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Van Cliburn gold medalist Jon Nakamatsu returns to San Jose for two special Steinway Society concerts Jan. 3 and 4 at Le Petit Trianon Theatre. Back by popular demand, Nakamatsu will play works by Wolfl, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms.
A gold medalist in the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Nakamatsu was the first American since 1981 to win the prestigious award. A privately trained pianist from the age of 6, Nakamatsu bypassed the conservatory track and traded Juilliard for Stanford University in pursuit of a teaching credential.
Studying German in college helped him understand the language that inspired favored composers Mozart and Beethoven.
He continued playing and competing on the piano while balancing a career teaching German to high school students. The Van Cliburn award solidified his commitment to the ivory keys, and Nakamatsu has been performing professionally even since.
Since then, tours throughout the United States and Europe have included performances at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and venues in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Paris, London and Milan.
Also a regular on the festival circuit, Nakamatsu has performed at France's Evian Music Festival and at the Tanglewood Music Festival, the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival with Christopher Seaman and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and California's Midsummer Mozart Festival.
The nonprofit and volunteer-based Steinway Society has attracted professional pianists to the South Bay for nearly a decade. Nakamatsu's performance marks the third in the Steinway Society's eight-concert 200304 season. The new year will ring in with the Young Artist Concert Feb. 8, featuring local developing pianists. Ursula Oppens will play on Mar. 21 and Cheng Zong Yin on April 18.
Steinway Society of the Bay Area presents Jon Nakamatsu Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. at Le Petit Trianon Theatre, 72 N. 5th St. in downtown San Jose. Tickets are $25$35 and include complimentary refreshments at intermission and a post-concert reception to meet the performer. Call the Steinway Society at 408.246.4200 or go to www.steinwaythebayarea.com.
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