Music as a whole is commonly referred to as an industry because recordings are manufactured. And that business side is not just about making money, but all the non-musical elements that go into presenting the experience of music. When all those are shorn away, all that’s left is playing and listening, the alpha and omega of it all.

In person, that looks like the annual International Keyboard Institute & Festival, which is happening this week at Merkin Hall. The festival is a series of solo piano recitals from musicians who may not have big names but have enormous chops, musicality, wisdom, and taste. The concerts are for the connoisseur—listeners who relish hearing great artists play great music, without the distancing distractions of fame or ritual.