October 11, 2005 – Sylvia Bierschenk

Orchestra concert features Parr as pianist

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Pianist Andrew Parr, Stephen F. Austin State University professor of music, will be the featured soloist during the Orchestra of the Pines "Variation Celebration" concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, in W. M. Turner Auditorium.

The regional orchestra will present Johannes Brahms' "Variations on a Theme of Haydn" and "Symphony No. 1 in C " during the first half of the program. Parr will then join the group in performing Sergei Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C."

Jeff Jacobsen, the orchestra's director and SFA assistant professor of music, said each of the works is rewarding. "In 'Variations,' Brahms uses the full range of every instrument, and the symphony is a wonderful work that displays the composer's unique orchestration."

"Prokofiev's concerto is a brilliant piece for the piano, requiring extreme technique," Jacobsen continued. "In particular, the last movement is a tour de force as the pianist moves from the bottom of the keyboard to the top, playing each note at least twice. I'm really looking forward to this one!"

Since joining the SFA faculty in 1983, Parr has performed extensively in solo, chamber and concerto settings. Highlights include a performance of Aaron Copland's "Piano Concerto" with the Belgrade Philharmonic in the former Yugoslavia, Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 4" with the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, Chopin's "Concerto No. 2 in F minor" with the San Antonio Symphony and the Orchestra of the Pines, Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C" with the Longview Symphony and Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" with the Orchestra of the Pines.

Parr began studying piano at the age of five. He furthered his education at Kent State University, at the Hochschule fur Musik and Darstellende Kunst in Vienna as a Fulbright Scholar, and at Yale University where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees.

"Variation Celebration" is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, Orchestra Series and School of Music. It is sponsored in part by Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital, Ed and Gwen Cole and the Wedgeworth-Wright Foundation for the Arts.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. Season tickets, which include three concerts by the Orchestra of the Pines and three concerts by the SFA Chamber Orchestra, are $45 for adults, $36 for seniors and $15 for students.

For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.