RENO PHIL WELCOMES 20-YEAR-OLD SOLOIST TO PERFORM ON BOTH PIANO & VIOLIN
Reno, Nev. (February 22, 2022) — This March, the Reno Phil will welcome back 20-year-old soloist Ray Ushikubo on both piano and violin for the upcoming Classix concert, Young Virtuoso: Conquering Piano & Violin.
Young Virtuoso: Conquering Piano & Violin
Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Reno
Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 7:30PM
Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 4:00PM
Ushikubo will play the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 and a virtuosic solo work for violin and orchestra – the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns. A native of California, Ushikubo is currently a junior attending the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He studies piano with Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald and violin with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. Ushikubo made his concert debut at age 10, and last performed with the Reno Phil when he was just 15-years-old.
“Ray Ushikubo is a phenomenal artist with extraordinary talent,” said Music Director Laura Jackson. “He first came to Reno as a child prodigy and dazzled everyone with his Grieg Piano Concerto. This time he returns as a young man with a blossoming soloist career. What is truly unique about Ray is that he is equally brilliant on piano and violin and we will hear him play both on this concert. It is an event not to be missed.”
Mendelssohn’s first piano concerto is one of the most performed concertos in piano concerto literature, often showing up on competition programs. Franz Liszt, the 19th century charismatic pianist-showman, is given credit for making the work famous. Saint-Saëns wrote the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in 1863 in response to a request of the distinguished virtuoso violinist of the time, Pablo Sarasate. It evokes Spanish idioms and is a brightly polished gem of the violin repertoire.
On the program:
Fanny MENDELSSOHN Overture in C Major
Felix MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 25
Robert SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4 in D minor, op. 120
Camille SAINT-SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
Tickets range from $33 – $89; available at renophil.com. $9 youth tickets for ages 26 and under are available. Livestream options are also available for $25. The health and well-being of our patrons, staff, and community is our number one priority. All concert attendees (ages 3 and up) will be required to provide proof of vaccination OR a negative Covid-19 test. Masks are optional. Visit our website to learn more about our updated health and safety policies.
For additional information, media materials, and interview inquiries, please contact: Jaclyn Trice at 775.240.9677 or jaclyn@musegroupmarketing.com.
