Honens International Piano Competition winner Katherine Chi performs the famed Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Mario Bernardi on June 4-5
May 23, 2002 -
Ottawa, Canada -- Pianist Katherine Chi, the first Canadian and
first woman to win the prestigious Honens International Piano
Competition (2000) in Calgary, is the guest soloist for the final
main series concerts of the National Arts Centre Orchestra's
2001-2002 season on Tuesday, June 4 and Wednesday, June 5 at 20:00 in
Southam Hall. Chi will perform the monumental Rachmaninoff Piano
Concerto No. 3 made famous (or infamous) in the Oscar-winning
movie Shine based on the true story of pianist David Helfgott.
Founding conductor and former Music Director of the Orchestra Mario
Bernardi will lead the Orchestra in this spectacular programme of
Russian romance which also includes Tchaikovsky's Symphony
No. 2 and Arensky's Variations on a Theme of
Tchaikovsky.
Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto (now known as the "Rach 3")
proudly carries the reputation of being one of the most difficult,
expansive, brilliant and romantic in the piano repertoire. It is also
one of Rachmaninov's longest and structurally most complex orchestral
works. Calgary-born Katherine Chi is one of Canada's fastest
rising stars of classical music. She was a prize winner in the 1998
Busoni International Piano Competition in addition to her victory at
the Honens in 2000. She made her recital debut at age nine and a year
later was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music to study with
Seymour Lipkin. She received her master's degree from the New
England Conservatory in Boston.
However in the mid-90s Katherine Chi lost the use of her arms for
almost three years, gave up the piano and managed a bakery in Boston.
She was introduced to the Fondazione Internazionale per il Pianoforte
in Italy where she recovered, and went on to study at the Hochschule
für Musik in Cologne. She has now appeared across Europe and
North America in recital, and with chamber groups and orchestras. She
first appeared at the National Arts Centre in recital on the Debut
Series in 2001. These concerts mark her debut with the National Arts
Centre Orchestra.
Tickets for these National Arts Centre Orchestra Bravo Series
concerts on June 4 and 5, are on sale now at $26.00, $42.50 and
$53.00, with box seats at $63.50 (GST and Facility Fee included) at
the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and
through Ticketmaster
(with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed
through the NAC's web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.
Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on
sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid
student ID card.
