October 12, 1998 Volume 21, No. 4

Thaler Concert Pianist Series Guest Artist

Nakamatsu to Preview Carnegie Program

Christmas is coming early for local classical music lovers.

Jon Nakamatsu, the 1997 gold medal winner at the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will visit Ithaca College on Wednesday, October 21, for a free performance in Ford Hall Auditorium. Featuring works by Beethoven, Chopin, Balcom, Stravinsky, and Liszt, the 8:15 p.m. program is the same one Nakamatsu will perform five days later in his debut at Carnegie Hall, where ticket prices range up to $50 per seat.

As this year’s Rachel S. Thaler Concert Pianist Series guest artist, Nakamatsu will be the latest in a succession of world-class pianists to perform on the Ithaca College stage. Previous Thaler pianists have included Jeffrey Kahane, Gilbert Kalish, Simone Pedroni, and Yefim Bronfman.

Then a 28-year-old high school German teacher from Sunnyvale, California, Nakamatsu boasted no conservatory background before the Van Cliburn competition. His gold medal effort made him the first American to have achieved that distinction since 1981 and it won him overnight status as a popular hero in the highly traditional medium of classical music.

Following his success at the Van Cliburn, Nakamatsu embarked on two seasons of international engagements, including performances with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Boston Pops at Tanglewood, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and the symphony orchestras of Fort Worth, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Utah, collaborating with such conductors as James Conlon, Mark Janowski, Raymond Leppard, and Keith Lockhart.

Nakamatsu’s extensive recital tours throughout the United States and Europe were highlighted by debuts at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Cal Performances in Berkely, and Ravinia in Chicago. He has also worked with the Brentano and Tokyo String Quartets.

Named debut artist of the year in 1998 by NPR’s Performance Today, Nakamatsu has made three recordings, two of which are available on the harmonia mundi label. He has also been featured by CBS Sunday Morning, Reader’s Digest, and Playing with Fire, a documentary about the Van Cliburn competition that aired nationwide on PBS last fall.