San Francisco Chronicle
by Leah Garchik
June 8, 2007
Investment analyst Ken Iisaka of Mill Valley was one of six finalists in the recent Van Cliburn International Amateur Piano competition in Fort Worth, Texas. There were 75 competitors, so getting so far was a major achievement.
Just a few days before he left, he accomplished another feat. Iisaka was in the audience for a Santa Rosa Concerts Grand concert that was to feature Cuban pianist Antonio Iturrioz. But leaving his house, Iturrioz took a bad fall and was forced to go to a hospital. The audience waited, but the pianist didn’t show up.
Producer Terry McNeill, who was acquainted with Iisaka, invited him to take the stage and fill in, which he did with distinction. The pianist got a standing ovation, telling the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, “It was the best rehearsal for the competition that I could imagine.”
Iisaka wasn’t the Bay Area’s only competitor. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “The award for Most Spunk goes to Esfir Ross of Oakland, Calif. The dental assistant thoroughly charmed her way through a transcription of Bellini’s Casta Diva, Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C Minor and Statius Muller’s Antillean Dances.”
