Piano virtuoso Konstantinos Papadakis of Greece, is hosted by the College of Charleston International Piano Series (IPS) for a performance on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. He will perform sonatas by Chopin and Scarlatti, excerpts from “Petrushka” by Stravinsky and will premiere Edward Hart’s “Blue Impromptu” a virtuosic “spur of the moment” piece inspired by Chopin and influenced by Jazz.
Edward Hart, Chair of the Music Department at the College of Charleston, entrusted him with his Impromptu because “if [he] were a pianist, [he] would like to play like Konstantinos.”
The concert will take place at 8 p.m. in the Sottile Theatre, 44 George St. Individual tickets are $20. College of Charleston students and those under 18 years old are admitted free of charge. Purchase tickets ONLINE or by calling (843) 953-6575.
Konstantinos Papadakis has performed in recitals and collaborated with chamber ensembles and orchestras in the world’s major concert halls and famous artistic centers from Russia and Southern Europe to the United States and Canada. He has won several prizes and distinctions at international piano competitions, including the prestigious Yannis Vardinoyannis Award, given for the first time to a pianist, as well as the Esther & Albert Kahn Award. He makes regular solo appearances with Boston’s Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and holds the prestigious Motoko and Gordon Deane Principal Chair as the Orchestra’s pianist. From 2006 to 2011, he was the “Samuel Barber Artist-in-Residence” at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He has recorded several works especially written for him by contemporary composers, many of which have been broadcast on radio and television. Papadakis teaches at the New England Conservatory’s Pre-College Division and recently joined the piano faculty at the Boston University.
Papadakis will teach a masterclass that is open to the public, on Wednesday, March 19, at the College.