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EDITORIAL REVIEWS Recorded in Cuba, acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein s new album, Mozart in Havana, may be her most ambitious to date and is a testament to music s ability to cross all cultural and language barriers. For the new album, Dinnerstein collaborated with the virtuosic Havana Lyceum Orchestra to perform Mozart s Piano Concerto Nos. 21 and 23. Mozart in Havana is a return to Dinnerstein s origins as a musician. Her connection with Cuba started early with Solomon Mikowsky, a Cuban émigré who became her piano teacher when she was nine. Mikowsky would tell stories of his childhood in Cuba and the country s many musical influences. When he inaugurated the Encuentro de Jóvenes Pianistas (Meeting of Young Pianists) festival in Havana in 2013, he invited Dinnerstein to play. Of course accepted without hesitation, said Dinnerstein. Returning to the festival in 2015, she played for the first time with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and was deeply impressed. Within a year she had returned to Havana to record with the Orchestra what would become Mozart in Havana. The recording was done over three long, sleepless nights using donated strings and recording equipment brought in by Grammy® winning producer Adam Abeshouse. This summer, the Orchestra will make their U.S. debut in a series of concerts with Dinnerstein including New York s Naumburg Bandshell that will be broadcast live on WQXR. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein is a searching and inventive artist who is motivated by a desire to find the musical core of every work she approaches. The Independent praises the majestic originality of her vision and NPR reports, "She compels the listener to follow her in a journey of discovery filled with unscheduled detours...She s actively listening to every note she plays, and the result is a wonderfully expressive interpretation."