Renowned Pianist to Teach Master Class, Perform at UWF
Pensacola – The University of West Florida Department of Music presents Jon Nakamatsu in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, as part of the Music Hall Artist Series. The event will be in the Music Hall in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts. In addition to performing the solo concert Tuesday featuring the music of Mozart, Brahms, Schumann and Chopin, Nakamatsu will teach a Master Piano Class to eight UWF piano students Monday at 4 p.m. The class, which is in the Music Hall, is open to the public.
The main reason Nakamatsu is coming to Pensacola is to perform with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra in its “Beethoven and Blue Jeans” concert. That performance is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. “We are so happy to work with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra,” said Dr. Hedi Salanki-Rubardt, distinguished university professor and director of piano and chamber music at UWF. “This opportunity to work with a world-renowned musician is really exciting. Students get a chance to meet the artist and hear his story. They are at the beginning of their careers, and he is in the middle of his.” Nakamatsu garnered national attention in June 1997 when he won the gold medal at the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the first American since 1981 to do so. An international piano career ensued. His recitals and tours include appearances in New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. He has also played the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as in music halls in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Paris, London and Milan. Nakamatsu has toured extensively with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. Together with clarinetist Jon Manasse, Nakamatsu tours as a member of the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo. The two of them serve as artistic directors of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in Massachusetts. A native of California who grew up in the Bay Area, Nakamatsu now lives in San Jose with his wife and son. He records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi USA, which has released 13 CDs to date. For information about the UWF concert or to buy tickets, call 850.857.6285.
