Internationally acclaimed pianist Dubravka Tomsic will return to the Schenectady Museum – Union College Concert Series for her third appearance on Friday, March 24 at 8 p.m. in Union College's Memorial Chapel.
The program will include Bach/Busoni's Prelude and Fugue in D, BWV 532; Prokofiev's Sonata No. 4 in C, Op. 29; and Liszt's Sonata in b; Mephisto Waltz.
Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe raved, “The pleasure she gives is pure and deep; only the greatest artists are completely satisfying in this way. Tomsic is a pianist of historic stature, a supreme virtuoso and unique.” New York Times critics described her style: “Ms. Tomsic, untroubled by the difficulties of the Brahms Paganini variations, made music of it, revealing the whimsy, playfulness and elegance that are there but seldom heard.”
The brilliant Slovenian pianist gave her first public recital at age five and has given more than 3,500 performances to date. Ms. Tomsic studied at the Julliard School and, in 1954, gave a recital in Carnegie Hall, which was attended by Arthur Rubenstein who gave a glowing account of the occasion in his memoirs. She studied with Rubenstein for two years and then returned home to Ljubljana, Slovenia. After a hiatus of almost thirty years, during which time she raised her child, taught music in a local conservatory and gave local recitals, she returned to the United States in 1989 for the Newport Music Festival. This performance began her triumphant return to stages and audiences from San Francisco to Boston with stops in Baltimore, Kansas City and Chicago.
Over 40 recordings released since 1987 have brought Dubravka Tomsic world-wide acclaim and renewed attention from American audiences. She has recorded numerous concerti and can be heard on Vox Classics, Stradavari Classics, Critic's Choice, Pilz International, Pentagon Classics and Koch International.
Memorial Chapel is located near the center of the Union campus. Parking is available on campus and on nearby side streets. Free shuttle service is available on the Union College trolley from the Nott St./Seward Place parking lot to the Chapel and back.
Tickets at $20 ($8 students) are available in advance at the Schenectady Museum and at the door at 7 p.m. For more information, call 372-3651.
The Schenectady-Museum-Union College concert series is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council of the Arts, a State Agency. Memorial Chapel is located near the center of the Union campus. Parking is available on campus and on nearby side streets.