By Josh Margolis
CHESTER, Mont. (NMB) – The newly formed Hi-Line Arts Council has announced that Grammy and Emmy Award Nominated pianist and composer Philip Aaberg will be performing a virtual Christmas concert from his Chester studio on Sunday at 4 PM.
“I have a big ole’ 9.5 foot piano in my studio there, and we’ll mic it up and put a couple cameras on,” Aaberg told New Media Broadcasters by phone on Monday morning. “It’ll be like a concert grand in your living room, only on a screen.”
Aaberg says he agreed to do the virtual concert after being asked by Bear Paw Development Corporation Executive Director Paul Tuss.
“I’ve known Paul for years and years and actually served on a Hi-Line commerce committee with him and a bunch of other people. And he’d come to all the concerts that I did in Chester. I’ve been doing these Christmas concerts for something like 34 years as an artist on the Windham Hill label and also once I split and started my own record company Sweetgrass Music with my wife Patty…Last year was the first year that it took off. And of course, at that point, we had no idea what was coming at us with the pandemic. So Paul called me and said that we’re starting the Hi-Line Arts Council. I’m so happy to hear this. And their mission statement is that they are committed to empowering our community through the support and promotion of arts, culture and creative expression. In my opinion, that’s exactly what we need right now…And they asked me to do the first concert of their series.”
The solo piano concert is expected to last about an hour, with Aaberg performing a variety of holiday music.
“I’m doing all Christmas music. Some of it is going to be unrecognizable. It’s all arrangements of Christmas carols and a few new things that I’ve written for Christmas.”
To register to view the concert, head to HiLineArtsCouncil.org.
The concert is free to stream, but donations to the Council will be solicited during the performance.
“I’m really hoping that people feel that they can kick in to have live arts in the community. And down the road, I’m certainly hoping to do something else when we have an audience, to have that exchange of good will.”
There will be a text line set up for the performance to take requests.
Aaberg has performed with renowned artists such as Peter Gabriel and the Doobie Brothers. His solo music mixes classical themes with blues, bluegrass, jazz and rock.
Being a Musician During the Pandemic
Aaberg says the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced him to adjust his schedule.
All of his in-person performances that were scheduled since March have been canceled. He has continued to work on composing a new record, is writing some commissions, including a live installation with sound for the Lincoln Sculpture Park.
“Things have completely changed. In terms of teaching lessons, I’ve always done Zoom lessons. I have students pretty much all over the country and a couple across the water, so some of that is the same. But no live concerts is tough. If you’re a performer, you really want to do that. So I’m really looking forward to playing for people.”
Music on the Hi-Line
Born in Havre in 1949 and raised in Chester, Aaberg says the Hi-Line has changed considerably since he was younger.
Many small towns have shrunk and school districts have consolidated, but the musical talent remains.
“I think there are some really wonderful signs. And one of the signs is, I go up every year to Chester and listen to piano students from that area of the Hi-Line. And there are actually more kids playing the piano with maybe half the population as when I was growing up. And that’s a testament to the great skill of the piano teachers there, but also to the community and the parents for keeping that going.”
