Pianist Awadagin Pratt performs classical program featuring the works of Brahms, Beethoven, and Bach
Pianist Awadagin Pratt, who has performed at the White House for two former presidents, as well as with almost every major orchestra in the country, presents an evening concert of classical works, including pieces from Brahms, Beethoven, and Bach, at the Moss Arts Center on Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
Pratt is known throughout the classical music world for his musical insight and dedication to music education. He began studying piano at the age of six and three years later started playing violin. At the Peabody Conservatory of Music, he became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three performance areas — piano, violin, and conducting.
In 1992, Pratt became the first African-American to win the Naumburg International Piano Competition, which was followed by a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994. Since then, he has played numerous recitals across the U.S., including performances at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Pratt’s orchestral performances include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, as well as the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, National, Detroit, and New Jersey symphonies.
Pratt’s recordings include “A Long Way From Normal,” an all-Beethoven sonata disc, “Live From South Africa,” “Transformations,” and an all-Bach disc in collaboration with the St. Lawrence String Quartet. His most recent work includes the Brahms sonatas for cello and piano with Zuill Bailey and a recording of the music of Judith Lang Zaimont with the Harlem Quartet.
Pratt is professor of piano at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and serves as artistic director for the conservatory’s Art of the Piano Festival. He’s also artistic director for the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati.
This performance is supported in part by a gift from Intimate Voices.
The brother of Menah Pratt-Clarke, Virginia Tech’s vice president for strategic affairs and vice provost for inclusion and diversity, Pratt regularly visits college campuses and is a strong advocate of music education and outreach activities.
Prior to his performance, Pratt will take part in an informal talk on arts and the human condition in the Moss Arts Center Cube at 6 p.m. The talk is presented in partnership with the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech and in collaboration with the 2017 Advancing the Human Condition Symposium. The event is free, but registration is required. Pratt will also lead a master class with Virginia Tech piano students during his visit.
Tickets
Tickets for the performance are $20 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kacy@vt.edu during regular business hours.
