Since 2003, Lander University's Department of Music has been featuring a young pianist each year as part of its Emerging Keyboard Artist Recital. Initiated by Drs. Anthony and Marianne Lenti, Lander professors emeritus of music, the recital has showcased performers such as Denis Plutalov of Russia, Thomas Chiron of France, Paul Gillies of the United States, Hsin'I Huang of Taiwan and Yoana Kyurkchieva of Bulgaria.
This year's concert continues with the international nature of the recitals by featuring Chinese pianist Jie Fang, Thursday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. in Lander's Josephine B. Abney Cultural Center Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.
"Jie Fang's program will open with an early sonata by Beethoven, 'Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2,' which is marked by a great range of moods, colors and textures," said Dr. Anthony Lenti. "This work and the other two written at the same time helped establish Beethoven as the pre-eminent piano performer and composer of his time."
Fang will also present the first 12 of Chopin's Preludes. "These are miniatures which demonstrate an astonishing range from serene to the grotesque," added Lenti. The performance will also feature pieces by Claude Debussy and Balakirev Islamey.
Born in Shanghai, China, Fang began playing the piano at the age of 5 and began performing publicly at the age of 7. In China, he studied at the Middle School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He is currently a high school senior at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, studying with pianist Eric Larsen.
Fang has performed in major concert halls in China, including Shanghai Concert Hall and the Shanghai Grand Theatre. He has also performed with the Shanghai Conservatory Orchestra. As a prize-winning pianist, Fang has won national Chinese competitions, and, in the U.S., the Peter Perret Youth Talent Search of the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Raleigh Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition and the NCMTA Senior Piano Division.
The annual emerging artist performance is part of a yearlong display of talented musicians in the area of piano performance. Known as the Lander Piano Festival, the series will conclude in the spring with an ensemble performance by Lander faculty and students.
For information contact Lander's College of Arts and Humanities at 864-388-8323. Information about upcoming events at Lander is also available on the university's website, www.lander.edu, then click on calendars.