Chopin’s Music Festival Back For Its 17th Season October 1, 2011

The El Paso Chopin Festival, now in its 17th season, will be led by El Paso pianist and festival founder and artistic director, Lucy Scarbrough, and two guest pianists. The invited performers are Ning An and Richard Dowling. All three concerts are FREE and will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Chamizal Memorial Theatre.

“Chopin was one of the great world ambassadors,” said Scarbrough. “His music is truly a universal language of beauty that knows no barriers of nation or culture. The music of this fine romantic composer is featured in the festival to provide an opportunity for residents and visitors to the tri-city region to hear piano played with unsurpassed elegance, power and expression.”

Ning An
Sat., Oct. 1
He has been hailed as a musician who “combines a flawless technique and mastery of the instrument with an expressive power that is fueled by profound and insightful understanding. His top prizes from the Queen Elizabeth, Cleveland and William Kapell Piano competitions led to performances from Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Salle Verdi (Milan) to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. He has been invited to perform at numerous festivals including the International Chopin Festival in Poland, the Gina Bachauer Piano Festival in Salt lake City, Utah, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Music Festival, the Bourglinster Festival in Luxemburg and the Interlaken Musical Festival in Switzerland. Since making his orchestral debut at 16 with the Cleveland Orchestra, An has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the London Symphonic Orchestra, Moscow radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Tivoli Symphonic Orchestra, the Belgian National Symphony, the Flemish Radio Symphony and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. He is the artist-in-residence at Lee University in Tennessee.

Richard Dowling
Sat., Oct. 15
Hailed by the New York Times as “an especially impressive fine pianist,” Richard Dowling appears regularly across the United States sin solo recitals, at chamber music and jazz/ragtime festivals, and as a guest soloist in concerto performances with orchestras. He has been acclaimed by audiences for his elegant and exciting style of playing which earn him frequent return engagements. Works of Chopin, ravel, Gershwin and American ragtime figure prominently in his repertoire. Career highlights include a sold-out New York orchestral debut at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, a solo recital at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York and a special award from the National Federation of Music Clubs recognizing his outstanding performances of American music. He has established himself internationally with performances in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Australia, Italy and France.

Lucy Scarbrough
Sat., Oct. 29
Lucy Scarbrough’s early piano studies were with her mother. When she was 16, she studied with Sylvio Scionti of New York and later with Russian pianist Maurice Lichtman. At the American Conser-vatory of Music in Chicago, she received the John R. Hattsadt Award for outstanding musicianship. At the conservatory, she studied with Beatrice Eppinelle, Hans Levy Heniot and internationally-recognized musician Leo Sowersby. In competition, she won the honor of playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Evanston Symphony Orchestra. After receiving her degrees at the conservatory, she taught at the Chicago Musical College and continued her studies with the internationally-known pianist and founder of the Chicago Musical College, Rudolph Ganz. Leo Sowerby, noted American composer, called her: “a marvelous musician. She has what it takes and has the star quality which makes her memorable.” Conductor of the Evanston Symphony, Hans Levy Heniot, calls her: “a highly-respected musician. She has won numerous awards including the Burlington Foundation Teaching Award, the National Teaching Excellence Award from UT Austin and the coveted Minnie Stevens Piper Higher Education Award. In 1996, she was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1998, she received the Hidalgo Award for her service to the Hispanic community of El Paso and Juárez, México.

For more information, please call 584-1595 or visit www.elpaso-chopin.com