February 2, 2011
Craig Sheppard plays ‘Mostly Brahms Feb. 9
Craig Sheppard
Faculty artist Craig Sheppard will perform piano works by Brahms in a concert titled Mostly Brahms, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, in Meany Hall.
The concert is the second in a five-concert cycle. The series will continue on April 28, also at Meany Hall. Sheppards performances will include Four Ballades, Opus 10; Eight Klavierstücke, Opus 76; Three Intermezzi, Opus 117; and Sonata #2 in F Sharp Minor, Opus 2.
Sheppard has maintained a strong and enduring presence in the classical music world for more than 40 years with his unique combination of ebulliance and passionate energy, allied to a technical mastery and scholarly objectivity. He has made eight trips to the Far East since June 2002 — five to Japan, and one each to China, Korea and Taiwan — giving lectures, master classes and concerts in major venues and universities.
He is frequently invited to perform at summer venues such as the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, and has taught and performed for a number of summers at the Heifetz International Music Institute in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
Sheppard has performed with all the major orchestras in Great Britain, as well as those of Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, Buffalo and Rochester, among others in the United States, and with such conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Sir Chares Mackerras, James Levine, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Andrew Davis, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Erich Leinsdorf, Kurt Sanderling, Neeme Järvi, Hans Vonk, Aaron Copland, David Zinman, Gerard Schwarz, and Peter Erös.
Since 2005, Sheppard’s recordings have appeared on the Roméo label. He has also recorded over the years on the EMI (Classics for Pleasure), Polygram (Philips), Sony, Chandos and Cirrus labels. Five CDs, all of live performances, have recently been issued on the label AT (Annette Tangermann)/Berlin. He has been professor of piano at the UW School of Music since 1993.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 students and seniors. For more information, call 206-543-4880 or visit the School of Music online.
