Acclaimed pianists Roberto Plano and Jon Nakamatsu to perform at New Paltz Festival

NEW PALTZ –Two highly-praised pianists, Roberto Plano and Jon Nakamatsu will perform during this year’s PianoSummer at New Paltz Festival. Plano’s concert, featuring the music of Beethoven and Liszt, will take place on Saturday, July 16 at 8:00 p.m. in McKenna Theatre located on the campus of the State University of New York at New Paltz. Nakamatsu will perform music of Rameau, Brahms and Liszt on Saturday, July 23 at 8:00 p.m. at the same venue.

Plano’s concert will include Beethoven-Liszt, “Symphony No. 2 in D major,” Liszt’s, “From the Year of Pilgrimage – Italy (“Sposalizio,” “Il Penseroso,” “Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa”), Rigoletto paraphrase de concert, and Reminiscences de Norma.

Nakamatsu’s program features Rameau’s “Gavotte et 6 doubles” (variations) from Suite in A minor, Brahms’ “Sonata #1” in C major, “Op 1,” and Liszt’s “Apres une lecture de Dante” Fantasia quasi Sonata.

Tickets for both concerts can be purchased at the Box Office located in Parker Theatre, Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., 845.257.3880 or on line at www.newpaltz.edu/piano.

ROBERTO PLANO

First Prize Winner of the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition, Finalist at the Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2005, Laureates of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition (Calgary, Canada) and the 2006 Axa Dublin International Piano Competition, Italian pianist Roberto Plano has performed throughout North America. He regularly performs in Europe as well, and has appeared with orchestras in Italy, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Japan, USA, and Canada. Plano was a featured recitalist at the internationally acclaimed 57th Chopin Festival in Duszniki, Poland; the Festival at Sandpoint, Savannah Music Festival and Wassermann Piano Festival in the USA; the Encuentro de musica y Accademia de Santander (Spain), and the Settimane Musicali di Stresa (Italy).

Roberto Plano has had guest appearances on a number of radio stations, including NPR’s “Performance Today,” WNYC in New York City, WGBH’s “Classics in the Morning” (Boston), CBC’s “In Performance” (Toronto), BBC “In Tune,” and RadioRai 3 “Grammelot in Italy.”

Plano has three recordings: a CD of works by Chopin, Liszt and Scriabin on Italy’s Sipario Dischi label and a disc of works by Liszt and Brahms’ Sonata op.5 and Klavierstucke op.118.

At the 2003 Honens Competition Plano was named the “Best Ensemble Performer.” He was also the winner of the “Best Recital” and “Best Performance of the Commissioned Work” prizes at the 2006 Axa Dublin International Piano Competition. In other international piano competitions (after having won First Prizes in fifteen National Competition in Italy), Plano was a competition finalist at the 2003 Busoni in Italy, a prizewinner at the Sendai (Japan, 2001), and at the Jose Iturbi (Spain, 2000).

JON NAKAMATSU

Highlights of Nakamatsu’s current season include return engagements with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Annapolis, Bozeman and Greenwich symphony orchestras, Lexington and Reno philharmonics and Santa Fe Pro Musica, as well as performances with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the orchestras of Cape Cod, Fremont, La Crosse, Lincoln and Norwalk. He reunites with his colleagues of the Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet for performances in Berlin and Detroit, and is presented in recital from coast to coast.

Initially brought to global attention in June 1997 by being named Gold Medalist of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Nakamatsu subsequently appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood, as well as with numerous orchestras in the United States. His 1998-99 season was highlighted by a White House performance of “Rhapsody in Blue,” hosted by President and Mrs. Clinton. Abroad, he has been heard as soloist with Italy’s Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Berlin’s Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional de Santo Domingo and Japan’s Tokyo and Hiroshima Symphony Orchestras.

Nakamatsu’s extensive recital tours throughout the United States and Europe have featured performances in New York City, Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Paris, London and Milan. He is the recipient of the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for his semifinal round chamber music performances at the Cliburn competition, resulting in collaborations with various chamber ensembles, Nakamatsu has also made three United States tours as the guest soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet.

Named Debut Artist of the Year (1998) by NPR’s “Performance Today,” Nakamatsu has been profiled by “CBS Sunday Morning” and Reader’s Digest magazine, and is featured in “Playing with Fire,” a documentary on the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, aired nationwide on PBS. He records exclusively for harmonia mundi usa, which has released several of his CDs,

For additional information about PianoSummer concerts and events, visit www.newpaltz.edu/piano or call 845.257.3880