West Virginia Symphony Orchestra Presents "Valentina Returns"
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra will perform on the Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College main campus in Fairmont at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, in Colebank Hall. With the theme "Valentina Returns," the concert features pianist Valentina Lisitsa.
Tickets are $30 for reserved seating, $15 for general admission and $8 for students. To order tickets, call (304) 367-4240.
The program will consist of the Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, the "Pastoral," and the Prokofiev Concerto for Piano No. 3 in C major, Op. 26, featuring Valentina Lisitsa at the piano.
Described by critics as a "bona fide angel playing" and an "electrifying pianist," the Ukrainian-born Lisitsa has been receiving rave reviews ever since her debut in Avery Fisher Hall for the Mostly Mozart Festival.
Lisitsa has a special affinity for the music of Rachmaninoff and Beethoven. She has performed all of Rachmaninoff's concerti and next year will perform "The 5th" with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. She has also embarked on the ambitious project of recording all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas - a usually lifelong task which has been achieved by very few artists.
Born in Kiev, Lisitsa began playing piano at age 3 and performed her first solo recital at age 4. After her studies--first in the Lysenko School of Music and then in Kiev Conservatory-- she moved to the United States and eventually became a citizen of this country.
Lisitsa has recorded eight CDs (Audiofon label) and three independently released DVDs, including a best-selling set of Chopin's 24 Etudes which held coveted the number one spot on Amazon's music video list. Her current home is in rural North Carolina where she finds refuge from her hectic travel schedule.
Grant Cooper, Artistic Director and Conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, officially began his duties as the ninth conductor in the WVSO's history on July 1, 2001. From 1997-2007, Cooper served as Resident Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, where he gave almost 600 performances with that orchestra, appearing to critical acclaim on all the major series. Cooper is also Artistic Director of a summer festival, the Bach and Beyond Festival in Fredonia, N.Y.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia's premier performing arts organization, presenting more than 50 concerts annually to audiences throughout the Mountain State. Programs include Symphonic, ZMM Pops and City National Bank Family Concert Series, performances by the Montclaire String Quartet, collaborations with the Charleston Ballet and other state arts organizations and a national award-winning education program. The Symphony's home is the world-class Maier Foundation Performance Hall at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston.
Valentina Lisitsa
