All things piano are celebrated at the Moss Arts Center with several featured events, including an evening performance of Beethoven sonatas by Grammy-winning American pianist Emanuel Ax at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24.

Presented by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, the performance will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.

Emanuel Ax is currently one of the world’s leading pianists, having captured public attention in 1974 when he won the first Authur Rubenstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, followed by the coveted Avery Fisher Prize five years later. A Sony Classical recording artist since 1987, his recent releases include Mendelssohn Trios with Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman; Strauss's “Enoch Arden,” narrated by Patrick Stewart; and discs of two-piano music by Brahms and Rachmaninoff with Yefim Bronfman.

Ax has received Grammy Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydn's piano sonatas, and made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano.

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As a prelude to Ax’s performance, Richard Masters, assistant professor of piano in the School of Performing Arts, will present “Ludwig Unchained: Exploring the Many Faces of Beethoven,” beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Moss Arts Center Cube. Masters will discuss the many connections that exist between the pieces of Ax’s all-Beethoven program, explaining the German composer’s style, as well as the creative foundation found in his work. The event is free and open to the public, but admission is first come, first served. To guarantee a seat, call the Moss Arts Center’s box office at 540-231-5300 or register online.

Ax will also participate in a question-and-answer session with Virginia Tech music students during his visit.

Tickets

Tickets for the Emanuel Ax performance are $40-75 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 years old and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

In a separate event, pianist and historian Alex Hassan will present the recital, “Between Salon and Swing: The World of Novelty Piano,” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23. The free performance will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall. Hassan will explore the stylings of novelty piano masters from the 1920s and 1930s.

An outgrowth of the late-Romantic classical salon style, novelty piano allowed classically-trained virtuosos of the early 20th century to explore new currents of jazz. The performance is free and open to the public, but admission is first come, first served. To guarantee a seat, call the Moss Arts Center’s box office at 540-231-5300 or register online.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech presents renowned artists from around the globe and from close to home, with a special focus on experiences that expand cultural awareness and deepen understanding. The Center for the Arts and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, with which the Center for the Arts is uniquely partnered, are housed in the Moss Arts Center. The Moss Arts Center is a 147,000-square-foot facility that includes the Street and Davis Performance Hall and its 1,274-seat Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre; visual art galleries; the four-story, experimental venue the Cube; and research studios.

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