The Sounds They Loved: Musical Connections to French Moderns
June 28, 2026
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
$35 Adult
$35 Senior (65+)
$20 Youth (3-17)
$20 College Student (w/ ID)
Members of The Frick Societies receive complimentary admission
Leslie Amper returns to The Frick Pittsburgh with a captivating multimedia performance inspired by the French Moderns: Matisse / Renoir / Degas exhibition. Enjoy live piano works by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and more, paired with stunning visuals and commentary exploring the music that influenced artists of the era.
In this engaging program, audiences are transported to the world of the Impressionists as they challenged the art establishment with their radical new style. Combining spoken word, music, film, and images of the artworks, the presentation offers a fresh perspective on the creative connections between painters and composers. View the landscapes the artists captured from the very vantage points they once occupied and hear the music that inspired them.
A consummate pianist and professional actress, Amper blends deep knowledge with dramatic flair, sharing fascinating insights into the Impressionists’ lives, habits, and relationships.
Gallery access is not included with the performance. We encourage guests to purchase an exhibition ticket for viewing beforehand. Advance registration and pre-payment are recommended; walk-ups will be accommodated as space allows.
About the Performer
Leslie Amper began her career with a critically acclaimed New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall. She went on to delight audiences in Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco as well as at Monadnock Musicʼs Virtuoso Piano Series. A member of New Hampshire Music Festival, she is a frequent participant in Boston's Emmanuel Music solo and chamber music celebrations.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Amper took full advantage of a program then current in that city’s schools, through which serious high school musicians were allowed to forego classes for a few hours each day in order have adequate practice time and to take advantage of performance opportunities. She spent her high school summers at the Interlochen Music Camp and the Aspen Music Festival. After two years at Oberlin College, she continued her studies at the New England Conservatory of Music with Rudolph Kolisch, Gunther Schuller, and Russell Sherman. While at the conservatory, she won the first annual Jordan Hall Honors Competition and played Prokofievʼs Piano Concerto No. 3 at the graduation ceremonies.
An acknowledged scholar and practitioner of contemporary music, Amper has recorded Andrew Imbrieʼs Short Story for Neuma Records which was chosen for the international radio broadcast, Art of the States. Equally adept at accompanying silent film, she has compiled piano accompaniments at the Harvard Film Archives for the short films of Georges Méliès and King Vidor’s The Crowd, among others. As a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts solo recitalist grant, she presented Messiaenʼs monumental Vingt Regards sur lʼenfant Jésus in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. Other performances include the musical component for the Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibition 1934: A New Deal for Artist which toured the United States and the onstage piano performances in Peter Sellars’ production of Chekhov’s A Seagull at the American National Theater.
Currently teaching at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, the New England Conservatory Preparatory Department, and Wheaton College, Leslie Amper has lectured at Boston University, Currier House of Harvard University, and the University of Pittsburgh as well as at the New Hampshire Music Festival, where she is a regular performer.
Photo by Susan Wilson
