From the New World: Piano Music of the Americas with guest pianist Evan Mitchell

Lauded for his “impassioned and vigorous” playing (Pianomania), Mitchellhas established himself as a bold and versatile artist. This exciting evening will highlight some of the Americas’ leading composers from Copland to Santoro. Join us for this free performance with one of today’s most talented young pianists.

His performances have been deemed “incredibly beautiful” (Fanfare), “amazing” (Fort Worth Weekly), and “no less than stunning” (Lima News).

From the New World: Piano Music of the Americas

Iman Habibi (b. 1985) – Three Preludes

George Gershwin (1898-1937) – Three Preludes

Aaron Copland (1900-1990) – Piano Variations

Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961) – Nocturne No. 1, Op. 20

Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) – Souvenir de Porto Rico, Op. 31

                                                                 The Banjo, Op. 15

~intermission~

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) – Five selections from “Anniversaries”

                                                            I.          For Aaron Copland
                                                            II.        For Jessica Fleischmann

                                                            III.       For Elizabeth B. Ehrman

                                                            IV.       In Memoriam: Alfred Eisner

                                                            V.        In Memoriam: Ellen Goetz

Charles Ives (1874-1954) – “The Alcotts,”fromSonata No. 2, “Concord, Mass., 1840-60”

Claudio Santoro (1919-1989) – Sonata No. 4, “Fantasia”

I.          Allegro deciso

II.        Andante

III.       Allegro molto

Biography:

Pianist Evan Mitchell’s solo and collaborative performances have been heard in major cultural centers on four continents, and broadcast throughout the U.S. and China. He has played concerti with the symphony orchestras of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Victoria, among others. Mitchell is a featured artist on the 2012 CD release “Piano de Pampa y Jungla: A Collection of Latin American Piano Music,” and a recently recorded DVD/CD with bassist Szymon Marciniak will be released in early 2016.

Recent highlights include debuts on Chicago’s prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series and at Shanghai’s Oriental Art Center, and in June 2014 the Texas Commission on the Arts named Evan to its Texas Touring Roster. Most recently, Mitchell gave a recital at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City as a quarterfinalist in the 2015 Honens International Piano Competition. In addition to his active concert schedule, he has given more than 120 performances over the past three years for Musical Awakenings®, the signature educational outreach program of the Van Cliburn Foundation. Other performance affiliations include the Goss-Michael Foundation (contemporary British visual art), Avant Chamber Ballet, and DFW-based Open Classical, whose motto – “Music that’s dressed down, not dumbed down” – reflects a mission to present classical music in unconventional spaces.

Mitchell holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and is currently working toward his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Texas Christian University, where he studies with John Owings. For more information, please visit www.evanmitchell.net.

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts is proud to present Mr.Mitchell with funding provided by the Texas Commission on the Arts.