The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) concludes its 71st “Great Performers Series” season with the return of acclaimed Russian pianist Olga Kern, Monday, March 14, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

Sarasota Concert Association presents

Olga Kern, Piano

March 14 Ÿ 7:30 P.M. Ÿ Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Recognized as one of the great pianists, Kern is renowned for her vivid stage presence, passionately confident musicianship and extraordinary technique.

“An absolute whiz at the piano.” – The New York Times

“Call it star quality — music likes Kern the way the camera liked Garbo.” — The Washington Post

(Sarasota, Florida) The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) concludes its 71st “Great Performers Series” season with the return of acclaimed Russian pianist Olga Kern, Monday, March 14, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Kern’s program will include three Sonatas by Scarlatti, Beethoven’s “Waldstein Sonata,” Mendelssohn’s “Serious Variations,” Schumann’s “Kinderszenen” (“Scenes from Childhood”), Liszt’s “Reminiscences de Don Juan” (after Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”), and the debut of a new work by a contemporary American composer. Tickets for the concert are $30, $40, $50 and $65. Tickets and information for the Great Performers Series are available by calling 941-225-6500 or online at www.scasarasota.org.

When she appeared here two years ago with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Olga Kern wowed critics and audience members alike with her stunning performance. One reviewer wrote: “Tall and blond with leanly muscled arms, Kern is striking both physically and musically. She exuded a calm confidence and tremendous power while flawlessly breezing through the high technical demands of this Rachmaninoff score.”

Recognized as one of her generation’s great pianists, Olga Kern burst onto the classical music scene in 2001 when she won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition with her performance of the “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3,” making her the first woman to achieve this distinction in 30 years. Her second catapulting triumph came in New York City in 2004, with her highly acclaimed recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Kern was born into a family of musicians with direct links to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff and began studying piano at the age of five. Winner of the first Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition when she was 17, Kern is a laureate of 11 international competitions and maintains a busy touring schedule throughout Russia, Europe, Japan, South Africa, South Korea and the United States. In addition to her Van Wezel performance, Kern’s 2016 season also includes a solo appearance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Pinchas Zukerman, and a recital with her longtime collaborator, soprano Renée Fleming.

SCA also presents “Munchtime Musicales,” a series of free lunchtime concerts featuring performances by high-caliber, area-based artists, November 2015 through April 2016. The series is designed to offer a wide variety of musical genres, including classical, folk, and jazz, featuring both vocal and instrumental performers. The 2015-2016 Munchtime Musicales concert series continues with Studio Artists from the Sarasota Opera, Sarasota’s ambassadors of opera who bring opera to stages beyond the walls of the Opera House (March 16, 2106); and Belle Canto, Sarasota’s women’s choral ensemble (April 13, 2016). All Munchtime Musicales performances are at noon at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The series is free and open to the public. Seating is open; no reservations taken. For more information about Munchtime Musicales, call 941-351-7467 or visit www.scasarasota.org.

About the Sarasota Concert Association

The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) exists to foster the development of an appreciation for the musical arts by sponsoring professional presentations that are not otherwise available in the community, through a not-for-profit, organized-audience plan. SCA aims to set reasonable fees for all performances. The organization is not designed to make a profit but does intend to be self-supporting. It provides outreach to all members of the regional community by offering a series of free concerts, Munchtime Musicales, held every year. For more information about SCA, visit www.scasarasota.org.