Ivory tickler headlines Wassermann Festival
Spencer Myer, internationally renowned pianist, will be the main attraction for the beginning of the 2006 Wassermann Festival Recital Tuesday, Feb. 21.
“This year should be quite good with Myer to start off with,” said Dennis Hirst, the artistic and administrative director for the festival. “He is an exceptional young pianist that can bring a lot to Utah State.”
Myer comes to Utah State University with much success as a concert pianist. According to the Wassermann Festival Web site, Myer won first prize in the 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition a variety of other recent competitions
The recital, which runs from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. in the performance hall, will feature Myer playing works from Schumann, Carl Vine and Debussy.
Other performers, who will continue to be featured throughout March and April, include Roberto Plano, Alexander Kobrin and Krystian Zimmerman.
“We have some incredible people coming this year,” Hirst said. “Krystian Zimmerman is one of the legends among pianists. He is one of the top performers in the world.”
Tickets for the event are sold through www.usu.edu/wassermann or by telephone at 797-3257. Tickets are $20, $15 or $10, depending on the seating, and a limited number of seats are half price for students.
The Wasserman Festival, formerly known as Music West, also features master classes taught by concert pianists. Three guest lecturers and performers will present classes and seminars this year to between 50 -85 people.
According to their Web site, the Wassermann Festival provides pianists the opportunity to work with prominent guest artists in lecture and master class settings, studying piano literature, piano pedagogy and performance techniques.
In preparation for the lecture and classes, 15 students will be selected from an application process to perform in front of the class and guest lecturer and then receive a critique and lesson from that lecturer.
Lecturers include Roberto Plano, Norman Krieger and Spencer Myer. Each comes with their own area of expertise and much to offer those who attend.
“We draw audiences from everywhere. People from the community and students from most universities are just a few of those people,” Hirst said.
For more information, call Hirst at 797-3257.
-nebutler@cc.usu.edu