April 6, 2005 – Sylvia Bierschenk

SFA to present guest pianist

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and the Department of Music will present Anastasia Markina in a guest piano recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, in Cole Concert Hall. The recital is free and open to the public.

The program features Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Correlli Variations" and works by Nikolai Medtner and J. S. Bach.

Markina is currently pursuing her master's in piano performance from the University of North Texas where she received her bachelor's degree in May 2004.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Markina began playing piano when she was 4 years old and won her first piano competition when she was 10. While studying at the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music, she won several international competitions.

After receiving her diploma with honors, she was invited to study at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass. She completed a year and then transferred to the University of North Texas to study with Vladimir Viardo, gold medalist of the 1973 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Since coming to the United States, Markina has distinguished herself as a finalist and first prize winner in two Music Teachers National Association competitions and two University of North Texas Concerto Competitions. She received an honorable mention in the 2003 Wideman Piano Competition and was the overall winner of the 2004 San Angelo Symphony International Competition.

She has performed Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" with the San Angelo Symphony and Maurice Ravel's "Piano Concerto in G" with the UNT Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Community Orchestra.

While in Nacogdoches, Markina will give a master class to SFA piano students, and on Saturday, April 16, she will be the adjudicator for the East Texas Piano Festival.

For more information, please call (936) 468-6407 or 888-240-ARTS.