As the first notes rang out during Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Partita No.1 in B Flat Major”, Anna Savvas took the crowd on a trip back in time.

Savvas, a concert pianist who also serves on the faculty of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, wowed the mainly student crowd at the Howard Brubeck Theatre as she wove together an impressive batch of Impressionist-era pieces during the Apr. 24 edition of Concert Hour.

Savvas graduated with a Doctorate in Music from Julliard School.

Taking time to introduce each piece and explain why she chose them in particular, Savvas let her fingers do a majority of the talking. During “Partita”, she was almost bouncing off her chair as she told a story through the music. Each movement was like a story with different chapters.

For “Arabesque, Opus 18”, a Robert Schumann piece, Savvas chose to slow it down, letting the crowd take a breath as she played through the light melody. The most intriguing part of the piece was when it picked up the pace slightly toward the middle, building to a dramatic finish.

Aaron Harris, a 20-year-old computer science student, said that he enjoyed the concert.

“I enjoyed her performance, it was really fun and educational,”Harris said.
During the last song of her performance, an enticing rendition of Claude Debussy’s “Clair de lune”, the crowd sat in a trance as Savvas danced her fingers across the piano keys; letting each note resonate through the listeners’ ears.

When approached after the concert, Savvas was very open and engaging about why she chose mainly Impressionist-era music.

“I love Impressionist-era music in the spring time. The music is very fragrant,” Savvas said.

She also gave an endearing round of applause to the Palomar crowd, saying that she really enjoys performing here.

“I’ve been performing here for years, and I wanted to come back this year and perform,’ she said, adding,”I love your audience.”