Internationally renowned pianist Jon Nakamatsu will return to his community college alma mater to perform a solo benefit recital Sunday, June 23, at 2:30 p.m. in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Concert proceeds will benefit Foothill College fine arts programs.
The gold medallist at the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Nakamatsu performed for a sold-out audience at Foothill College in 1999. At the upcoming recital, he will perform Wölfl’s Sonata in C; Chopin’s Polonaise-fantaisie and Scherzo No. 1; Rachmaninoff’s Three Preludes; Debussy’s Suite bergamasque and Liszt’s Dante Sonata.
Upon winning the Van Cliburn award, the former high school German teacher became a popular hero overnight in the highly traditional medium of classical music. His current season includes orchestral engagements, recitals and chamber music collaborations throughout the United States and Europe. His schedule has included debut performances in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Washington D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as well as Boston, Chicago, London, Paris and Milan. He has also performed with the Boston Pops, been a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and was a featured soloist with orchestras in Dallas, Dayton, Detroit, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Milwaukee, Rochester, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle.
He has studied privately with Marina Derryberry since age six, has worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, and studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein at the University of Southern California Schoenberg Institute. In addition, he has pursued extensive studies in chamber music and musicology. Nakamatsu holds an associate degree from Foothill College, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University.
Tickets are $60, general; $125, Gold Circle Patron. Gold Circle tickets include an après-concert reception with the artist, preferred seating and free parking. To purchase tickets, call (650) 949-7360.
