The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) will present a performance by classical pianist James Dick in the UTD Conference Center on March 30 at 8 p.m. Dick will perform Concerto in D by J.S. Bach (based on Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso Op. 3/7), Sonata No. 23 in f “Appassionata” by Beethoven, Ricercare and Toccata by Gian Carlo Menotti, Nocturne in c (posth) and Waltz No.14 in e, B.56 by Frederic Chopin, and Sonata No. 3 in a, Op. 28 by Sergei Prokofiev.
Tickets are $15 to the general public and free to anyone with a UTD photo identification card. They may be purchased Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Art & Performance office in the Visual Arts Building at UTD or by telephone with a credit card.
Recognized as one of the truly important pianists of his generation, Dick brings keyboard sonorities of captivating opulence and brilliance to performances that radiate intellectual insight and emotional authenticity. Dick’s early triumphs as top prizewinner in the Tchaikovsky, Busoni and Leventritt International Competitions were a mere prelude to an eminent career highlighted by acclaimed recitals and concerto performances in the world’s premier concert halls, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall and 92nd Street “Y”, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, le Theatre du Chatelet and Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Kennedy Center and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and Orchestra Hall in Chicago.
Dick has performed with the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony and many other major orchestras, with such conductors as Eugene Ormandy, John Barbirolli, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Eiji Oue, Robert Spano , Christopher Hogwood , Stefan Sanderling , James de Preist, Pascal Verrot, Lawrence Foster, Sergiu Commissiona, Alain Lombard, Jerzy Semkov. In chamber music, he has been guest soloist with the Cleveland, Tokyo, Parisii, Ravel, Debussy and Cassatt Quartets and the Dorian and Moragues Wind Quintets, concertizing as well with Erick Friedman, Yo-Yo Ma, Regis Pasquier, Young Uck Kim, Raphael Hillyer, Rostislav Dubinsky, Martin Lovett, Guy Deplus, Håkan Rosengren and Carol Wincenc. Extremely active in England, where he studied extensively with Sir Clifford Curzon, Dick was elected an Honorary Associate of London’s Royal Academy of Music; in 1994, he received the signal honor of being named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.
James Dick is a fervent supporter of new music. He commissioned Benjamin Lees , Dan Welcher , Malcolm Hawkins and Chinary Ung to write, respectively, “Etudes,” “Shiva’s Drum,” “Rasmandala” and “Rising Light” for piano and orchestra. In February 1998, Dick premiered “Flights of Passage: From Silent Sun to Starry Night” by Claude Baker. This piece, inspired by poems by Walt Whitman, was performed in New York (Alice Tully Hall), Paris (Salle Gaveau) and London (Purcell Room). On Oct. 31, 1999, in Washington, DC, Dick premiered “The Birth of Shiva” by Dan Welcher, a fantasy for piano solo after “Shiva’s Drum”.
Dick also remains committed to music education. In 1971, he established the International Festival-Institute at Round Top. This educational project, one of the most distinguished in the United States, welcomes young artists looking for developing their skills in solo, chamber music and orchestral repertoire.
To obtain tickets or more information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UTD, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu, or visit the School of Arts and Humanities’ web site at www.utdallas.edu/dept/ah/. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982. Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.