Pianists Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank Commence Portland Ovations' RITE OF SPRING SERIES, 11/1

Portland Ovations begins its Centennial Celebration of Merrill Auditorium and Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" with a performance by pianists Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank on November 1 at 7:30pm at Merrill Auditorium.

Soyeon Kate Lee (from Korea) and Ran Dank (from Israel) have received many awards and accolades in their young careers, including taking the top two prizes at the prestigious 2010 Naumberg International Piano Competition. These youthful and talented artists make their Portland Ovations debut with a program that features several works for two pianos that will include, Darius Milhaud's Sacramouche, Claude Debussy's Nocturnes and Maurice Ravel's La Valse. The program will conclude with Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank performing Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in the not-often performed four-hand arrangement (one piano, two musicians). Rooted in the complex, compelling musical life of late 19th and early 20th century Paris, this program of musical gems highlights how the composers' personalities and music are interlinked but remain very different.

Ovations Offstage offers several activities and events that correspond with this performance beginning with a pre-performance lecture at 6:30pm on November 1st in The Green Room, at Merrill Auditorium where Bates College's Alice Swanson Etsy Professor of Music, Bill Matthews, will use both audio and video excerpts to demonstrate the revolutionary challenges posed by these works to Western traditions. Following the performance, patrons are invited to join Portland Ovations and the artists on the Merrill stage for a post-performance reception to commence Portland Ovations' season long "Rite of Spring" Series. On Friday, November 2nd Ran Dank will conduct a Piano Masterclass with USM piano students at The University of Southern Maine School of Music in Gorham. For more information on Ovations Offstage events please contact Ovations Offstage at 207.773.3150 or by email at offstage@portlandovations.org.

Tickets for Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank are $35 for Ovations' Members and $38 for the general public. A limited amount of $10 student deal tickets are also available. The Davis Family Foundation and the Maine Arts Commission provide support for the Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank performance. To purchase tickets, visit Portland Ovations online at www.portlandovations.org, contact PortTIX at 207-842-0800 or stop by the box office window at Merrill Auditorium.

Each year since 1931, Portland Ovations has brought a dynamic season of exceptional performing artists from around the world to Maine including classical music, jazz, opera, dance, theater, and Broadway national tours. In addition to live performances, Ovations brings the exhilaration of the performing arts out into the community with season-long educational and outreach activities known as Ovations Offstage. A Maine-based non-profit, Portland Ovations contributes to the cultural, social and economic well-being of its community by presenting an array of high quality performing artists from around the world and creating diverse educational experiences that bring the enjoyment, energy and enrichment of the arts to all.

Photo Credit: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco, Courtesy of Portland Ovations

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