UA Celebrity Series Starts with the Blast of the Horn

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Vladislav Lavrik, one of the most outstanding classical and jazz trumpeters of his generation, will be the first performance of the School of Music’s 2008-2009 Celebrity Series at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in the Moody Music Building Concert Hall on The University of Alabama campus.

Lavrik is becoming known by critics throughout the world as one of the most outstanding classical and jazz trumpeters of his generation. Born in Zaporozhie, Ukraine in 1980, Lavrik won the Dokshitzer Competition of Young Trumpeters in 1994 and 1996. In 1994, he also won the Classical Heritage International Competition in Moscow, and he was a prize winner in Moscow’s International Festival of Young Soloists in 1997 and 1998.

According to a San Francisco Classical Voice article, “Vladislav Lavrik, the trumpet soloist, navigated the opening glissando with great panache. This ‘young man with a horn’ proved that he would do just fine in any big city. Lavrik has a gorgeous sound, with tasteful use of the wa-wa mute, and displayed the kind of innate musicality that is beyond teaching.”

Lavrik joined the Russian National Orchestra after graduating from the Moscow Conservatory in 2000. At 20 he was appointed principal trumpet, making him the youngest person to hold a principal chair in the history of the orchestra. He has been a Yamaha Artist in Russia since 2006. In March 2008, he was the first Russian soloist to perform with the United States Marine Band.

Pamela Gordon, an instructor at The University of Alabama, will be accompanying Lavrik in the evening’s performance. Gordon is a coordinator of accompanying, a class piano instructor and an accompanist for University Singers at UA. She is an active performer, educator and collaborator of chamber music and piano, crossing multiple levels of age, skill and geography.

She holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in music from The University of Alabama. As a student at UA, she was awarded the Wilbur Rowand Prize for Excellence. Most recently she is recipient of the 2007 Druid Arts Award for “Musician of the Year,” as selected by the board of the Arts Council of the city of Tuscaloosa. Gordon’s chamber music collaborations include the Gordon and Penick Duo, accompanying many UA faculty members, students and ensembles associated with the School of Music. In 2006-2007 Gordon performed 45 concerts at 10 different universities. Gordon maintains a private studio of students through the Community Music School at the University. She is organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Aliceville.

Celebrity Series subscriptions are $72 and $55; single ticket prices are $22 and $15 for general admission and $7 for students. More information is available by phoning 205/348-7111 or by visiting www.music.ua.edu.

For more information and high resolution photographs of Lavrik, visit http://www.lavrik-trumpet.ru/?lang=en.