Western's Firehouse Piano Series presents Liza Serova and Patrick Li on May 10

Western Washington University’s Department of Music will conclude its 2011-2012 season of the Firehouse Piano Series with a concert featuring Liza Serova and Patrick Li at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center at 1314 Harris Ave. in Fairhaven.

Both music students at Western, Serova and Li will offer alternating solo performances during the evening. The program will include works by Beethoven, Scarlatti, Liszt, Bolcom, and Prokofiev.

Liza Serova is originally from Moscow, Russia. Born into an artistic family, she began her piano studies at the Children’s School of the Arts at the age of eight. Serova’s family moved to the United States where she continued her piano studies with Ivona Kaminska and Helena Azevedo at Shoreline Community College. In fall 2009, she transferred to Western to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Music, majoring in Piano Performance.

During her three years at WWU, Serova has been awarded several prestigious scholarships, including: The William Sanford Piano Scholarship, Ford Hill Piano Scholarship, and the Post Presser Award. She has performed for world-class pianists including Awadagin Pratt, Inon Barnatan, The Anderson & Roe Piano Duo, Seth Knopp, and Christina Dahl. Servoa is currently finishing her senior year at Western, where she studies with Jeffrey Gilliam. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in piano performance.

Patrick Li has been practicing and performing piano for nearly 15 years. Originally from Kirkland, Li is currently a sophomore studying under Jeffrey Gilliam where he is working towards a double major in Piano Performance and Electronics Engineering Technology.

During his time at Western, Li has been awarded the Ford Hill and Don C. Walter Piano Scholarships, and has performed in several master classes and for professional pianists Ilya Itin and Inon Barnatan. Before attending Western, Li performed in various competitions and festivals, among them: Seattle Young Artists Music Festival, Music Teachers National Association Competition, and Eastside Scholarship Competition. In March he won Second Prize in the Bellingham Music Club (Virginia Glover) Scholarship Competition.

Tickets for the evening are available through the Western Box Office at (360) 650-6146 and cost $10 for general, and $5 for students.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Gilliam at (360) 650-3709 or Jeffrey.Gilliam@wwu.edu.