Renowned pianist Awadagin Pratt to perform at Wheaton College

Wheaton College Artist Series Performances presents Awadagin Pratt on Saturday, Apr. 29

Photo: Awadagin Pratt, courtesy of Awadagin Pratt

“My strength as a musician is my ability to communicate and that I am passionate about communicating; I want people together,” said internationally renowned pianist and conductor Awadagin Pratt in “Faces of University of Cincinnati.” A great musician and educator, Pratt plays an important role in the world of classical music. A debut appearance on the Wheaton College Artist Series Performances by this great American artist is highly anticipated. Pratt will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Concert Hall in Armerding Center for Music and the Arts located at 520 E. Kenilworth Ave. in Wheaton.

When he touches the piano keys, your soul sings. When he plays violin, your soul cries. When he conducts, you feel his energy. When he talks about music and educates students, you feel his love for music. Yes, Awadagin Pratt is a multifaceted and extremely talented artist.

Pratt was born in Pittsburgh. He began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later his family moved to Normal, Illinois where he also began to study to play violin. He started studying piano, violin, and conducting at the University of Illinois at the age of 16.

“He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three performance areas – piano, violin and conducting,” according to Pratt’s website. “In recognition of this achievement and for his work in the field of classical music, Mr. Pratt received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins as well as an honorary doctorate from Illinois Wesleyan University after delivering the commencement address in 2012.”

Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1992, and two years later he was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Awadagin is known for his passionate and strong musical personality. Besides being a great performer, Pratt is an excellent educator who teaches his students how to perform, find jobs, and win in competitions.

During the last three decades, Awadagin has been seen in many recitals across the United States, including performances at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, and the NJ Performing Arts Center. As a soloist, he appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, National, Detroit symphonies, and most recently Chicago, among many others. Pratt is also an honored guest at summer festivals across the country. In November 2009, Mr. Pratt was one of four artists selected to perform at a classical music event at the White House.

Internationally, Pratt has toured Japan four times and performed in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, Columbia, and South Africa. As an experienced conductor, Pratt has conducted programs with numerous orchestras in the US and with several orchestras in Japan. Mr. Pratt has just joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory. He also served as the Artistic Director of the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati and is currently the Artistic Director of the Art of the Piano Festival at CCM.

Pratt frequently appears on college and university performing arts series, and certainly his debut appearance on the Wheaton College Artist Series Performances was highly anticipated. He prepared a wonderful program for the April 29th program that will take place at spectacular Armerding Center for Music and the Arts in Wheaton.

Photo: Awadagin Pratt, courtesy of Rob Davidson

The program will satisfy every taste and meet every expectation. It will start with Glassworks written by American composer Philip Glass, one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. This interesting composition evoking the endless sounds of glass pieces gently hitting against each other will be followed by Les Baricades Mistérieuses written by French Baroque composer, organist, and harpsichordist Franҫois Couperin. This beautiful piece was written for harpsichord in a rondeau form in 1717.

The evening will continue with an extremely touching piece called Castillo Interior written by modern Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. It was originally written for violin and cello. It was written in a slow tempo and includes some meaningful pauses, which catch the viewer’s attention and add more drama and depth. It will be followed by Nocturne for the Left Hand Alone by modern American jazz pianist and educator Fred Hersch. It will demonstrate Pratt’s amazing technique and versatility.

After that, Maestro will perform old classical favorites, such as Prelude in D, Op. 23, No. 4 written by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1903. This Prelude is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23. After that gentle and romantic composition Pratt will perform Nocturne in B, Op. 62, No. 1 written by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. The composer wrote the set of two touching Nocturnes Op. 62 for solo piano between 1845 and 1846.

Intermezzo from The Nutcracker by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (arranged by Mikhail Pletnev) will impress everyone with its depth and incredible richness. Sonata in B minor written by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt will be the final composition for the night. This incredible work was completed in 1853 and published in 1854. It was dedicated to Robert Schumann. Liszt’s Sonata was publicly played for the first time in 1857, and since then it has been one of the most popular and influential works of the piano repertoire. It is known for its incredible technical difficulties.

The Cincinnati Enquirer stated: “Pratt summoned heaven and earth in his opening solo, a feat of fire and brilliance. The pianist… delivered a vivid, muscular performance, one that was adrenalin-charged, but with a tone that could also sing in lyrical passages.”

You don’t want to miss this wonderful evening of piano music presented by Awadagin Pratt. For tickets, please go to https://tickets.wheaton.edu/shows/pianist-awadagin-pratt/ or call 630-752-5010.

Natalia Dagenhart

April 6, 2023