Fire at his fingertips: Pianist Conor Hanick anxious to perform for hometown crowd

By Diana Nollen

Conor Hanick is training for a race that he'll run sitting down.

At a grand piano.

The Iowa City native is returning home to make his debut appearance with Orchestra Iowa next weekend.

He'll be performing Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto, which will put the fire in the orchestra's “Fire and Ice” Classical Series concerts. They're slated for 8 p.m. Saturday at Coe College in Cedar Rapids and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, at West High School in Iowa City.

Orchestra Iowa conductor Timothy Hankewich, 42, of Cedar Rapids, says the Prokofiev piece has a little ice in it, as well.

“It's fiery, but there's also something steely and icy to his compositional style. It's fiery in the bravura technique but is has something of that 20th century iciness. ... I just love Prokofiev in general. It's such physical music, extremely energetic, extremely technical and extremely impressive.”

The concerto, a 30-minute piece in three movements, will test Hanick's mettle.

“Since I've been practicing it, it feels like a headbanger's ball to me,” Hanick, 27, says by phone from the Juilliard School in New York, where he's a second-year doctorate student. “It's really energetic from first measure to last measure. There are very few sections with more introspective moments. When they do occur, they add really powerful strength to the piece. It's a tour de force, virtuoso headbanger's piece.

“Prokofiev is very sarcastic and sardonic in the way that he composes,” Hanick says. “There are really powerful moments of biting irony where he's kind of jabbing you and stabbing you in ways that are sometimes kind of uncomfortable. That's one of his strengths as a composer.”

 He first put the piece under his fingers at age 14 and began relearning it a few months ago, which has been no easy feat. For the past month, has been getting down to what he calls “the nitty-gritty,” practicing as much as eight hours a day.

“One of the more immense challenges I've ever had to deal with as a pianist is relearning this concerto,” says Hanick, son of Kevin and Pat Hanick of Iowa City. “I had such bad habits at 14. The only thing harder than learning notes to a different concerto is relearning one from your 14-year-old self.

“When I first started, it was like going in a time machine and revisiting the bad habits of my 14-year-old self and scolding myself. The grunt work of that is over and I can actually play the notes now,” he says. “Muscle memory is very powerful in the formative years of musicality.”

 The physical aspects rise to the top of the concerto's challenges.

“Certainly the endurance component,” Hanick says. “It's almost entirely composed with piano and orchestra, with few moments of orchestral interlude. It's just the nature of the piano writing. It creates physical issues I have to look at. It's like training for a race - you have to condition yourself.

“There are technical challenges with this piece you have to embody in order to bring it off,” he adds. “The texture and nature of the piece make it so when there are moments of more introspective playing, you need to find ways of making those passages speak in contrast to what is otherwise a pretty raucous texture.

“Certainly with pieces like this - Russian warhorse concertos - part of challenge for the performer is finding something unique and finding refreshing ways to present them.”

   Hanick began taking piano lessons in earnest at age 10 at West Music in Coralville. About three years later, he began studying with University of Iowa professors. He graduated from City High School in Iowa City in 2001, then went to Northwestern University in Chicago. With interests in reading, writing, the arts, architecture and chemistry, he ended up concentrating on music and journalism.

“I didn't want to restrict myself from exploring (other options) by going to a conservatory,” he says. “By the time I graduated, I discovered my passion for music never really dissipated.”

With an eye toward getting a master's degree from Juilliard, he took a year off, moved to New York and borrowed a friend's ID to gain access to a Juilliard practice room.

“I was an honorary student for a year,” he says with a laugh. “I practiced like a madman for a year and got in with a really huge scholarship. It's one of the most rewarding decisions I've made. It's really a remarkable experience being in New York and seeing your career develop and seeing your interests expand.”

He's entering his final semester of course work and expects to be there another two years, working on his dissertation and recitals. Hoping for a performance career, he knows a lot of that success will fall squarely on his shoulders.

“I'll be striving to perform as much as I can,” he says. “I'm youthful and have the energy to learn this music and I have the eagerness to perform in public. Being a musician right now requires a desire to perform and you have to have the skills to write, teach, be creative and create avenues of success for yourself.”

And when opportunities come calling, you answer, especially if it means getting to go back home.

Hankewich had Hanick on his radar, hearing about him from audience and board members, as well as seeing glowing reviews for Hanick's performances in New York.

When Orchestra Iowa called, Hanick said yes.

“That was an easy decision to make,” he says. “Anytime you get a chance to play with an orchestra you take it. ...

“This is something I'm really looking forward to. I did so much performing when I was living there in high school. A lot of people contributed to my musical upbringing. It's really special to come back and be able to play for them again.”

FAST TAKEDiscussions: Free “Insight” discussions with Conor Hanick and Maestro Timothy Hankewich: 7 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium, 1 p.m. at West High School

What: Orchestra Iowa's “Fire and Ice” concert, featuring pianist Conor Hanick

Cedar Rapids: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, Sinclair Auditorium, Coe College, 1220 First Ave. NE

Iowa City: 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave.

Tickets: $14 to $39 at www.orchestraiowa.org, (319) 366-8203, 1-(800) 369-8863 or the Orchestra Iowa Ticket Office, 119 Third Ave. SE

Program: Nielsen, “Helios”; Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3; Sibelius, Symphony No. 2