On a Tuesday night in September, the lights will dim inside a 370-seat theater in downtown Rock Springs, Wyoming, and a pianist who has performed at Carnegie Hall will sit down at the keys. No ticket will be required. No velvet rope will separate the curious from the connoisseur. The doors will simply open, and the music will begin.
That is the promise of the Piatigorsky Foundation Tour, which brings internationally recognized pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion to the Broadway Theater on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. for a free, general-admission performance. It is the kind of cultural visit that residents of a small rural city like Rock Springs rarely get to experience without driving hours to a metropolitan center — and the kind of event that the foundation's founder, cellist Evan Drachman, has spent decades making possible.
The Piatigorsky Foundation is named for Drachman's grandfather, Gregor Piatigorsky, one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. Born in Ukraine in 1903, Piatigorsky rose from poverty to become a virtuoso who performed alongside legends like Jascha Heifetz and Artur Rubinstein. He believed music was not a luxury for the elite but a necessity of life for all — a conviction his grandson has carried forward. Since 1990, the foundation has presented more than 200 concerts each year in schools, senior centers, hospitals, libraries, and other non-traditional venues across the country, reaching over 10,000 people each year.
Asuncion is a fitting emissary for that mission. Hailed by The Washington Post for his "poised and imaginative playing," the Filipino-American pianist has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey, and the United States. He made his orchestral debut at age 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra and his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 1999. His recordings include works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Grieg, and he has collaborated with renowned musicians including Lynn Harrell and Zuill Bailey. He also founded the FilAm Music Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians.
Notably, Asuncion has a direct creative bond with the Piatigorsky Foundation's founder. He and Drachman have recorded together — including the 2012 album "Full Circle" and the 2018 release "Fantasy" — and Asuncion is one of the foundation's select group of artists chosen not only for technical mastery but also for the ability to connect with audiences in intimate settings.
The Piatigorsky concert format is deliberately informal. Artists share stories, anecdotes, and insights about the music they perform, making the experience welcoming even for those who have never attended a classical concert. That approach is a good match for the Broadway Theater, a venue with its own story of resurrection.
Built in 1948 as the West Theater, the building opened on Christmas Day with a screening of "There's a Girl in my Heart." For nearly three decades, it was the city's premier movie house, seating 758 people. But as Rock Springs grew and the business moved to the newly built White Mountain Mall, the original location sat vacant for nearly a decade, used only occasionally for storage. In 2008, the City of Rock Springs and the Urban Renewal Agency purchased the theater for $90,000 as part of an effort to revitalize the historic downtown. A $1.7 million public investment, along with $500,000 in donated labor and materials from private businesses, made restoration possible, and the theater reopened in 2011 under its new name, the Broadway.
Today the Broadway hosts over 50 events a year, drawing thousands of visitors downtown. Its custom carpet replicates the building's original flooring, and its walls are adorned with trumpets, trombones, and photos of bygone celebrities. It is a member of the League of Historic American Theaters and the Wyoming Arts Council. When the theater's coordinator, Danielle Wilson, says the community can walk in and experience a world-class artist for free, she speaks from a venue that has already beaten the odds to survive.
The Rock Springs performance is part of a Wyoming tour presented in partnership with the Wyoming Arts Council, made possible by the generous support of the Muriel & Seymour Thickman Family Charitable Trust of Sheridan. For 14 consecutive years, that trust has funded the Piatigorsky Foundation's tours of Wyoming, bringing free classical concerts and school outreach programs to rural communities across the state. The Rock Springs event is coordinated with assistance from the Wyoming Arts Council and the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency.
For Rock Springs — a city with a population of about 23,500, known historically as the "57 Variety Town" for its immigrant mining and railroad heritage — hosting a pianist of Asuncion's caliber is no small thing. It is a reminder that world-class art does not require a world-class city. It only requires a community willing to open its doors.
No ticket purchase is necessary. Community members are encouraged to bring family and friends. For those who have always been curious about classical music but never thought it was for them, this is the chance to try it — in a historic theater, on a September evening, with the music of a master filling the room.
For more information, visit BroadwayRS.com or call the Broadway Theater at 307-352-1434.