Contact: WWU Department of Music, (360) 650-3130
BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University’s Sanford Piano Series 2009-2010 season will feature two native Washingtonians who have taken the world of piano by storm: Charlie Albright and Stephen Beus. The season will begin Friday, Oct. 9, with a performance by Albright and will conclude on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, with Beus. Both concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) Concert Hall on campus.
Now in its seventh season, the Sanford Piano Series brings world-renowned pianists to Western’s campus for a residency featuring a public evening performance and a free master class, which is open to the public.
 |
|
Photo by Tatsunori Hashimoto Charlie Albright |
 |
|
Courtesy photo Stephen Beus |
Originally from Centralia, 20-year-old Charlie Albright has performed both as a solo and collaborative artist throughout the United States, France, and Australia to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim. On numerous occasions he has taken the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, including at a ceremony for U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble, Seattle Philharmonic and various other orchestras. Described as a “poet of the piano” by The New York Times, Albright was just named a 2010 Gilmore Young Artist.
A graduate of Whitman College and The Julliard School, Stephen Beus was raised in Othello and made his orchestral debut at age 9. He has performed both as a soloist and with symphonies around the world, and in 2008 he made his Carnegie Hall debut. In a review by Fanfare Magazine, it was noted that “his playing is so natural as to seem effortless, and the sound he produces has extraordinary richness and depth, not quite like anyone else’s.” The winner of the 2006 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and the Music Teachers National Association – for which he was awarded a Steinway Model M piano – Beus has recordings on both the Endeavor Classics and Harmonia Mundi labels and is considered one of the most promising pianists of his generation.
Sanford Piano Series tickets go on sale Sept. 1 and range in price from $9 to $16 per concert. A limited amount of $6 tickets located in the last three rows of the venue will be available for seniors and students.
Tickets are available through the Western Box Office, (360) 650-6146, Village Books and the Community Food Co-op, as well as online at http://tickets.wwu.edu. The Box Office is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour prior to each performance.
Concert and master class dates and times:
- Charlie Albright – Concert is Friday, Oct. 9; tickets $9-$16. Master class will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the PAC Concert Hall; free and open to the public.
- Stephen Beus – Concert is Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010; tickets $9-$16. Master class from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010 in the PAC Concert Hall; free and open to the public.
Proceeds from the Sanford Piano Series performances go to scholarships for talented piano majors at WWU. The Sanford Piano Series is presented by WWU’s Department of Music and is sponsored by the Whatcom Community Foundation’s Spirit Fund and by Sibyl Sanford.
For more information about the 2009-2010 Sanford Piano Series, please visit http://www.wwu.edu/cfpa. To request a WWU College of Fine and Performing Arts season brochure, please call (360) 650-2829.
Print-quality photos of Albright and Beus are available in the Photo Center.
printer friendly