Astoria Performing Arts is pleased to sponsor a performance by 11-year-old piano prodigy Karsten Gimre at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 14 at the Seaport Masonic Lodge, 16th Street and Franklin Avenue. His performance will include works of Prokofieff, Rachmaninoff and Debussy. Sharing the program will be the Portland Philharmonia under the direction of conductor Keith Clark, performing works of fin de siecle Vienna.

Gimre started studying piano at the age of 4 with Paula Watt. At 5 years old, he began studies with Marc Silverman at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He is additionally taught by Carol Rich of Portland and is coached by Peter Mack in Seattle and Susan Smith of Portland.

At the age of 6, Gimre placed first in the International Young Artists Concert in Washington, D.C., and performed in the Kennedy Center. At 7, he won the Russian-American Young Virtuosos competition and performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City. During this same year, he made his orchestral debut with the Portland Chamber Orchestra playing the Bach Piano Concerto in D minor. Recently, he played with the Oregon Symphony performing a Mozart concerto with conductor Carlos Kalmar. During the summer of 2004, Gimre had the distinction of being invited to the prestigious Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. Considered as one of the top five competitions in the world for young artists, Gimre was the youngest and only American to be selected for the final round.

Keith Clark, conductor, Portland PhilharmoniaGimre has been invited to perform a concert at the Miami International Music Festival this month for the “Prodigies and Masters of Tomorrow” series, which will be filmed for a PBS documentary to be aired in the fall of 2006. He has also been invited to perform with the Russian Chamber Orchestra on their next tour of the northwestern United States in a series of benefit concerts to aid children of victims from the Chernobyl disaster. He is also invited to play in a music festival in Lecce, Italy in the summer of 2006.

Tickets to Saturday’s recital are $15 for adults, $12 for contributors and $5 for those younger than 18. Tickets to both the Karsten Gimre concert and the May 15 organ concert are $25. Discounted tickets are also available through select area Bed and Breakfast establishments. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.AstoriaPerformingArts.com or at the door prior to the performance.

Portland organist Heidi Kohne joins Astoria’s chamber ensemble Con Amici for Astoria Performing Arts’ second concert of Handel’s Organ Concertos, performing Opus 4, numbers 3 and 4, under the direction of conductor Alexandra Myers. The concert begins at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1103 Grand Ave.

In addition to the ensemble works, Kohne will perform solo organ works by Grieg and Bach, including Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

Originally from Salem, Kohne received her bachelor’s degree in organ performance at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. While there, she earned the American Guild of Organists’ Service Playing Certificate and was a recitalist for a workshop at the American Guild of Organists’ National Centennial Convention in New York City in 1996. She also was the first organist in 30 years to win, and the first in 20 years to enter, DePauw’s annual concerto competition, performing two movements from Handel’s first organ concerto.

Kohne received her master’s degree in organ performance and church music from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. She is currently director of music ministries and organist and stage manager of Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church in Portland, accompanist of the Mt. Tabor Middle School Choir, a volunteer stagehand with the Portland Baroque Orchestra and dean of the Portland chapter of AGO.

Local chamber ensemble Con Amici regularly performs in various venues in the Lower Columba region.

The First Presbyterian Church organ was built in 1906, four years after the historic church was built. This church has one of the loveliest interiors in the Pacific Northwest, built in the Carpenter Gothic style. The excellent acoustics and unimpeded sight lines make for wonderful performances.

Tickets to Sunday’s concert are $12. A weekend pass for this concert and Karsten Gimre’s piano recital Saturday is $25.