Kootenay Piano Works Presents: William Cunningham – Banff Pianist & Composer

Join us at 7:00 p.m. for a beverage, followed by a 60-minute immersive concert in honour and celebration of our home - the mountains.

Bohemian Spirits will be serving cocktails, mocktails and wines - cash bar.

William Cunningham - pianist, composer, and improviser - will perform works by a variety of film composers, including John Williams, Alan Menken, and Hans Zimmer, alongside popular works by The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as several of Cunningham's own improvisations.

Presented in celebration of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the evening is also an expression of honour and respect for the magnificence, beauty, and awe of the mountains in which we live.

About the artist:

William Cunningham has been performing publicly since the age of seven and is known particulary for his improvisation. His musical life has long been connected to the Canadian Rockies, including his work as pianist-in-residence at the Fairmont Banff Springs and Post Hotel in Lake Louise, along with performances and recordings at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

He has performed throughout the world and for distinguished events and audiences, including a State Dinner at the G7 Summit, members of the royal families of Britain and the Netherlands, the Spruce Meadows Internationalists' Round Table, and The Trilateral Commission.

As a composer and recording artist, Cunningham has produced four solo albums, recorded at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. An alumnus of Banff Centre, he has also served as a board member, consultant, and facilitator for organizations including Opera Las Vegas, MTNA, and The John Perry Academy of Music.

William is also trained in piano technology and continues to study the instrument from the inside out, believing that a deep understanding of the piano itself is integral to making great music.

In recent years, Cunningham has presented his talk, The Science of Music, at MENSA conferences in North America and Australia, and in 2025 completed a remarkable 170 public performances.

Although William does not presently teach music, he remains deeply committed to music education for young people and is a passionate advocate for the profound role that acoustic music and singing can play in our physical and mental well-being. He believes equally in the joy that comes from sharing music within our communities - values that run deeply through his ancestry and his own childhood experiences.

Website: www.william-cunningham.com