Date/Time
Date(s) - 15/Mar/2014
Genre - Piano recitals
Mazda Hall at 7 pm
(Free Admittance)
In a programme of Handel: Suite in G minor, G 260-3; Schubert : Piano Sonata in C minor D. 958; Beethoven: Piano Sonata in D major, Op. 10 No. 3; Liszt: Les Preludes – Symphonic Poem No. 3 (arranged for Piano by August Stradal)
A native of Bucharest, Romania, pianist Eugene Alcalay began playing at age two and composing at age eight. In 1984 Eugene came under the tutelage of Leonard Bernstein, who affirmed his “outstanding talent as both a performer and composer”. Eugene became the first recipient of The Leonard Bernstein Scholarship for gifted young musicians at Indiana University School of Music, where he earned Bachelor’s Degrees in both Piano and Composition. Aided by Maestro Bernstein, Eugene continued his studies at The Curtis Institute of Music and then The Juilliard School, where he attained Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Piano Performance. His teachers included Seymour Lipkin, Robert McDonald, Karen Shaw, James Tocco, Milton Babbitt and Ned Rorem.
Currently Associate Professor of Piano at University of Wisconsin—Platteville, Eugene’s performance career has taken him to three continents and such United States venues as Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall–Isaac Stern Auditorium. He has spent summers at prestigious international music festivals such as Tanglewood, Taos, Kneisel Hall and Ravinia. In addition, he served as Piano and Chamber Music Faculty at the Sixth International Music Festival and School in Bogota, Colombia, a country which he revisited in 2003 as a Fulbright Scholar, and in 2004, as Fulbright Senior Specialist/Artist in Residence. He has also given master classes and judged piano competitions in Europe and the United States. In 2005 he was invited to join the International Roster of Steinway Artists. His 2007 London debut, sponsored by Steinway and the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, was “highly acclaimed” as a “poetic” and “memorable recital”: in his review, Alberto Portugheis emphasized “Alcalay’s command of line, color, temperament, imagination” and the “extraordinary qualities” of his pianism.
Eugene’s CD, “Lyrical Liszt”, released in 2008 by the Partita Records label, has been praised for “poetry, sensitivity… admirable tonal variety…beautiful playing throughout” (EPTA UK). His 2010 Paris debut was preceded by a “superb” recital to a large audience at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London: displaying “power and gusto” as well as “kaleidoscopic lyrical qualities”, Eugene proved himself “an interpreter of rare distinction” (Malcolm Miller, Music & Vision). In addition to return engagements in London, the 2012-13 season includes appearances in Oregon, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Windsor- England, Kilden Performing Arts Center in Kristiansand, Norway, Tegucicalpa-Honduras, as well as short term residencies in the People’s Republic of China at the South Central University for Nationalities in Wuhan, the China Three Gorges University in Yichang, as well the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou.
