World famous pianist plays at Winthrop
Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 1:58PM By Alexis Austin
Pianist celebrates 200th birthday of Chopin
Ludwig van Beethoven. Wolfgang Mozart. Walter Hautzig.
Many may not know much about the latter, but his contemporaries consider him a legend.
Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1921, Hautzig is a world-renowned pianist. This year, he will be performing as a part of the Friends of the Conservatory concert series.
“The series is a fundraiser. It is put on by the Friends of the Conservatory, an organization on campus set up to provide scholarships and a support group for music students,” said Dr. Donald Rogers, department chair of music.
While this will be Hautzig’s first performance for the series, he has been part of the Winthrop community for a long time.
For the past 20 years, he has taught piano master classes at Winthrop during the summer. Associate professor of music Matthew Manwarren also studied under Hautzig.
“He is a big friend of Winthrop,” Rogers said. “I have known him 22 years, and he really is a delightful person.”
Hautzig has traveled all over the world sharing his talent and love for the piano. Currently residing in New York, he has performed in Japan, Jerusalem and Australia.
“Since he has been all over the world, Mr. Hautzig has referred many international music students, especially from Japan and the Philippines, to Winthrop,” Rogers said.
For the concert series, Hautzig will perform works by Polish pianist Frédéric Chopin. It will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth.
“We had to plan the concert really far in advance,” Rogers said. “Although he is older, he is still very active, so we planned for him to come about six to eight months ahead of time.”
The Friends of the Conservatory Concert series is open to the public. Tickets are $5 with a Winthrop ID, $10 for senior citizens and Winthrop faculty and $15 for the public.
The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Barnes Recital Hall.
