Internationally recognized pianist Alexander Bernstein headlines this year’s Winter Nocturne.
The University of South Carolina Aiken, in association with the Aiken Civic Orchestra, presents the annual concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Etherredge Center.
The concert will feature works from Beethoven, Mozart and contemporary American composer Frederic Rzewski, according to a news release from the university.
Bernstein, a San Francisco native, began piano lessons when he was 7. He later moved to Walla Walla, Wash. where he studied for nine years. He received a bachelor’s degree in music from Harvard University in May 2010 and completed his master’s degree in piano performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin in 2012. He is currently pursuing an artist diploma at Shenandoah Conservatory under the tutelage of John O’Conor.
After making his symphonic debut in 1999, Alexander has performed concerti with orchestras in the U.S. and Europe, most recently including performances of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3 with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland and the Shenandoah University Symphony Orchestra in Virginia. He has given solo recitals in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Romania.
Bernstein won second prize at the 2015 Dublin International Piano Competition, third prize in the 2015 Verona International Piano Competition; and third prize in the 2015 Gian Battista Viotti International Piano Competition. He also received first prize in the 2011 Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year Competition.
Led by Adam DePriest, the Aiken Civic Orchestra began in 2012 with 12 string players and the vision of providing an ensemble experience to local musicians across the Aiken area. After five years, it added winds, brass and percussion to become a full symphonic orchestra, performing about 10 concerts per season with music ranging from popular to masterpieces and even contemporary works, covering a dynamic range of composers, the release said.
DePriest, the conductor and a violinist, holds bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in music from the University of South Carolina.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at usca.edu/etherredge-center or by calling (803) 641-3305. General admission is $25; students are admitted free.
