Famed Pianist Emanuel Ax to Perform With Alabama Symphony Orchestra at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala – Internationally recognized pianist Emanuel Ax will join the Alabama Symphony Orchestra March 11 at The University of Alabama to present “A Night of Brahms” at the annual Frank Moody Memorial Concert. The performance will be held at 3 p.m. in the Moody Music Building on the UA campus.

ASO conductor Justin Brown will lead the orchestra in the afternoon concert program which will feature Ax playing “Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat” and which will also showcase the ASO playing “Brahms’ symphony No. 3.”

Acclaimed for his poetic lyricism and brilliant technique, Ax is one of today’s best known concert pianists. He was born in Poland and began to study the piano when he was six. He first captured public attention in 1974 when, at 25, he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. Ax is now in demand all over the United States and makes regular festival appearances at Aspen, the Hollywood Bowl and Tanglewood. Devoted to chamber music literature, Ax regularly performs duo recitals with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Their recordings together have earned three Grammy Awards. He also received a Grammy award for his Brahms Trio recording with Ma and Richard Stolzman.

The ASO has entertained audiences for more than 70 years, playing a variety of classical and popular musical compositions and hosting performances by some of the most well-known international guest artists in the world. The 54 musicians of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra bring to life some of the world’s most treasured musical masterpieces and introduce listeners to stimulating new works and composers, performing more than 100 concerts for more than 100,000 people annually.

Attracting audiences from across Alabama and the surrounding states, The University of Alabama’s Celebrity Series provides the opportunity for musical arts enthusiasts to enjoy the sounds of performers from around the world.

“The Celebrity Series has become one of the premiere recital series in the United States,” said Skip Snead, director of the UA Music School. “Having someone on this series of the international stature of Emanuel Ax, who has performed in every major concert venue world-wide, is testament to that fact. We are extremely pleased to have him with us, performing in one of Alabama’s most important cultural facilities.”

The Frank Moody Memorial Concert is sponsored by the Gloria Narramore Moody Foundation, which has brought world-renowned artists to Tuscaloosa since 1988. The Moody Foundation was founded in 1990 by Gloria Moody and her husband, the late Tuscaloosa businessman Frank McCorkle Moody, to support the arts and music. The Moody Foundation has also endowed scholarships at UA and has supported arts organizations elsewhere in the United States.

Celebrity Series season subscriptions are $72 and $55, single ticket prices are $22 and $15 for the general public and $7 for students.

For ticket information, phone the School of Music box office at 205/348-7111.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 6,500 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. The College’s students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, and members on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.