Civic Music Association’s Lauridsen Great Pianists Series presents Garrick Ohlsson
2/23/2023(DES MOINES, IA – 2.23.23) Civic Music Association (CMA) presents world-renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson as part of the Lauridsen Great Pianists Series on Saturday, February 25, at 7:30 PM at Sheslow Auditorium.
The Lauridsen Great Pianists Series was conceptualized by Nixon and Virginia Lauridsen, who were inspired by a trip to the Aspen Music Festival. The couple believes Des Moines deserves to hear world class artists, and the Lauridsen Great Pianists Series is the result. Through the series, Civic Music Association presents a pianist of the very highest caliber to our city each year.
ABOUT GARRICK OHLSSON
Established worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess, Garrick Ohlsson enrolled at the Julliard School of Music at age 13 after playing piano for only 5 years. In 1970, just two years after he made his CMA debut, he became the first and only American winner of the esteemed Chopin International Piano Competition. Today he is known not only as a master of Chopin’s work, but also as a versatile musician with an immense repertoire boasting over 80 concertos. His selections range from well-known pieces by classic composers like Mozart, to specially commissioned pieces from this century.
Ohlsson, the second artist featured in the Lauridsen Great Pianists Series, is among many legendary pianists featured throughout CMA’s long history. Sergei Rachmaninoff, Philip Glass, Yefim Bronfman, and Artur Rubenstein are just a few of the pianists who have graced the CMA stage.
The Lauridsens are looking forward to Ohlsson’s upcoming performance. “Hearing world-renowned artists like Garrick Ohlsson perform in such an intimate venue is an experience unlike any other,” said Virginia Lauridsen. “We are thrilled to support the Des Moines cultural scene in this way.”
EDUCATION INITIATIVES
Ohlsson will provide a masterclass to three local students at Sheslow Auditorium on Friday, February 24, from 10 AM – 12 PM. The masterclass is free and open to the public.
In addition to the masterclass, CMA is thrilled to announce that local winners of the Des Moines Music Teachers Association Piano Auditions will perform prior to the concert on February 25, beginning at 6:30 PM.
This is one of CMA’s more highly anticipated performances of the season, and tickets are selling fast. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $45. Box office information for the concert can be found at civicmusic.org/experience/tickets.
