Family emergency prompts performer change in Sanford-Hill concert May 5

Western Washington University’s Sanford-Hill Piano Series has announced a guest artist change for its upcoming concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. 

The evening will feature Joel Fan, an incredibly dynamic and accomplished pianist who has collaborated with such renowned artists as Yo-Yo Ma. Alexander Kobrin, the original artist for the evening, is unable to perform due to a family emergency.

Fan’s evening program will include works by Dia Succari, Alexander Scriabin, William Bolcom, Sergei Rachmoninov, Leon Kirchner, and George Gershwin.

Praised as a “champion of new music” by the Boston Globe, Fan is passionate about expanding repertoire written for the piano. He performs as a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, a collective of musicians and performing artists from more than 20 countries that create new music and multimedia pieces, and has undertaken a multi-year commissioning project of several solo and concerto works. He has appeared as both a soloist and with numerous orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic and the Singapore Symphony, and scored two consecutive Billboard Top 10 debuts with his solo albums. In addition to his performances in venues around the world and acclaimed recordings, Fan has been a guest artist on “Good Morning America” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”

During his residency at WWU, Fan will conduct a master class from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 6, in room 24 of the Performing Arts Center. The master class is free and open to the public. The master class scheduled for Friday, May 4, with Mr. Kobrin has been canceled.

Tickets for the concert are available through the WWU Box Office and cost $9 students; $18 seniors, WWU faculty and staff; $24 general. A limited selection of tickets will also be available at Village Books and the Community Food Co-op.

WWU Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour prior to the performance. For individual tickets or disability accommodations, please contact the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146 or visit http://www.tickets.wwu.edu. For questions regarding ticket refunds, please call the WWU Box Office Manager at (360) 650-6103.

Now in its ninth season, the Sanford-Hill Piano Series has been renamed to coincide with exciting changes, including the growing number of distinctive pianists presented by the series and a new Steinway concert grand piano for performances.

For more information, please visit http://www.wwu.edu/sanfordhill or call the WWU Department of Music at (360) 650-3130.