An Afternoon of Music: Thank You to Our Donors

The Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series invites its supporters to a special Donor Appreciation Concert on Sunday, May 17 at 4 pm, featuring the extraordinary young pianist Peter Parra, age 15. This exclusive event is offered in gratitude to the donors whose generosity sustains world‑class chamber music on the Mendonoma coast.

A rising star in the international piano world, Parra is a sophomore at Mountain View High School and studies with Professor Corey McVicar at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre‑College. His accolades already form an astonishing list: a 2022–24 Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, a 2025–26 U.S. Chopin Foundation Scholarship recipient, a 2025–26 NPR From the Top Fellow, and a 2025 Laureate of the Ross McKee Foundation Piano Competition.

Parra has performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Highlights of his 2025 season include appearances at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Extravaganza concert, Music@Menlo’s Koret Young Performers Concerts, Germany’s Musikfestspiele Saar, and a remarkable performance on the Great Wall of China, where he was named a 2025–26 Culture Ambassador of Great Wall. His performances have been featured on WQED‑Pittsburgh, Interlochen Public Radio’s Intermezzo, and broadcast nationally on NPR’s From the Top.

A frequent top‑prize winner, Parra earned First Place at the 2026 San Francisco Chopin Competition, CAPMT Honors State Final, Elevato International, and the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition. He has also been recognized by the Chicago International Music Competition, Pacific Music Society, ENKOR, KAMSA, BMC, and was a finalist in the 2026 Kaufman International Piano Competition.

For those who have not yet joined the donor community, contributions of any amount at the door are warmly welcomed and directly support future chamber music programming at Gualala Arts.

This intimate afternoon offers donors and guests a rare opportunity to experience an exceptional young artist at the height of his early career—while celebrating and strengthening the vibrant musical life of our community.