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Internationally Renowned Pianist Valentina Lisitsa Returns to Oregon Christian college

George Fox University welcomes performer for fifth annual Bösendorfer Artist Concert Series Sept. 30

Newberg, OR (Vocus) September 15, 2010 -- Internationally acclaimed pianist Valentina Lisitsa will perform at the fifth annual Bösendorfer Artist Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in Bauman Auditorium on the university’s Newberg, Ore., campus.

The performance, which will include a selection of Chopin and Liszt pieces, marks a return to George Fox for Lisitsa, who performed at the fourth annual Bösendorfer event in February. She is donating the concert to help the university raise funds for its “Friends of Music” program, created to bring special guest artists to campus and “ensure outstanding performances for the community,” according to Kenn Willson, professor of music history and keyboard studies at George Fox and director of the Bösendorfer series.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for alumni and seniors, and $5 for students and children under 12. To purchase tickets, visit music.georgefox.edu, or call the university box office at 503-554-3844. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Lisitsa has toured throughout Europe, Japan, South America and North America. She has collaborated with the Sao Paulo Symphony, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony, and has performed with the likes of Lynn Harrell, Jimmy Lin, Roberto Diaz, Ida Haendel and Hilary Hahn.

Born in Ukraine, Lisitsa studied at the Lysenko School of Music and later at the Kiev Conservatory. Her performance repertoire includes more than 40 different concerti, featuring pieces from Bach and Mozart to Shostakovich and Bernstein. She recently embarked on a project to record all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.

She will perform on the university’s Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano, often called the “Rolls Royce of Pianos,” Willson said. The venue is noted for its acoustics, annually hosting the Oregon Symphony.

The annual concert, sponsored by George Fox’s performing arts department, has brought in world-renowned classical pianists since its inception in 2007. Past performers have included Italian pianist Gianluca Luisi and Baruch Meir.

George Fox offers 42 undergraduate majors, including athat includes concentrations in general studies, performance, pre-teaching and composition.

George Fox University is ranked by Forbes as the top Christian college in the Pacific Northwest and among the highestin the country. George Fox is the only Christian university in the Pacific Northwest classified by U.S. News & World Report as a national university. More than 3,300 students attend classes on the university’s campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem, and Redmond, Ore., and Boise, Idaho. George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, five seminary degrees, and 12 master’s and doctoral degrees.

Contact:Kenn WillsonProfessor of Music History and Keyboard Studies503-554-2624

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George Fox UniversityKenn Willson503-554-2624