Acclaimed American pianist Awadagin Pratt visits Elon University on Tuesday evening for a Whitley Auditorium performance as part of the Adams Foundation Piano Series sponsored by the Times-News and Elon University.
Awadagin Pratt, piano – Oct. 26
Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
The Adams Foundation Piano Series sponsored by the Times-News and Elon University
Among his generation of concert artists, Pratt is widely recognized for his musical insight and intense performances, and he has emerged as a great favorite on college and performing arts series.
Pratt’s career was launched in 1992 when he won the Naumburg International Piano Competition. Two years later, he was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant. These early accomplishments set Pratt on a course that has included recitals at the White House and engagements with leading orchestras around the globe. It is expected that Awadagin Pratt will further an appreciation for classical performance long into the future.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pratt began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later, his family moved to Normal, Illinois where he began violin studies. At the age of 16, he entered the University of Illinois. He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three performance areas – piano, violin and conducting.
In recognition of this achievement and for his work in the field of classical music, Pratt recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins University.
A strong advocate of music education, Pratt participates in numerous residency and outreach activities wherever he appears, including a Monday evening master class with current students of Victoria Fisher Faw. Pratt is presently associate professor of piano and artist in residence at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
His Elon program will include works by Schumann, Beethoven, Bach, Liszt and more recent work by Russian composer Lera Auerbach. The concert has been made possible by the Adams Foundation Piano Series of Santa Barbara, California.
Each year, in collaboration with the Times-News, Elon University is host to two of world’s finest piano artists. Next spring, the university will host a return engagement by Jeanne Stark on Tuesday, March 29.
Admission: $15 or Elon ID (reserved seating) available October 5.