Pianist Jeremy Denk to Play Western’s Sanford-Hill Piano Series Oct. 20

Western Washington University’s Sanford-Hill Piano Series will host Jeremy Denk at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.

Denk is the winner of a 2013 MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, the 2014 Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s 2014 Instrumentalist of the Year award. He has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and London, and regularly gives recitals in New York, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia, and throughout the United States.

Denk is also well-known for his original and insightful writing on music, which Alex Ross praises for its “arresting sensitivity and wit.” The pianist’s writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New Republic, The Guardian, and on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. Recounting his experiences of touring, performing, and practicing, his blog, “Think Denk,” was recently selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress web archives. For his work as a writer and pianist, Out magazine included Denk on its “Out 100” list celebrating the most compelling people of 2013.

The Sanford-Hill Piano Series brings high-profile international pianists to WWU, where the performers offer free masterclasses for students and the public in addition to their performances. The 2015-16 Sanford Hill Piano Series also features a Feb. 19 performance by piano-duo Anderson and Roe, and an April 8 concert by Petronel Malan. Tickets to the concerts are $16-$40, and are available at tickets.wwu.edu, or by calling (360) 650-6146. More information about the programs and performances is available at wwu.edu/sanfordhill.