Monday, May 26, 2008

TCU brings PianoTexas Academy & Festival to Fort Worth

Piano babe alert!

By Pegasus News wire

Just as he did last year and every year since the festival's founding in 1981, Texas Christian University professor Tamás Ungár will act as director for the PianoTexas International Academy & Festival, taking place on the TCU campus from June 5 - 29.

The agenda includes daily scheduled performances and recitals by a range of piano talents (young to old; amateur to gifted professional). The performances by non-professionals can be attended by the general public for free, while admission to the Distinguished Artist Series of performances costs $12.50 for students, $20 for seniors and music teachers or $25 for members of the infamous category designated "general public."

The faculty of this years academy will be composed (get it?) of guest artists who will divide their time between offering instruction to students, conducting master classes (which the public can observe) and putting on public performances. Here's the lineup of young artist invitees, and it's quite the anti-rogue's gallery - these folks clearly recognize the value of a professionally-produced portrait. (Well, except maybe for this guy, whose photo could pass for a mugshot taken at a tony metropolitan jail. Nice tux, though.)

Olga Kern: piano babe. (NOTE to self: bring opera glasses to the performance.)

Here are the players involved in the Distinguished Artist series of performances, all to take place in the PepsiCo Recital Hall:

* Peter Donohoe, 8 p.m. Sun. June 8; and Wed. June 11

* Antti Siirala, 8 p.m. Sat. June 14

* Harold Martina, 8 p.m. Wed. June 18

* Malcolm Bilson, 8 p.m. Sat. June 21

* Joseph Kalichstein and the Calder Quartet, 8 p.m. Wed. June 25

* Olga Kern, 8 p.m. Sat. June 28

Two other noteworthy events (tickets to which run $10 - $20 depending upon your level of remove from the general public):

* Amateurs perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. on Sun. June 15 (in the Ed Landreth Auditorium)

* Young artists perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. on Sun. June 22 and again on Sun. June 29 (Ed Landreth Auditorium)

Complete details can be found here, or by phoning 817-257-7456.

posted by JM

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