The Ross McKee Foundation Piano Competition Laureate Larry Stites

Sunday May 16, 2027 at 4 pm The Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series will spotlight rising pianist Larry Stites, a Laureate of the Ross McKee Foundation Piano Competition, in a special Donor Concert on Sunday, May 16, 2027 at 4 p.m. at the Gualala Arts Center. Stites represents the newest generation of McKee Laureates—young artists recognized for exceptional promise through one of Northern California’s premier piano competitions. Its annual competition, launched in 1998, has produced 156 Laureates from more than 750 applicants, offering prize money, professional recordings, and performance opportunities that have helped many launch successful careers as performers and educators. Beyond the competition, the Foundation funds concerts, commissions new works, supports school music programs, and provides scholarships and direct assistance to local pianists- continuing Ross McKee’s mission “to enrich our lives with beauty and understanding through the language of music.” The May 16 concert celebrates that legacy while introducing audiences to one of its newest award‑winning artists. 501(c)(3) Tax ID# 94-6121872 The Gualala Arts Center gratefully acknowledges the Native Peoples whose ancestral homelands we now share, and specifically the Pomo of Kashia and Manchester-Point Arena tribes, the first inhabitants of what is now coastal Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. We recognize the legacies of displacement and settlement that bring us together here and honor our shared commitment to being respectful and responsible protectors of land, water, people, arts, and culture.