Ax-Perlman-Ma trio to Make World Premiere Performance at Penn State
May 6, 2008
Three of the biggest names in music—pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma—make their world debut as a trio in a once-in-a-lifetime Center for the Performing Arts presentation next March at Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium.
The trio is scheduled to perform only twice—March 30, 2009, at Eisenhower on the University Park campus and the following evening at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
Tickets for the concert are on sale now to Center for the Performing Arts members (at the Affiliate level or higher), last-season series subscribers, sponsors and underwriters. Tickets go on sale to the general public June 2.
In addition to the Ax-Perlman-Ma concert, 26 other music, theater and dance events—to be presented in the September 2008 through April 2009 season at Eisenhower and Schwab auditoriums—are on sale now to members, past subscribers, sponsors and underwriters. Eligible patrons may purchase tickets by phone at (814) 863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX; in person at Eisenhower or Penn State Tickets Downtown; or by a mail-in order form. Visit www.cpa.psu.edu for complete details about the upcoming season of events or to download a season brochure.
Ax is renowned not only for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed piano virtuosity but also for the exceptional breadth of his performing activity. Each season he appears with major symphony orchestras, performs recitals in the most celebrated concert halls, engages in a variety of chamber music collaborations, commissions and performs new music, and records additions to his acclaimed discography on Sony Classical. Ax captured public attention in 1974 when he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition. The pianist’s concert as part of the virtuoso trio is his first appearance at Penn State since 1988.
Perlman, who mesmerized a sold-out audience at Eisenhower last month, enjoys a superstar status not often associated with a classical musician. His remarkable musicianship is equaled by the joy with which he plays with leading orchestras, in recitals and at major festivals. One of Perlman’s finest hours came in his performance of the John Williams-composed violin solos for Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning film Schindler’s List. Perlman made his professional conducting debut in 1997 and has since guided ensembles on several continents. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts recognized him with a Kennedy Center Honor in 2003.
Ma’s career is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences, and to his desire for artistic growth and renewal. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music or exploring cultures and musical forms outside the Western classical tradition, Ma strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination. The cellist draws inspiration from a wide circle of collaborators. He explores music as a means of communication and as a vehicle for the migration of ideas across cultures. Ma’s performance is his first at Penn State since 1991.
TIAA-CREF is the exclusive corporate partner with the Center for the Performing Arts in the presentation of the Ax-Perlman-Ma trio.
For information about becoming a Center for the Performing Arts member, contact Dave Shaffer at (814) 863-1167 or DaveShaffer@psu.edu.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379