Peter Serkin to perform at Simon's Rock
GREAT BARRINGTON – The South Berkshire Concert Series presents the recital of world-renowned pianist Peter Serkin on Easter Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m. at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. This concert will be the fourth performance of Serkin’s at Simon’s Rock, and he will offer a program that combines the relatively familiar music of Brahms with the rarely heard and spiritually exalted music of the late French master, Oliver Messiaen. It will also feature works by Bach, Handel, Josquin Desprez, and Charles Wuorinen.Serkin is one of the most respected classical pianists in the world today. He began his earliest studies with his mother, the daughter of violinist and composer Adolf Busch. His formal studies began at the age of 11, at the Curtis Institute of Music. There his teachers included Mieczyslaw Horszowski and Lee Luvisi, as well as his father, Rudolf Serkin. He graduated in 1965.
In 1966, at the age of 19, he won a Grammy Award for Best New Classical Artist/Most Promising New Classical Recording Artist, and has since received three more Grammy nominations. After a short hiatus from music, living in Mexico with his wife and newborn daughter, he returned to the U.S. and developed a stellar career.
Serkin has since performed with leading orchestras and conductors throughout the world, and made numerous recordings. He is a dedicated performer of contemporary piano music, and has premiered many new works, as well as performing many works that were dedicated to him. He became the first pianist to receive the Premio Internazionale Musicale Chigiana award, and he also received an honorary doctorate from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2001. He has taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, and currently is on the faculty of Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Serkin’s performance will take place at McConnell Theater, Daniel Arts Center. It is free and open to the public, with voluntary donations at the door.
