International Piano Series
The International Piano Series at the College of Charleston was founded in 1990 to bring to Lowcountry audiences an array of international pianists in recitals and in occasional orchestral and chamber music programs. Through concerts and master classes the artists offer while in Charleston, students are exposed to different approaches of music making, while the Charleston community is provided and inspiring, entertaining, an affordable musical experience.
The 2007-2008 Season
- Leon Fleisher and Katherine Jacobson-Fleisher - USA • October 16, 2007
- In 1990 Leon Fleisher gave a memorable left handed recital in this series. After 40 years with a neurological affliction, known as focal dystonia, he has returned to performing with two hands. As the first American to win the Queen Elizabeth of Belgium Competition in 1952, Fleisher has performed with every major orchestra and conductor in the world. His recordings, which he continues to make, have been called “definitive.” In the past few seasons, he has appeared with the New York and Berlin Philharmonic, given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and played chamber music. He is a regular at Aspen, Tanglewood and Marlboro Festivals. For this appearance, Fleisher will perform solo and with his wife. Katherine Jacobson-Fleisher has appeared as soloist and duo pianist with many leading orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
- Jan Rautio - Russia • November 13, 2007
- Having performed in Russia, Finland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Austria, this will be Jan Rautio’s North American debut. He has performed at the Edinburgh and Brighton Festivals, Fairfield Hall and Wigmore Hall. Rautio attended the Gnesin School of Music in Moscow and the Royal College and the Royal Academy of Music, where he was awarded the Tobias Matthay Fellowship and the Sterndale Bennett Prize.
- Volodymyr Vynnytsky – Ukraine • January 15, 2008
- A Charleston favorite through his appearances during Piccolo Spoleto and Charleston Music Fest, Volodymyr Vynnitsky is a laureate of the "Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud" International Piano Competition in Paris. He has performed with the leading orchestras of Ukraine, as well as with the Poznan Symphony Orchestra in Poland, the Paris Radio and Television Orchestra, the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, the Johannesburg Philharmonic and many others. Vynnitsky has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory, Paris’s Theatre Champs d'Elysees, and St. John's Smith Square in London.
- Paolo André Gualdi - Italy • February 12, 2008
- Paolo André Gualdi has been a featured soloist with many orchestras, has given numerous recitals including appearances at the American Liszt Society, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Macon Concert Association, Cincinnati Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, and Elon University. He has won the top prize in many piano competitions including the Françoise Grimaldi National Competition and First Prize in the Southeastern Piano Competition, the Bartók-Kabalevsky International Competition and the “De Martino Award” at the Ibla International Piano Competition. Gualdi studied at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Conservatory Arrigo Boito in Parma, Carnegie Mellon University under Enrique Graf and is currently assistant professor of piano at Emmanuel College while pursuing a Doctorate in Piano Performance at the University of Georgia.
- Jorge Luis Prats - Cuba • April 15, 2008
- Cuba’s foremost pianist and a local favorite, Jorge Luis Prats was first prize winner in the “Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud” International Competition in Paris. He was the Gold Medalist in the "Katia Popova" International Competition in Bulgaria, and the Amadeo Roldán Piano Competition in Havana, Cuba. Prats has performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic in London, the BBC Orchestra, the Manchester Chamber Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Mexico City Orchestra, the Colombian Philharmonic, Venezuela’s “Simon Bolivar” Orchestra, the Municipal Orchestra of Caracas, the Berliner Staats-Oper and the Lamoreaux and Pas de Loup Orchestras of France. He has toured throughout Latin America and Spain with the Cuban National Symphony.
Ticket Information
- All concerts are at 8 p.m. at the Sottile Theatre, 44 George Street.
- Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The theatre is wheel-chair accessible.
- There is no admission charge for College of Charleston students or children under age 18.
- Individual admission for each concert is $20. Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling 843.953.6575 or at the Sottile Box Office from 7 p.m. on the night of the performance.
- A season ticket for all 5 concerts is available for $80, a savings of $20.
- Donations to the International Piano Series are tax-deductible and all donors are listed on the programs. Those who contribute $500 will receive one invitation to the post-concert receptions and master classes by the performers. Two invitations will be given for contributions of $750 and up. To hear more about the benefits of being a patron or concert sponsor, please call (843) 953-6575.