Pianist Awadagin Pratt to Highlight Third UA Celebrity Series Concert

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Pianist Awadagin Pratt will perform at The University of Alabama as part of the School of Music’s Celebrity Series on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Moody Music Concert Hall. The event is sponsored by the Gloria Narramore Moody Foundation, which was established in 1988 to bring world-renowned artists to Tuscaloosa.

Single event tickets are available for the general public for $22 and $15, and $7 for students with valid IDs. For more information about tickets, contact the School of Music box office at 205/348-7111.

Awadagin Pratt is an artist who challenges the classical music establishment and fans alike, forcing them to rethink the way the music is perceived and heard. When Pratt bounded on stage for his winning presentation at the prestigious Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1992, his appearance caused a buzz, but by the end of his performance, he had won over the judges and audience, and rave reviews have been coming in ever since.

Pratt’s debut CD, “A Long Way From Normal”, was issued in 1994 and includes the Liszt “Funérailles” that he played for the Naumburg Competition, as well as works by Brahms, Franck, and the Bach-Busoni “Chaconne”. His second CD, released in 1996, includes four Beethoven piano sonatas. Pratt’s third CD “Live from South Africa” came out in January 1997. Recorded at the NICO Opera House in Cape Town in December 1995, it includes several Bach preludes and fugues, Brahms’ “Intermezzi”, and works by Franck and Rachmaninov. “Transformations”, Pratt’s fourth album, was issued in 1999 and contains Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, as well as Brahms’ “Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel” and Pratt’s own piano transcription of Bach’s “Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor.”

In 1994, Pratt was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, a cash prize of $10,000 for career development.

Unlike the Naumburg, the Avery Fisher Artist Program does not accept applications. It awards the grant annually to the most promising concert artists. Since 1994, Pratt has performed across the United States and worldwide.

Pratt has appeared at Lincoln Center, at the Kennedy Center, and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. He has played with most of the major symphony orchestras in the United States, and appeared in many summer festivals including Ravinia, Blossom, Wolf Trap, Caramoor, and Aspen. He has performed internationally in Japan, Germany, South Africa, Israel, and throughout the Caribbean.

Pratt has also been featured on a number of radio and television programs, including National Public Radio’s Performance Today and Weekend Edition. He has performed on the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, and Sesame Street. He was a featured soloist on the PBS “Live from Kennedy Center — A Salute to Slava”, and has performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton. In 1992, Pratt was named one of the 50 Leaders of Tomorrow by Ebony magazine.