Renowned pianist to be featured at Sept. 21 event

Pianist Awadagin Pratt will be featured in a Sept. 21 performance at Music on the Square.

Courtesy photo

On Saturday, Sept. 21, acclaimed pianist Awadagin Pratt will curate an evening of music and wine tasting as a guest performer for the DePauw School of Music’s Communiversity event.

Among the most celebrated artists of his generation, Pratt has traveled the world over delivering performances at venues with addresses as recognizable as the White House and Sesame Street.

“Awadagin Pratt forged a career performing moving interpretations of music from Bach to Brahms with integrity and insight,” said Mark Rabideau, director of the 21st Century Musician Initiative. “What is particularly excitingly at this moment is Pratt’s newest project – a new recording featuring commissioned works by Tyshawn Sorey, Paola Prestini, Alvin Singleton, Jonathan Bailey Holland and Judd Greenstein. For this project, he has employed collaborators that will be familiar to Greencastle audiences, including A Far Cry and vocal group Roomful of Teeth.”

Acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances, Pratt surged onto the international piano circuit after winning the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1992 and being awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994.

Since that time, he has been in continuous demand as a soloist, including performances with the St. Louis, Atlanta, Detroit and National symphony orchestras, as well as the New York Philharmonic. Pratt has also performed as a recitalist at such prestigious venues as the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Ravinia Festival, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.

As the only graduate from the Peabody Institute’s conservatory to have earned artist diplomas in three performance areas – piano, violin and conducting – Pratt enjoys a rich and diverse career performing, conducting and teaching.

The September Communiversity is a ticketed event targeted toward adult learners. Tickets are available online at music.depauw.edu or at the Green Center box office.

The music and mixology lesson together is $25 per person, while the music (with no drinks served) is $15 per person.

Doors to Music on the Square will open at 6 p.m. The performance and mixology lesson will take place from 6:30–8 p.m.

For more information, visit music.depauw.edu or call the School of Music at 658-4380.