Petronel Malan, a three-time Grammy nominee whose international piano performances have been hailed as “formidable ... dizzying ... and magical” will continue the inaugural Distinguished Artists Series at Lebanon Valley College. Her concert, on LVC’s new Steinway D concert grand piano, will be on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Lutz Hall of the Blair Music Center. Tickets are available in advance from the LVC Music Department for $10 or online and at the door for $15. For more information, visit the LVC website at www.lvc.edu/music or call LVC’s Music Department at 717-867-6275.
Her program includes Franz Joseph Haydn’s Sonata Hob XVI/46 in A-flat Major; Stephen Heller’s 33 Variations on the original theme of Beethoven's 32 Variations in C Minor; Charles Griffes’ Piano Sonata (1918) and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Moment Musicaux, Op. 16. She will present a master class, open to the public, on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m., in Lutz Hall of the Blair Music Center.
Malan, who had her international debut in Rome in 1987, saw her career take off three years later after she won five gold medals at international piano competitions throughout the United States. Malan’s critical acclaim continued when she was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including “Best Instrumental Solo Album” for her 2004 for her debut disc, Transfigured Bach: The Complete Bach Transcriptions of Bartok, Lipatti and Friedman. She released Transfigured Mozart in 2006 and Transfigured Beethoven in 2009, all on the award-winning Hänssler Classic label.
Born in South Africa, Malan began piano lessons with her mother, an opera singer, at age 4, and made her debuted with the Johannesburg Symphony at age 10. She won all major national piano competitions in her native country before moving to the United States to further her studies. After earning a degree at Michigan State University, Malan completed her graduate work at the University of North Texas.
She has performed at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City, and in Paris, Salzburg, Budapest, and Chicago as well as at the Ravinia and the Gilmore international piano festivals. Now a permanent resident of the United States, Malan maintains strong ties to her homeland, where in 2003, she was named one of the “10 Most Inspirational Women in South Africa.”
A frequent speaker and promoter for classical music in schools, scholarships in her name are awarded annually to promising young South African musicians.
She has appeared on magazine covers wearing both vintage gowns and new pieces created by South African designers.
The inaugural Distinguished Artists Series at LVC features concerts by three international pianists. The final concert will feature Hwaen Ch’uqi on Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. A native of Peru who grew up in Manheim, Lancaster County, Ch’uqi has become an elite, internationally known pianist. Earlier, in September, Santiago Rodriguez, a Rachmaninoff expert, presented the first concert in the series.
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