Kevin Oldham (1960-1993) was an American concert pianist who, upon learning of his HIV diagnosis at the age of 28, gave up performing to pursue leaving a musical legacy through composition. Oldham’s largest work was his Concerto for Piano, Op.14, which he premiered with the Kansas City Symphony just weeks before his death. The three-movement work is a virtuosic tour de force which powerfully expresses the composer’s journey in his final months of life. In spite of the work’s successful premiere, it unfortunately fell into obscurity.

In a true community effort, the work was brought back to life by musicians in Tacoma, Washington, in a new version for piano and concert band, which I premiered with the Tacoma Concert Band under the baton of conductor and artistic director Gerard Morris in November 2024.

This short film, released in June 2025, shares that story. I hope will inspire many more performances of this great work.