Mozart and Poulenc with Albert Cano Smit

Pacific Palisades, CA — The Music Guild at St. Matthew’s presents pianist Albert Cano Smit in his Music Guild debut on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. Led by Music Director and Conductor Dwayne S. Milburn, the acclaimed Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s accompanies Cano Smit in Mozart’s luminous Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488, on a program that opens with the Overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni and closes with Poulenc’s bright, mischievous Sinfonietta. The concert is presented in collaboration with Young Concert Artists.

“Albert Cano Smit is exactly the kind of artist our audiences love to discover: a pianist with poetry, imagination, and a natural feeling for Mozart,” said Music Director Dwayne S. Milburn. “The A-major concerto is intimate, graceful, and quietly radiant, which makes it a perfect fit for this orchestra and this room. We open with the drama of Don Giovanni and finish with Poulenc’s irresistible Sinfonietta, so the evening moves from shadow to sunlight. We are delighted to welcome Albert to the Music Guild for the first time, and grateful to Young Concert Artists for the collaboration.”

The Program

The evening begins with a jolt of drama. The Overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni opens with solemn, shadowy chords that hush the hall, then bursts into a brisk, exhilarating rush that sets the whole evening in motion.

Then Albert Cano Smit steps to the piano for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, and the mood turns warm and sunlit. In the intimate setting of St. Matthew’s, audiences will hear every graceful phrase and every quiet exchange between piano and orchestra, from a sparkling opening through a slow movement of hushed, aching beauty to a lively, playful finale.

The program closes with Poulenc’s Sinfonietta—witty, tuneful, and irresistibly French. Expect fiery energy, mischievous melodies, a tender, songlike slow movement, and a finale that dashes to the finish. It is a joyful way to end the night, and audiences are likely to leave smiling.

Tickets are $49 and $10 for students with ID. Tickets can be purchased online in advance www.musicguildonline.org or at the door.