French Pianist Lise de la Salle Presents Houston Debut Recital Tonight

French pianist Lise de la Salle will make her Houston debut tonight, April 26, 2014, at 8 p.m. in the Wortham Center's Cullen Theater, presented by Society for the Performing Arts.

In just a few years, through her international concert appearances and her award-winning Naïve recordings, 25-year-old Lisa de la Salle has established a reputation as one of today's most exciting young artists and has emerged as one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation, praised for inspired performances of virtuosity and depth. Her Houston recital will feature a program of Johannes Brahms' Theme and Variations, Op. 18b in D minor (1860) and Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79; Maurice Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit (1908); and Frédéric Chopin's Preludes, Op. 28 (1839).

A native of France, now living in Paris, de la Salle first came to international attention in 2005, at the age of 16, with a Bach/Liszt recording that was selected as "Recording of the Month" by Gramophone Magazine. She was similarly recognized in 2008 for her recording of Liszt's, Prokofiev's and Shostakovich's first concertos - a remarkable feat for someone only 20 years old. De la Salle has recorded a total of six albums. Her most recent albums have included an all-Chopin disc in 2010 and Liszt in 2011.

Since her career began, de la Salle has received honors at competitions all over the world. In 2003, she won the European Young Concert Artists Auditions in Paris, and, in 2004, won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. At the Ettlingen International Competition in Germany, de la Salle won First Prize and the Bärenreiter Award. She has also won First Prize in many French piano competitions, including the Steinway, Sucy, Vulaines and Radio-France Competitions. In 2003, she won the "Groupe Banque Populaire Natexis" Prize, for which she received a three-year scholarship.

Born in Cherbourg, France, in 1988, de la Salle was surrounded by music from her earliest childhood. She began studying the piano at the age of four and gave her first concert at nine in a live broadcast on Radio-France. At 13, she made her concerto debut with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 in Avignon, and her Paris recital debut at the Louvre before going on tour with the Orchestre National d'Ile de France playing Haydn's Concerto in D Major.

At the age of 11, de la Salle received special permission to enter the Paris Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique to study with Pierre Réach. She graduated in 2001 and subsequently enrolled in the postgraduate cycle with Bruno Rigutto. Since 1997, she has worked closely with Pascal Nemirovski and has studied with Genevieve Joy-Dutilleux.

Tickets range from $23-$58 and can be purchased online at www.spahouston.org, by phone at 713-227-4772 or at the courtyard level ticket office at Jones Hall located at 615 Louisiana St. Hours of operation: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday - Friday. For groups of 15 or more call 713-632-8113.

About Society for the Performing Arts: Founded in 1966, Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) is the largest independent non-profit presenting organization in the Southwest. Since its inception, SPA has sponsored more than 1,000 performances of the world's finest music, dance and theater events, in adherence to the belief that the arts are fundamental to the overall enrichment and quality of life within the community. In addition to presenting artists, SPA seeks to provide a variety of learning experiences for adults and children through master classes, lectures and special student performances, as well as build relationships between the performing arts and other interests within the greater Houston area and throughout the state of Texas.

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