Piano virtuoso Orion Weiss to shine on campus
onStage at Connecticut College presents Orion Weiss in a special Sunday afternoon concert on Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. in Evans Hall of Cummings Arts Center.
Weiss is a 32-year-old piano virtuoso who has been showered with accolades including the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year award, the Gilmore Young Artist Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. At Juilliard, he was honored with the William Petschek Award, the Mieczyslaw Munz Award and the top prize in the school’s illustrious Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.
He has performed with some of the world’s premier ensembles, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and New World Symphony, as well as in performances at the Hong Kong Chamber Music Festival and Ravinia Festival.
Weiss has been praised for both his technical mastery of the piano as well as his emotional delivery, both of which will be required for his program at Connecticut College. He will perform works by Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti, who incorporated astounding techniques such as arpeggios and rapid large leaps in his compositions, and Spanish composer Enrique Granados, whose “Goyescas” gives the impression of passionate improvisation while being bound within a tight structure.
Robert Richter, director of arts programming, said, “Since a generous gift from alumna Nancy Marshall Athey '72 and her husband, Preston, put Connecticut College on the path to becoming an ‘All-Steinway School,' I’ve wanted to present a solo piano performance to highlight the honor. Orion Weiss is one of the most talented pianists producing music today and he is more than worthy of helping the College celebrate the milestone.”
The Los Angeles Times said of Weiss, “He is clearly a pianist to watch,” and Connecticut College has made it possible to do just that.
Tickets for the concert are $22 for general admission, $20 for seniors and $11 for students. For tickets and information, call 860-439-2787 or visit onstage.conncoll.edu.
February 7, 2014