Alpin Hong April 18, 2008

“Alpin Unplugged” Friday, April 18 7:30 PM
“Classical Alpin” Saturday, April 19, 7:30 PM

Pianist Alpin Hong has earned the reputation as a modern day Pied Piper. Opening the ears, eyes and imaginations of over seventy thousand Americans, he introduced audiences young and old to the power of Stravinsky, the delicacy of Debussy, the clarity of Bach and the exuberance of Gershwin. Indeed, the Santa Barbara News Press described Mr. Hong’s performance as “…a tour de force. Hong evoked a kind of Beatlemania when he came on stage. What a showman! What a musician!” In recognition of the pianist’s immense gifts for communicating his passion for music to audiences of all ages, The McGraw-Hill Companies honored him in September 2005 with the $10,000 Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach.

The New York Times lauded his “crystalline energy…clear and persuasive ideas…and remarkable breadth of coloration” in a review of his standing-room only New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the result of his winning First Prize in the 2001 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. International engagements include recitals at the Hoam Arts Center in Seoul, Korea, Panama’s Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos and a concerto engagement with the Korean Broadcast Symphony (KBS).

Alpin Hong is a native of Michigan and made his orchestral debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony at the age of ten. He moved to Los Angeles soon after and garnered competition victories at a young age with wins at the 1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition, the 1993 SYMF Competition and the 1994 Los Angeles Spotlight Awards Competition. He completed his Master’s degree as a student of Jerome Lowenthal at The Juilliard School. A resident of New York City, Mr. Hong further demonstrates his commitment to music education in fall 2005 as curator of “Kitchen Sink Music After School,” an artist-in-the-schools program in Harlem. His non-musical interests include martial arts, skateboarding and snowboarding.

Back by popular demand, Alpin Hong offers an informal performance in his Voctor Borge- like style, and a performance of classics—two sides of a remarkable musician!

Tickets: $15-$28

Special “Al-pac Discount”—purchase tickets for the “Unplugged” and “Classical Alpin” performances at the same time and receive additional savings!

Official Website: http://www.grandoperahouse.org/events/tas/0708/11alpinhong.html