Media

"An Audience with Evgeny Kissin" An Exclusive Sharing Session at HKU

11 Mar 2009

 

Since legendary pianist Dr Evgeny Igorevich Kissin last performed in Hong Kong in 2006, local lovers of classical music have long been pining for his return.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is pleased to announce that Evgeny Kissin will be visiting the campus later this month for "An Audience with Evgeny Kissin".

This is an exclusive HKU event at which the maestro will share his musical life and experiences with the University's faculty and students, secondary schools students and classical music lovers.

Limited seats are available for the public.  To obtain tickets, please contact Department of Music, HKU (Tel:2859 7045 )

Music lovers may already be familiar with Evgeny Kissin's extraordinary stage performances or his sought-after recordings. But what inspires him? What was his childhood like? How has music changed his life? What advice can he give to young musicians?

"An Audience with Evgeny Kissin" is a rare chance to listen to the memories, insights and advice of a master musician.

Details of the event are as follows:

Date:               March 26, 2009 (Thursday)

Time:              6:00pm

Venue:            Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU

Moderator:     Professor Daniel Chua, Head, School of Humanities, HKU

Along with the sharing session presented by the School of Humanities and the Department of Music, the following day, March 27 (Friday), HKU will confer upon Evgeny Kissin the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa, in recognition of his contributions to the art of music.

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Joanne Yung, Manager (Media) (Tel: 2859 2600/Email: hkumedia@hku.hk)

About Dr Evgeny Kissin:

Dr Evgeny Igorevich Kissin was born in Moscow in October 1971 and began to play the piano at the age of two. He entered the Moscow Gnessin School of Music when he was six, and came to international attention in 1984, when at the age of 12, Dr Kissin performed Chopin's Piano Concertos in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Moscow State Philharmonic, under Dmitri Kitaenko.

Since his first appearance outside Russia in 1985, Dr Kissin has played with leading orchestras and conductors, and performed in the world's greatest halls. He was named Musical America's youngest Instrumentalist of the Year in 1994 and was the youngest awardee of the Triumph Award in 1997, for his outstanding contribution to Russia's culture. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the Manhattan School of Music in 2001, and received the Shostakovich Award in Moscow in 2003 and the Herbert von Karajan Music Prize in 2005.

Kissin's recordings have received many awards, including the Edison Klassiek, the Diapason d'Or, the Grand Prix of La Nouvelle Academic du Disque and the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra).