Afternoon mini concert for piano students
In addition to his concert Saturday evening, Eric Himy will present an afternoon mini concert for piano students of all ages at 1 p.m. in the Dorothy Moses Morrison Chapel in Barton Community College’s Fine Arts Building, F-157. The public is welcome.
The 45-minute mini concert is sponsored by the Golden Belt Community Concert Association and admission is free. This event will be an informal encounter designed to inspire and enlighten a younger group to the joys of music. The performance involves storytelling, demonstrations and a time for questions and answers.
Himy has been hailed as a natural-born teacher who believes in nurturing and developing future audiences to the joys of listening to music. Sponsors said his Bernstein-like approach is meant to stimulate young minds and show young people how to become good listeners and open up their imaginations.
Eric Himy is known as a brilliant classical pianist with the wit of a true entertainer. He will perform the second concert of the Golden Belt Community Concert Association’s 2010-11 season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium, Lakin and Stone. The concert is available to concert association members. Full-time students will be admitted to the concert for a $5 donation at the door. The auditorium will open at 6:30 p.m.
The New York Times has described Himy’s playing as "flawlessly poised, elegant and brilliant." His artistry has intrigued audiences around the world. The Washington Post wrote: "Enchanting his audience with an inspiring recital, Himy matched Ravel’s sense of sophistication, boldness and unequaled genius … and left no doubt of his musical prowess."
A Juilliard graduate, Himy began piano studies at age 6, giving his first concert at age 10. He was guest soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at age 15. At 19, he made his National Symphony Orchestra debut under Hugh Wolf, going on to win numerous competitions and awards, including the Gold Medal at the 1988 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, the Kosciuszko Chopin Prize in New York, and top honors in the 1991 Milosz Magin International Competition in Paris.
Paul Turok of The New York Times wrote: "Pianist Eric Himy’s name is hardly a household word among music lovers, but if he plays other composers as well as he plays Ravel, it deserves to be."
