The Valley Concert Society presents award-winning Canadian pianist Jarred Dunn in recital at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 21.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 and a pre-concert talk at 6:50.
A native of Niagara Falls, Ont., Dunn graduated from the University of Toronto with degrees in music and education.
After further studies in the U.S., he went to Europe and studied with renowned pianists in Poland and Portugal. He is currently a lecturer in musicianship at McGill University in Montreal.
Dunn won first prize at the seventh International Chopin Competition in Lithuania and at the McGill Piano Concerto Competition. He has been described by critics as “a piano sound-colour magician.”
Dunn opens his program with four miniature preludes by Karol Szymanowski, pieces that are both lyrical and sensitive.
He follows this with Chopin’s Ballade No. 3, the most joyful of his ballades.
The opening half concludes with Schubert’s popular Sonata in A major. This relatively short work was inspired by the beautiful Austrian countryside in which he vacationed.
The entire second half is taken up with Robert Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor. It was dedicated to his future wife, Clara Wieck, and displays a variety of moods from the dramatic to the sentimental to the quirky.
Besides being an international performer, Dunn is widely sought as an instructor. On Saturday, Feb. 22 he presents a workshop for piano teachers at 10 a.m. and a masterclass for four piano students at 1 p.m.
Both events are open to the public and take place in Peace Lutheran Church at the corner of Ware and Marshall.
Tickets for the Friday concert are $32 general and $20 for students. The workshop and masterclass are $20 each or $30 top attend both.
Visit valleyconcertsociety.com for tickets and more information or call 604-289-3377.
