Acclaimed pianist and Mississippi native Bruce Levingston returns to the University of Mississippi next week for a concert at Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
The concert, set for 7 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 2), also features renowned violinist Colin Jacobsen and the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet. Tickets, which range from $21 to $29 for various seating, are available by calling 662-915-7411 or online at http://www.fordcenter.org.
A cocktail reception and art auction will precede the concert. Tickets are $20 per person. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at the University Museum.
Levingston and Jacobsen, who are described as “two of today’s most adventurous musicians” by the New York Times, will perform works by Dvorak, Schuman and Rachmaninoff, as well as beloved favorites such as Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals” and Liszt’s famous “Hungarian Rhapsody.”
“We are delighted to have Bruce Levingston at the Ford Center for a return to Mississippi,” said Norm Easterbrook, Ford Center director. “His appearance with the Colin Jacobsen and Brooklyn Rider String Quartet will offer an exciting evening for classical music patrons.”
A native of Cleveland, Levingston uses his talents on the piano to combine music, art and philanthropy. He has lived in New York City for more than 20 years. In 2001, he founded Premiere Commission, a nonprofit organization to finance and promote the work of living composers. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musicians in many international music festivals, and his recordings and performances have been broadcast throughout the world.
Levingston last performed on campus in January 2011, when he accompanied artist and art historian Robert Storr for a program in Nutt Auditorium sponsored by the University Museum. Storr, also dean of the Yale School of Art, lectured on developments in modern art, and Levingston performed compositions by Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, John Cage and Phillip Glass.
Jacobsen, a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, first played to critical acclaim at age 14, collaborating with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic. He recently returned to the New York Philharmonic in a performance of Brahms’ Double Concerto with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and David Zinman conducting. Jacobsen is a co-founder, along with his brother, cellist and conductor Eric Jacobsen, of two ensembles: Brooklyn Rider and The Knights.
The Brooklyn Rider combines an eclectic repertoire with a unique performance style that has attracted legions of fans and drawn critical acclaim from classical, world and rock critics. NPR credits Brooklyn Rider with “re-creating the 300-year-old form of string quartet as a vital and creative 21st century ensemble.”
For a complete list of events, visit the Ford Center.