The Arts Alive Concert Series kicks off today with the performance of world-renowned pianist Dina Yoffe.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. in Sursa Hall. Yoffe will play works by Bach, Chopin and Prokofiev.
Robert Palmer, professor of music, said the concert series has run every year since the opening of Sursa Hall in 2004.
Palmer, who is a member of the committee in charge of running the Arts Alive Concert Series, said Robert Kvam, dean of the College of Fine Arts, created the concerts as a way to share the new hall and the arts with Ball State and the community.
"Since the inception of the Arts Alive Series, some of the world's greatest soloists and ensembles have performed here, including violinist Midori, pianist Krystian Zimerman, the Tokyo String Quartet, the all-male vocal group Chanticleer and many others," he said.
Palmer said Yoffe was invited to play because he knew her from an international competition he attended.
"I met Dina Yoffe several years ago in Bangkok, Thailand, where we were on the jury for the Thailand International Piano Competition," Palmer said. "Dina performed a solo recital at this competition and I knew immediately she needed to be invited to perform on the Arts Alive Series."
According to her website, Yoffe first began her musical education in her hometown of Riga, Latvia's capital and largest city. She attended the renowned Emil Darzin's Special School of Music before moving on to The Central Music School in Moscow. There she studied under Professor Vera Gornostayeva and graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow.
Her talent is world-renowned, having played in concerts around the globe. Yoffe has won such awards as top-prize at the R. Schumann International Competition in Germany and the F. Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland, her website said.
According to the website, She currently teaches at the Anton Rubinstein International Academy in Germany. Her pupils have won numerous awards on national and international levels.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Emens box office or at Sursa Hall before the concert. Regular ticket prices are $35, but students are $15 with student IDs.
"These ticket prices are a fantastic bargain [for students,] as an artist of Dina's caliber regularly attracts ticket prices of over $100," Palmer said.
This year's concert series will have three parts. Following Yoffe will be trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov on Oct. 25 and violinist Clara-Jumi Kang on March 27.
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