Drake University’s Keys to Excellence Piano Concert Series will continue on Monday, March 3 with pianist Sergio Gallo of Georgia State University. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave.
Gallo is a Steinway Artist and records for the Eroica label. His recordings have received high praise from Gramophone Magazine and American Record Guide. Gallo has performed with orchestras throughout the Americas and in Turkey, as well as for Radio France and Radio Cultura. Recently, he has performed in several countries in Asia and Europe, as well as in major cities in the United States and his home country, Brazil. Gallo is an associate professor of piano at Georgia State University and also teaches at Rocky Ridge Music Academy in Estes Parks, Colorado.
The Keys to Excellence Piano Concert Series was created to raise awareness of Drake’s fundraising efforts to purchase of 70 new Yamaha pianos for the music department. Keys to Excellence features internationally acclaimed artists performing on the magnificent Yamaha CFX concert grand, an instrument that debuted in 2010 to rave reviews for its revolutionary sonorous clarity and extensive tonal range.
The Yamaha CFX was recently purchased for Drake University through the generous support of Sally B. Bartlett, who was recognized at a concert on Dec. 8, 2013.
The remaining events in the series, which are also free and open to the public, are as follows:
Monday, March 10, 7:30 p.m.: Nathan Carterette of Pittsburgh, Penn., performs Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave.
Monday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.: Marina Horak, professor of piano at Academy of Music in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave.
Monday, March 31, 7:30 p.m.: Anthony Molinaro, assistant professor of piano at Loyola University (Chicago), Patty and Fred Turner Jazz Center, 2505 Carpenter Ave.
The Keys to Excellence Piano Concert Series is sponsored by Yamaha, West Music, Civic Music Association, and Drake University.
For more information, contact Nicholas Roth at 515-271-2857 or nicholas.roth@drake.edu.