SFA orchestra opens season with all-Russian concert

Guest pianist Ning An will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto during the Orchestra of the Pines' concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in Cole Concert Hall.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Guest pianist Ning An will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto during the season-opening concert of the Stephen F. Austin State University's Orchestra of the Pines at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The orchestra will also perform two other Russian works--the Overture to "Ruslan and Ludmilla" by Mikhael Glinka and "Lt. Kije Suite" by Sergei Prokofiev.

"I've titled the concert 'Fantastic Heroes' because both of the orchestral works portray characters with heroic efforts in a widely vivid and imaginative storyline," said Gene H. Moon, SFA director of orchestral studies and the orchestra's music director. "These and Ning An's performance of the Rachmaninoff will provide for a very exciting opening concert."

Since making his orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the Cleveland Orchestra, An has been a featured soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Belgian National Symphony, Beijing Symphony Orchestra and Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

The New York Concert Review hailed An as a musician who "combines a flawless technique and mastery of the instrument with an expressive power that is fueled by profound and insightful understanding."

His top prizes from the Queen Elizabeth, Cleveland and William Kapell Piano Competitions led to performances in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Salle Verdi (Milan), and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

An has also been a top prize winner of the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, Paloma O'Shea Santander Competition, Tivoli International Competition and the Alfred Cortot Prize winner of the International Piano Competition.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Music and Orchestra Series. It is sponsored in part by Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and the Wedgeworth-Wright Endowment for the Arts.

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Dr.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students and youth. Season tickets, for all five of the orchestra's concerts, are $45 for adults, $36 for seniors and $15 for students and youth.

For tickets or more information, please go to www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.