Guest recital set for Jan. 25 in Brunton Auditorium

SACKVILLE, NB — Internationally-renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein will join the Mount Allison University community this month as the second annual Bragg Artist-in-Residence.

Gerstein will be meeting and performing with music students, faculty, staff and community members from January 24-27, 2020. Throughout the residency he will conduct masterclasses, workshops, and work with students in various Music courses.

On Saturday, Jan. 25, Gerstein will present a guest recital inspired by a journey through Central Europe, with music by Haydn, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, Kurtag, and Adès. The recital, which is open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. in Brunton Auditorium, Marjorie Young Bell Music Conservatory. Tickets are available at the Music department and at the door.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kirill Gerstein to Mount Allison as our second Bragg Artist-in-Residence,” says Mount Allison music department head Dr. Stephen Runge. “This program has enabled us to welcome world-renowned musicians, who work directly with our students and faculty during their time on campus. We look forward to having Kirill on campus and would like to thank the Bragg family for bringing this opportunity to our program and community.”

Born in the former Soviet Union, Kirill Gerstein is an American citizen based in Berlin. At age 14 he moved to the United States where he became the youngest student to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

Gerstein has played with prominent ensembles and orchestras across Europe and North America. In 2019-20 alone, he returned to Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and San Diego symphonies, and launched a two-year cycle of the complete Rachmaninoff works for piano and orchestra with the Minnesota Orchestra. He also opened the Chicago Symphony’s piano series to mark Beethoven’s 250th anniversary.

In addition to his international performance schedule, Gerstein also teaches at the Kronberg Academy’s Sir András Schiff Performance Program for Young Artists.

The Bragg Women Music Opportunities Fund was established at Mount Allison in 2017 by John Bragg, Mount Allison alumnus and past Chancellor, and his wife Judy, also a Mount Allison graduate. The fund honours five women in the Bragg family who made significant contributions to music education including: Zillah Bragg, Sylvia Bragg, Kathleen (Bragg) Sherman (Class of 1952), Carolyn (Bragg) Glennie (Class of 1958), and Lorraine (Bragg) Moore (Class of 1970). It helps support performance and experiential learning opportunities for Music students and brings artists of international calibre to campus through the Artist-in-Residence program.

Photo credits: Marco Borggreve (2018)