Pianist Thomas Pandolfi will visit the West Virginia University School of Music Nov. 4-5. His performance and masterclass will be open to the public.
Pandolfi’s visit is part of the West Virginia Music Teachers Association Conference hosted this year by WVU.
On Friday, Nov. 4, Pandolf will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. in Bloch Hall at WVU’s Canady Creative Arts Center.
Pandolfi’s recital program will include some of Chopin’s most beloved and famous works, in addition to the 1927 solo version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Mr. Pandolfi’s own transcription, Rhapsody on Themes from “West Side Story”.
The recital is free to WVU students, faculty and staff with their WVU ID. General admission is $10 and tickets are available to purchase at the door.
On Saturday, Nov. 5, Pandolfi will conduct a piano masterclass at 9 a.m. in Bloch Hall. The masterclass is free and open to the public.
“Mr. Pandolfi, who was mentored by the legendary Vladimir Horowitz and the popular composer Morton Gould, will offer a brilliant and varied program that can appeal to all,” said Conference Site Coordinator Hooi yin Boey. “His masterclass will provide an opportunity to watch him guide younger pianists in their own performances.”
Pandolfi began his music career early on at The Juilliard School. Since then he has been an audience favorite, selling out the world’s most prestigious stages, including Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, Strathmore, The Kennedy Center, Kiev Opera House, Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum, London’s Cadogan Hall and many others. In addition to being hailed as one of the greatest interpreters of Polish masters such as Chopin and Paderewski, Pandolfi has received accolades from every thing from Bach to Gershwin, with Morton Gould saying, “It’s the finest performance of Gershwin I have heard since the composer himself.” His original and virtuosic transcriptions of works such as West Side Story and Phantom of the Opera, are one-of-kind, jaw-dropping, and dramatic encores that keep audiences of all ages returning to his performances again and again. Maestro Pandolfi is a Steinway Artist and when he is not on tour, resides in Northern Virginia.