Portland Ovations Presents Award-Winning Pianist, Kirill Gerstein, at Merrill Auditorium

Portland Ovations presents multi-award-winning Russian-born pianist, Kirill Gerstein, on Wednesday, November 17th. The performance takes place at Merrill Auditorium and begins at 7:30 p.m. The concert includes works by Bach, Chopin, Czerny and Liszt, as well as a commissioned work by contemporary composer Oliver Knussen.

Kirill Gerstein is an intriguing musician whose profound musicianship and masterful technique are applauded by audiences and critics around the world. The sixth and most recent recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, Gerstein quickly followed this grand achievement with a second major triumph: being named the winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant. Gerstein follows a tradition of Gilmore Artist winners presented by Portland Ovations including Ingrid Fliter and Piotr Anderszewski.

Ovations Offstage is offering a free pre-performance lecture in the Merrill Auditorium Green Room beginning at 6:00 p.m. immediately preceding the concert. The lecture, The History and Future of Piano Recitals, is presented by Seth Warner, a musicologist and manager of the Olin Arts Center at Bates College. Warner looks at the piano recital as a unique and vital performance medium. He discusses how and why the format of the piano recital developed and where the repertoire of pianist Kirill Gerstein fits in the history and future of this distinctive concert form.

A masterclass with Kirill Gerstein is also being offered to piano students at the University of Southern Maine on Wednesday, November 17th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Students, recommended by faculty and wishing to improve technique and understanding of their working repertoire, are coached by the award-winning pianist. This masterclass is open to the public for observation and is located at Corthell Concert Hall at USM's Gorham Campus.

Portland Ovations' presentation of Kirill Gerstein is made possible in part by support from the Davis Family Foundation.

Tickets to the November 17th concert are $38 to the general public, $34 to Ovations Members, and $10 for full-time students. Tickets can be purchased through PortTix by calling 207.842.0800 or by visiting the window at 20 Myrtle Street in Portland. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.portlandovations.org.

Additional resources regarding Gerstein's program for the concert are available on the Portland Ovations website, www.portlandovations.org.

 

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