audiences – one of genre-bending and audience-engaging impishness, while retaining the highest standards of virtuosity.
If you attended PPI’s “Piano Beach” fundraising gala in February this year, you probably told your friends afterwards about the fun, season-defying theme (there were ladies in elaborate sunhats and gentlemen in board shorts while it was bucketing down outside), the scrumptious brunch (Art of Catering doesn’t use the word ‘art’ lightly) and the amusing auctioneer (himself a pianist and piano afficionado). But more impressive than all of the above combined, and even more astounding than seeing serious, suit-jacketed men donning flip-flops, was watching (almost) local boy Charlie Albright letting it rip at the keyboard.
(If you missed the event, you can get a tiny peek at the look/feel on our Instagram page. What only exists in our collective memories is Charlie’s jaw-dropping improvisation act, when he had to compose something on the spot, inspired by a theme provided by the highest bidder in the audience. Coming up with a creation built on the theme from The Lord of the Rings movie score in the style of Enrique Granados is not your typical circus act. He pulled it off with aplomb.)
Because, yes, Charlie is completely at home in the “serious repertoire” and has performed alongside some of the biggest names in the classical world: Joshua Bell, Emmanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma. But he’s also in his element when he’s not playing Schubert or Chopin, collaborating with artists as diverse as Bobby McFerrin and Mandy Gonzalez.
As “one of the 15 most interesting seniors at the Harvard College Class of 2011” (according to his Wikipedia page), Charlie Albright is simply all of it: brilliant, buzzing with ideas, breathtakingly good at everything he touches.
Where else can you find a pianist with a YouTube-channel dedicated to How To-videos?! (From installing smart kitchen cabinet lights to unboxing a Greenworks 40V Electric Battery Hedge Timmer … he’s a handyman of note!)
All of which to say – you’ll be missing out sorely if you don’t join us for Charlie’s “Boundless” recital on May 8th. Whether he’ll be playing the Moonlight Sonata or a Liberace-style Boogie-Woogie … or both …? You’ll just have to be there to experience it!