Posted on Jan 9, 2009

Emanuel Ax, a pianist renowned for his poetic temperament, unsurpassed virtuosity and exceptionally diverse performing capacity, makes his fourth appearance at Memorial Chapel Sunday, Jan. 25 at 3 p.m.

General admission tickets cost $25; area students may attend for $10.

Emanuel Ax, piano, returns for a third Concert Series performance Friday, Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel with a program from Beethoven and Schumann. (Courtesy of J. Henry Fair)

During this upcoming Chamber Concert Series performance, Ax will present portions of Schubert’s Four Impromptus and Sonata in A, as well as portions of Liszt’s Vallee d’Obermann, Sonetto del Petrarca and Mephisto Waltz.

Born in Lvov, Poland, Ax captured public attention when he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in 1974. A year later, he went on to win the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, and eventually the coveted Avery Fisher Prize.

Ax, who studied at The Julliard School, has also been honored for his recorded releases. The second and third volumes in his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas received Grammy awards. Ax also made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Ax’s special projects for the current season include performances with pianist Yefim Bronfman and a solo recital tour in North America and Europe. He will also return to several orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony.

During his 2004-2005 season, Ax contributed to a BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust. It aired on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and was awarded a 2005 International Emmy.

Ax lives in New York City with his wife, the pianist Yoko Nozaki. They have two children, Joseph and Sarah.

For additional information, call 388-6080 or click here.