Internationally-acclaimed pianist James Giles will be the first guest artist featured in a new recital series being hosted annually at Buffalo State College.
All are invited to the recital on Nov. 9, 8 - 9:30p.m., Buffalo State College's Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. General admission is $10. All students and teachers are free.
Giles will perform short works by 19th century Romantics, including Chopin and Liszt. For the second half of the concert, the pianist will feature Schubert's final piano sonata published after he died at age 31. In a phone interview, Giles commented that he selected the Piano Sonata because "... it is remarkable to realize that this young man had such depth of feeling and virtuosity."
Giles has performed with New York's Jupiter Symphony; the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra in Queen Elizabeth Hall; the Kharkiv Philharmonic in Ukraine; and with the Opera Orchestra of New York in Alice Tully Hall. After his Tully Hall solo recital debut, critic Harris Goldsmith wrote: "Giles has a truly distinctive interpretive persona. This was beautiful pianism-direct and unmannered."
As part of the recital series, Giles and forthcoming musicians will not only perform in concert but also teach and critique a student master class at the college. Named in honor of its donor, the Lois Rowland Klein Annual Recital Series is funded for five years.
"This is a unique and generous gift," said Bryan Boyce, assistant professor, Piano, Buffalo State College. "The community and students will benefit-and enjoy."
For more information about the Giles recital or future events, call Bryan Boyce at (716) 878-4100.