NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

9/5/2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES-Five noted pianists from around the world will perform at Northwestern State University as part of the Louisiana Piano Series International beginning Sept. 27. The series is being organized by Nikita Fitenko, assistant professor of piano at NSU, who is an internationally recognized concert performer.

Those appearing in concert are Jennifer Hayghe of Louisiana State University on Sept. 27, Radoslav Kvapil of the Czech Republic on Nov. 8, En Joo Chung, the winner of the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati on Nov. 15, Igor Lebedev of Russia on January 31 and Joseph Banowetz of the University of North Texas on March 28. Hayghe, Kvapil, Lebedev and Banowetz will also present masterclasses at 11 a.m. on the day after their performances in Magale Recital Hall.

"This series was put together for the students of Northwestern and to enrich the life of the community," said Fitenko. "We have one of the best pianos in the United States and it is appropriate that we invite some of the best pianists in the world to perform on it."

Northwestern purchased a new Steinway piano during the summer. A portion of the purchase price was raised at a benefit concert featuring Fitenko and his wife Katerina Zaitseva last spring. The Natchitoches ­ Northwestern Symphony Society assisted in the fundraising effort.

Tickets to the entire concert series are $20 each which includes a lecture before the concert and a post concert reception. Tickets to individual concerts are $10 each. Students are admitted free.

Hayghe has performed in solo recitals and orchestral appearances throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. She is currently on the piano faculty and serves as piano area coordinator at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Hayghe received her bachelor's, master's degrees, and doctorate degree in piano performance from The Juilliard School. She won every available award for a Juilliard pianist including the William Petschek Debut Award, resulting in her New York City recital debut at Alice Tully Hall.

Hayghe's orchestral appearances include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, recent concerts with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and performances with various
orchestras in the United States and abroad. In addition, Hayghe has been frequently featured in radio broadcasts, including National Public Radio's Performance Today series, and on live broadcasts on the major classical radio stations of Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York City.

Kvapil achieved early recognition as a pianist when he won the 1958 Janacek Competition, and since that time he has appeared as soloist with major orchestras and played recitals in more than 20 countries including Japan and North America. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1987. Kvapil is regarded as a leading interpreter of both Czech and classical piano repertoire.

In April 2002, he received a high distinction from the French Ministry of Culture, when he was appointed "Knight of the Arts" (Chevalier des Arts et de la Litterature de la Republique Francaise). In the Czech Republic, he is chairman of the Dvorak Society and founder of the South Bohemia Music Festival. He is also chairman of the Vysocina Music Festival and the Society for Czech Terezin Composers.

Lebedev completed his piano studies with the famous Russian teacher D. Serebriakov at the Leningrad State Conservatory. He has performed extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America as a soloist, chamber musician and with orchestras. In 1997, he was appointed as professor of piano at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Among his students are winners of national and international piano competitions. He has been invited to give masterclasses in Finland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Spain, the U.S. and South Korea.

Lebedev is comfortable with all the stylistic trends in piano music. Works by Beethoven, Liszt, Schumann and Chopin are among his favorites.

Banowetz has been heard as recitalist and orchestral soloist on five continents, with guest appearances in recent seasons with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the New Zealand Symphony, the Prague Radio Symphony, the Moscow State Symphony, the Belarus National Philharmonic of Minsk, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony and the Beijing Central Philharmonic.

In 1992 Banowetz was presented the Liszt Medal by the Hungarian Liszt Society in Budapest, in recognition of his outstanding performances of Liszt and the romantic literature. He is a Steinway Artist, and a voting member for the Grammy Awards of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Banowetz has been on the faculty of the University of North Texas College of Music since 1973.

For ticket information, call (318) 357-5763 or go to www/fitenko.com/pianoseries.

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