Western Piedmont Symphony Celebrates Romance And Rachmaninoff

Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS), the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina, presents MASTERWORKS: ROMANCE AND REALISM featuring the music of Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich on Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 PM at P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory. Featured guest artist pianist Dmitri Vorobiev will perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor.

Western Piedmont Symphony, led by Maestro Matthew Troy, will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Sergei Rachmaninoff with a performance of the beloved, memorable Piano Concerto No. 2. This concerto is widely recognized as an audience favorite and has been sampled numerous times over the years, such as the song "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen (1975) and featured in many movie scores. Also on the program is The Gadfly: Suite by Dmitri Shostakovich, who wrote more than thirty movie soundtracks between 1929 and 1970 and was, in essence, the Russian John Williams of his day.

"Our upcoming Masterworks concert will be a real "tour de force" for the orchestra and the audience. The timeless music of Shostakovich will be heard here from a different vantage point as we explore one of his unique film scores. "The Gadfly" is a film from 1955 with a scandalous story and a colorful, tuneful score," noted music director Matthew Troy. "This suite is juxtaposed with the sweeping, romantic melodies of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by my friend and colleague Dmitri Vorobiev. You don't want to miss this dynamite performance!"

Western Piedmont Symphony MASTERWORKS: ROMANCE AND REALISM is sponsored by Resource Partners, LLC, Sandra Pait Clay and George Clay, III, Brenda K. Cline, and Lynn and Chip Young, and with generous support from the United Arts Council of Catawba County and the North Carolina Arts Council.

MASTERWORKS tickets are $20, $30, $40, and $50, with $10 tickets available for students with valid ID. Purchase by visiting wpsymphony.org/tickets, call 828.324.8603, or visit the WPS Box Office, located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory, NC, 28601. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mon. - Fri. Concert venue is P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the Lenoir-Rhyne University campus, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601. Please note: All programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.

About the Artist:

Pianist Dmitri Vorobiev first came to international attention after winning the Casagrande International Piano Competition in Italy in 1994, followed by performances at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto and numerous recitals throughout Italy. Vorobiev has been a major prize-winner in the Busoni, Cincinnati World, Ibla Grand Prize, A.M.A. Calabria, Iowa and Alabama international piano competitions. In 2000, he placed first and also took three special prizes at the UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa, and in 2003, Dmitri won the first prize in the New Orleans International Piano Competition.

He appeared as a soloist with Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, Pretoria Chamber Orchestra, Durban Symphony, Terni Philharmonic, Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony and Western Piedmont Symphony. His solo recitals took him throughout the United States, Israel, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, Ireland and South Africa.

Vorobiev maintains a dynamic concert schedule and one of his current projects is performing complete solo piano works by Ludwig van Beethoven. As a frequent recording artist with the Blue Griffin label, his most recent production is a double CD set with selected works by Franz Liszt. An acclaimed soloist, he is also an active chamber music player. Some of the highlights include recordings of complete sonatas for violin and piano and complete piano trios by Bohuslav Martinu with violinist Stephen Shipps and cellist Richard Aaron for the Naxos label. Vorobiev's collaborations include performances with Zemlinsky String Quartet, violinist Rodney Friend, and frequent appearances in duo-piano recitals with his wife, Polina Khatsko.

A native of Moscow, Russia, Vorobiev began his piano studies when he was 5. He attended the School of Music and the Music College of the Moscow State Conservatory where he studied with Nina Levitzkaya and Victor Bunin. In 1992, he was invited by Eric Larsen to study at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he received his Bachelor's Degree. Vorobiev completed his Master's Degree at the Manhattan School of Music as a full scholarship student of Marc Silverman and winner of the Harold Bauer award. He earned his Doctor of Music Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music, working with Arthur Greene.

In the fall of 2017, he joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as an associate professor of piano. He is in constant demand as an adjudicator. He has served on the piano faculty at the University of Northern Iowa; Vivave International Music Festival; International Music Academy in Pilsen, Czech Republic; and the Cambridge International String Academy in Cambridge, England.

Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS) is the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina, based in Hickory. For 59 years, WPS has enriched and engaged the communities of western North Carolina through high-quality symphonic music with creative, relevant performances, and educational opportunities for all ages.

Each season, the Symphony presents an inspiring classical Masterworks series, a fun and unique Foothills Pops series, varying ensembles in the Crossroads series, family-friendly Discovery concerts, plus education and community engagement programs in the Catawba Valley, all under the artistic direction of Maestro Matthew Troy. Western Piedmont Symphony is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council and is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Business offices are located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mon. - Fri.

For more information about Western Piedmont Symphony, call 828-324-8603, visit wpsymphony.org, or email info@wpsymphony.org.

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