Tonight on campus: Sanford Piano Series with Stephen Beus

Western Washington University’s Sanford Piano Series will conclude its 2009-2010 season with a concert featuring Stephen Beus at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14, in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.

The evening program will include a variety of works by Bach, Beethoven, Griffes, and Medtner.

Stephen Beus has been described by the Salt Lake Tribune as “mesmerizing… explosive… intelligent… he belongs on the world stage.” A graduate of Whitman College and The Julliard School, Beus was raised in Othello and made his orchestral debut at age nine. He has performed as both a soloist and with symphonies around the world and in 2008 made his Carnegie Hall debut. In the space of four months, Beus received first place in the 2006 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and the Vendome Prize International Competition (Lisbon), and was awarded the Max I. Allen Fellowship of the American Pianists Association. In addition to his active performance schedule, Beus has also recorded on the Endeavor Classics and Harmonia Mundi labels.

In conjunction with his Sanford Piano Series recital, Beus will conduct a master class for young musicians from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Jan. 15 in the PAC Concert Hall. The master class is free and open to the public. For additional information about this educational opportunity, please contact the WWU Department of Music at (360) 650-3130.

Tickets for the concert are available through the WWU Box Office and range in price from $9 to $16. 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, contact the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146 or visit http://www.tickets.wwu.edu.

The Sanford Piano Series, now in its seventh year at Western, is made possible through the generous contributions of the Whatcom Community Foundation’s Spirit Fund and Sibyl Sanford. Proceeds from this performance support the Department of Music’s Arthur Hicks and Ford Hill piano scholarships. For more information, please contact the WWU Department of Music at (360) 650-3130.

For more on Stephen Beus, please visit www.stephenbeus.com.