If you’re looking for a special bit of live-music heaven, Pearl Arts’ second-annual PianoFest this Sunday afternoon may be the answer to your quest.
It’s a joyful celebration of the instrument and the four talented musicians coming together to perform it, according to local pianist Alicia Pyle—with musical offerings cleverly chosen to highlight the many moods and styles of classical music.
Nationally-renowned touring pianist Jodie DeSalvo returns to her “heartland home” as festival host again this year, where she will be joined by old friends Robert Nance, Hamilton Tescarollo and Pyle.
This special afternoon event also celebrates Pearl Arts itself as the Pearl Street Arts Center officially begins its third year and concert season, with all proceeds from the ticket sales going to the Pearl Arts Academy’s scholarship fund for private lessons.
“The Music Academy offers individual lessons to all children regardless of their financial obstacles or their ability to pay,” said Director Angie Fincannon. "You are supporting a new and vital component of this city’s music education, helping kids and adults develop a lifetime of musical skills."
Here WBOI’S Julia Meek and Pyle discuss “the power of the classical keyboard,” as well as the all-star lineup of performers and what it means to the Fort Wayne music scene.
Event Information:
Pearl Arts' PianoFest 2026
Sunday, Sept. 13
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Admission: $20 to benefit the Academy
Free admission to children age 6 and under
Find tickets and more information at the Pearl Arts website.
Below is a transcript of their conversation:
Julia Meek: Alicia Pyle, welcome.
Alicia Pyle: Hello.
Julia Meek: So, Fort Wayne's second annual PianoFest is on the horizon. You were there to help successfully launch it last year. Very briefly, why celebrate the instrument and its local players?
Alicia Pyle: It's such a wonderful gathering that we get the opportunity to put together.
And when I got the call from Jodie last year, I was ecstatic to work with one of my local famous heroes.
It was just--it was a wonderful experience. It surpassed anything I could have expected, and I was just really grateful to be a part of that event.
Julia Meek: It's a wonderful event, and Jodie now is, for people who might not have had the pleasure of hearing her or met her, she is a Fort Wayne personality, a fantastic professional pianist, and "back home again" for this festival. She's the host.
Alicia Pyle: She is amazing. So, when I was growing up through the symphony orchestra, you know, partnered through the Fort Wayne Philharmonic efforts, she would come and perform with the orchestra, and she did master classes and all kinds of things.
You know, I had her CDs in high school, and one of my favorite CDs that she had was her on the back of a convertible with rollerblades on. [both chuckle]
We all remember that CD, and she is beloved in Fort Wayne, and everybody is so happy to have her here and hosting this wonderful event each year.
Julia Meek: It's exciting, and she is Ms. Keys to be sure.
Alicia Pyle: Oh yeah.
Julia Meek: Wherever she is, come back home, she gets the welcome she deserves. Now the instrument itself, globally it vies for first place favorite with guitar among players and music lovers alike.
Creatives like yourself often pick up the keytar just so you can do both I know. [both chuckle] Can you describe the rush of playing piano--playing it well-- but just that vibe, literally that sound from that instrument?
Alicia: You know, I'll be I'll be specific. There's a specific rush and experience in playing classical piano. I play jazz, I play pop, I play rock, I play all kinds of genres.
But this is a celebration of art music, and so this will be focused on, you know classical composers and the Western classical music.
And it's just amazing to, you know put the time in and invest, or if you're listening as a listener, to listen to a musician who has spent the time and years mastering the instrument.
Because it's not just the, you know the months that we spend learning the the pieces for or the repertoire for this event, but you know to listen to some of the pianists that we're going to discuss who have been amazing pianists for their entire life.
And they have full command of the instrument, sit down and perform these pieces. It's just, it's transcendental.
Julia Meek: Thank you, Alicia. Our local music scene is rich in many ways, Alicia. It certainly cultivates rich crops of young performers. How do fests like this one further that cause of the young musician?
Alicia Pyle: You know, it's similar to the jazz festival that you invited me to play probably 15 years ago now. WBOI used to host a jazz festival, having festivals that are specific to an instrument or a genre.
They bring out, well, they bring out all of us nerds, [both laugh] and so then we get to pass that love and that passion onto the next generation.
And yes, I'm a nerd, a huge nerd, but my love for jazz really developed, you know, years ago through things like what you guys sponsored with that jazz festival.
And we're hoping with PianoFest to start inspiring a love and you know that passion to the next generation, but also to bring together all of our peers.
We hope to make this a festival that includes many more than just four pianists in the coming years, as budget and time allows. We want it to grow.
Julia Meek: Hopefully and likely it will. You've got those four great performers this year, including Jodie, the host, including your lovely self.
You have Hamilton Tescarollo and Robert Nance as well. So, give us a quick rundown on that diverse talent and how it has touched your life.
Alicia Pyle: I just, I'm I'm the luckiest person. I've had so many wonderful experiences in this town, but you know Hamilton.
It's so weird to say his first name, Doctor Tescarolo, as we called him in school, [Julia laughs] which he tells me I can call him Hamilton now. I think it's just because I'm almost 40, I'm allowed.
He was an amazing professor, and I was a piano performance major, so I spent a lot of my time studying with him. One of the very best pianist I've ever learned from, and I've had wonderful teachers.
I've studied with Elena Abulazi Bardi, Don Hopkins. I mean, wonderful classical teachers. But he really, we retooled when I got to school, and he takes the time with his students to make sure they understand what they are supposed to be getting from their education.
And to learn to master that instrument and the different subgenres of art music that we are there to conquer. And he's just a marvelous--not just educator, but performer as well.
He brought in wonderful collaborative partners while we were in school, and we got to witness him performing amazing music. He's such an inspiration.
And he's done so much for classical piano and the piano keyboard department at Purdue Fort Wayne. We're so lucky to have him here.
Julia Meek: Indeed, and in full disclosure, he came to us from Brazil?
Alicia Pyle: Brazil, yeah.
Julia Meek: And is world class, literally and figuratively. And he is right here in Fort Wayne, embraced it.
As we know he has been on our own Meet the Music soundstage, and his passion and geekdom? [Alicia chuckles]
I think you are mentioning everything all of you wonderful people have in common is that geek-type love of your craft.
And Robert Nance, another Fort Wayne person. What would we do without him on our music scene?
Courtesy/Pearl Arts
Alicia Pyle: Maestro, yes! What would we do without Maestro? He still teases me for calling him that, still to this day.
But he's done so much for the local art scene and advocacy for you know local vocalist with Heartland Sings, and it's just his accolades and what he's donated and sown into our ground here is just a richer environment because of Maestro.
We love him. You can catch him playing at the Bradley on the weekends downstairs on the piano, and he just brings in world class talent for Heartland Sings and the concerts at Plymouth Congregational. We're so blessed to have him here.
Julia Meek: He's an advocate. You are right.
Alicia Pyle: Oh yeah, heavy advocate, and a wonderful pianist.
Julia Meek: Yes! Put it all together, it all supports the fact that we do have an outrageously wonderful and above-average talent platform here in Fort Wayne.
Alicia Pyle: And that's just getting bigger and better every year.
Julia Meek: Amen. And back to that event: a perfect afternoon setting for PianoFest, one and a half hours of great and varied music. What can concert goers expect?
Alicia Pyle: You know, I don't want to give away too much because there's a couple surprises that we're not going to give away too.
But you know, it's an amazing environment. It's such a beautiful setting for solo piano and collaborative piano. So, I can tell you that you know there'll be solo piano works on the program in collaborative piano, so that's exciting.
So, you'll, you'll see us playing together and play us separately. You might hear some original music on the program, but I won't tell you anything more about that.
You got to come and find out. It's going to be a wonderful time.
Julia Meek: And we are certainly exploring the many faces and moods and styles of classical music.
Alicia Pyle: Yes, very much so. Each one of us has our own flavor and personality.
I mean, it's as an artist, we're all different. We've all studied professionally, but we'll, we'll bring what we do best.
Julia Meek: Which is your job, and yes, again, well performed. And I am curious, Alicia, we've been discussing what concert goers can expect, and certainly there's plenty for them.
As a performer and one of the Fest coordinators, along with Jodie, what do you expect?
Alicia Pyle: I expect to go watch some of my friends and heroes give a wonderful concert, and I get to be part of that. I just feel really lucky.
I expect to go see all of my friends that are going to come support. You know what I get from most of my collaborations in Fort Wayne.
This is just at a on a classical level and a different level of enrichment, but I'm so excited to hear Hamilton and Robert and Jodie perform, and to play some music with them, and just really enjoy this festival with all of our support and friends that will come out.
Julia Meek: It's going to be something special, and in the meantime, for everyone who hasn't yet been to Pearl Arts for anything, and specifically for a concert, what is the space itself like?
Courtesy/Pearl Arts
Alicia Pyle: It's incredible. It's really, it's complicated to explain, but it's um, it's like being somewhere else, you know.
So, when you, when you go into that room, the room can be tuned to any concert hall they would like it to sound like. So, the acoustics are amazing, world class, and to have that in downtown Fort Wayne is such a gift.
We're so lucky to have what we have in this town for the arts. We're just a very blessed community, and we're very blessed to have all of the supporters and donors that have spent the time and the money to invest in this community.
And this will show in generations to come. And when our students are performing in these halls, when we're gone, when their students are performing, and you know, it's just wonderful to see the footprint that's being laid right now.
Julia Meek: Make this a success. And the facility itself. How would you describe that overarching role that Pearl Arts does play in furthering all musical causes here in the community, and especially this one? What kind of impact is that making?
Alicia Pyle: It's really incredible to see. They're just getting started, so I really just can't wait to watch them, you know, mature and develop into the organization that I know they are going to be.
It's already incredible, the reach that they're having. But as we see different community partners come in and partner for different programs and opportunities, and the donors that they're able to secure, possibilities are endless.
And it's just, it's wonderful. I've only been involved in just a few projects, but the three to four things I've done, just seeing the, the reach that they're going to be able to have.
And for you know people that can't afford the opportunities that some of us had easily given to us in the families that we were raised in, I really love that it's becoming accessible to all socio-economic brackets.
And everybody will have access to these programs, these concerts, the education. It's going to be wonderful for our community.
Courtesy/Pearl Arts
Julia Meek: And a shout out to one of the many people encouraging everybody over there to step it up still further. Angie Fincannon, the director, is totally committed to everything we are talking about. A local she-ro, to be sure.
Alicia Pyle: Ah! She's amazing.
Julia Meek: And yes, there for the, for the every man and every woman and every kid and every geek out there that wants to play music or hear music or just support our music city. You're right, the sky's the limit.
Alicia Pyle: It is, but she needs our support. So, if you need to, invite your friends to the concerts, you need to donate and you need to spend time supporting the organization.
Julia Meek: Amen. Amen. [both chuckle] Now besides performing, Alicia, you support the local scene with your PyleStyle Events project going on that directly promotes local musicians. And PyleStyle Academy, which definitely encourages and nourishes local musicians, that's helping both ends of the food chain.
Alicia Pyle: Oh, that's why I'm tired. [both laugh]
Julia Meek: What motivates you to carry that on?
Alicia Pyle: My main motivator with music is to see people connect and enriched. So, if it's you know educationally, you know we need to learn our craft and we need to be good at it.
But then they need to find the opportunities, my students, to connect and perform and enrich our community and enrich their own lives and their families and their friends.
You know, art brings us together. Art makes life better, and you know, music is so collaborative too. All the arts bring us together: theater, visual arts, you know, dance.
But the collaborative aspect of music makes it near and dear to my heart. I won't say that it's a better form of art. It's just, it's dear to my heart because I've seen through the years how it brings people across the political aisles together, people from different economic brackets together.
You know, it's just the diversity that the music holds and the opportunities it gives us to connect as humans and on the human level and evolve and enrich. I just want to see people making music and you know paying their bills with it and, and making each other happy with the music scene.
And you know anything that I spend my time with. I spend a lot of my time with advocacy but also you know education and PyleStyle events is an opportunity to help people connect and find opportunities to play.
I'm not a promoter, but I'm always promoting. You know, it's [chuckles] I advocate, but I'm not an official promoter. I just, I love to see people find the opportunities to connect with, with your show or to find other people to perform with or venues to prosper in.
It's not something I can always say yes to. You know, every musician that reaches out to me, I don't always have a yes.
Sometimes it's a not yet, and people have to understand that. But it's, it's an opportunity to get people to connect and find a way to do what they love.
Julia Meek: And that's a beautiful part of your daily, weekly, forever job description, albeit a taxing one, because it brings a lot more work to every single day and every single already full workload.
Do you ever get tired? Do you ever think that there's no more difference to be made?
Alicia Pyle: No, do you? [both laugh] I mean, I'm going to the beach, you know, this weekend. [chuckles] By the time this would air it, it'll be after that.
But you know, I'm taking a break for a couple days. But I don't break. This is what I do every day, seven days a week.
On the weekends, I don't wake up and screw around. I wake up and I work on things for the upcoming week because I'm excited about it. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it.
I wouldn't spend this much time on it. But it's, it's just a huge passion, and to see how many people that we can impact, it really really touches me and makes me it gives me fuel to get up every day.
Julia Meek: And it becomes you, nicely. And you are making it happen for the community. So, looking past our community, how would you say we compare with cities our size or larger, venue and talent and audience-wise?
Alicia Pyle: I think that Fort Wayne has been largely underestimated for a long time, and I think there's some really amazing pillars in our community, and we all know who they are.
You know, they are making that difference, and they've put the time and the money and the structures and systems in place to give this city an opportunity to be a big player.
It's something you've all been working on, you know, to make this was a top 10 city for music in the country. And we're going to watch that happen and unfold.
But I think that people underestimate it when they move here, when they, when they're not from here and talk about Fort Wayne.
They don't realize, and sometimes what we have, they're different gemstones than what Nashville has, or than what you know Chicago or New York has, and that's okay because we do still need to maintain our identity even as we grow and become a top-10 music city.
We're still Fort Wayne, and we have to be Fort Wayne and be who we are while growing and maximizing the opportunities that the wonderful donors and pillars are putting in place for all of us to use.
Julia Meek: Well spoken. And then, what do you think our accelerating rush toward this music city designation might even mean a year from now, or two years from now, or five years from now?
Alicia Pyle: We won't know till we get there. But I think being open-minded about it and being ready to work is very important.
We need to have open minds and busy hands. We need to be ready, and people need to be you know boots on the ground and ready to do work.
We need volunteers at these events like Taste of the Arts and PianoFest and you know Pearl Arts, where there's places that nonprofits are spending time and community dollars.
We also need people in there supporting the events and volunteering at these events.
Julia Meek: Great, great points and ways everybody can help when folks do wish they could get involved. They could do more. Those are really wonderful suggestions for that, Alicia.
And very last question: What advice would you give anyone out there, any age, that wants to immerse themselves in music, piano, or otherwise?
Alicia Pyle: Just understand, it's not a Monday to Friday job. It's your passion for a reason. Because it's something that you're going to wake up with, and you're going to go to sleep with.
And if you want to make it your living, it's probably something you're going to be doing nonstop because you're going to catch that bug.
But it's a lot of work, so you need to be committed to the amount of work it is too. You need to be able to explain what it is that you're doing. You need to be able to market it.
You need to understand the business side. There's a lot besides the art itself that you have to do if you want to be a successful musician professionally.
And I believe that's probably true of any town that you would do this in. But in Fort Wayne, that's been my experience: is you have to understand the backside and not be unwilling to do that work.
It's not just about the arts; it's about getting the art out there and getting people to come and understand and enjoy. You know, we were so blessed to make the art, but it's also a process to get it out there and make it accessible.
Julia Meek: Alicia Pyle is a Fort Wayne musician, founder of PyleStyle Events, and assistant on this team of PianoFest 2026. Thank you for sharing the story of this musical offering, Alicia, and for everything you do for the local music scene. Carry it on.
Alicia Pyle: Thank you so much, Julia.
