News

Lee University will open its 20th Presidential Concert Series with a concert by Ilya Yakushev, internationally acclaimed pianist and winner of the 2005 World Piano Competition. He will perform in the Dixon Center on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m., presenting pieces by Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, and Liszt.

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Yakushev won his first award at age 12 as a prize winner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition. His San Francisco Symphony performances in 2007 were included in the top ten classical music events of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle, and prompted his return to the Symphony in September 2009.

Yakushev attracted international attention in December 2006, presenting solo recitals at such venues as the Bechstein Center in Berlin and Vienna’s Musikverein. He has performed in various other venues worldwide, including Glinka Philharmonic Hall (St. Petersburg), Victoria Hall (Singapore), Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York), and Sejong Performing Arts Center (Seoul, Korea).

In 1998, he received a national honor, The Award for Excellence in Performance, presented to him by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation in Moscow. Most recently, Yakushev became a recipient of the prestigious Gawon International Music Society’s Award in Seoul, Korea.

Yakushev attended the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music in his native St. Petersburg, Russia, and subsequently came to New York City to attend Mannes College of Music where he studied with legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman.

In addition to his performing career, Yakushev serves as Executive Director of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes.

Tickets will be available at the Lee University Box Office in the Dixon Center, or by phone at 614-8343, one week prior to the concert between 3-6 p.m.

For more information about the performance, please call the School of Music at 614-8240. For more information about Ilya Yakushev, visit www.ilyayakushev.com.