Pianist Mackenzie Melemed Makes PSO Debut This Month

Rising pianist Mackenzie Melemed makes his Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) debut performing Alexander Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F-sharp Minor, Op. 20 on Saturday, March 26 at 8pm and Sunday, March 27 at 4pm. The program is balanced by Johannes Brahms' pastoral Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73. Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts both concerts at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, on the campus of Princeton University.

Winner of The Juilliard School's 2019 Leo B. Ruiz Carnegie Hall Recital Prize, 2018 Arthur Rubinstein Prize, the Jade Medal at the 2019 China International Music Competition, and the first prize and chamber music prize at Finland's 2017 Maj Lind International Piano Competition, 26-year-old American pianist Mackenzie Melemed's international career continues to flourish. He has performed in venues such as The White House (2004-2008), Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, and the Helsinki Music Centre. He was recently named one of ten annual recipients of The Juilliard School's Career Advancement Grant, and was a laureate of the 2021 American Pianists Awards of the American Pianists Association. In August 2020, Melemed moved to Finland, where he has established a new home base and launched his successful performance career.

Scriabin wrote his Piano Concerto to prove his skill as both a composer and pianist. Conversely, Brahms composed his Second Symphony with a palpable lightness of heart, having already emerged from Beethoven's shadow following the success of his First Symphony.

Both concerts take place at the orchestra's home venue of Richardson Auditorium, on the campus of Princeton University. All attendees are required to wear masks at all times while inside the building, be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and must have received boosters, if eligible.

Tickets for the March 26 and 27 performances at Richardson Auditorium start at $20, youth (ages 5-17) are half price, and may be ordered through the Princeton Symphony Orchestra website at princetonsymphony.org or by calling 609-497-0020.