NATCHITOCHES – The Louisiana Piano Series International will present pianist Artem Kuznetsov on Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Tickets are $15. Northwestern State University, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D. Those attending are asked to wear a mask, but they are not required. A livestream will be available at capa.nsula.edu/livestream. Northwestern State Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. John Price and Associate Professor of Piano Dr. Francis Yang are co-directors of the of the Louisiana Piano Series International.
The program will include works by Granados, Dett, Medtner, Vela and Rachmaninoff.
A native of Balashov, Russia, Kuznetsov is an award-winning concert pianist, a vivid chamber musician hailed for his artistry, virtuosity, lyricism and exciting energy. He is extensively performing solo recitals as well as collaborating with orchestras in major concert halls around the world. He has been part of organizations and concert series that have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities including the “Multiple Sclerosis” society and “Direct relief Covid-19 response.” In 2020 he was appointed an Emissary of the Muses of the city of San Antonio by the Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
Kuznetsov is a winner of more than 10 international competitions including the Valsesia Musica International Competition, the Canada International Artists Piano Competition, the Seattle International Piano Competition and the Dallas International Piano Competition among others. His real passion for music started at the age of 14, when he for the first time visited Sergei Rachmaninoff’s museum-estate and heard recordings of Rachmaninoff performing his own compositions.
Kuznetsov was featured in several radio stations in the U.S. including the “Texas Public Radio” in San Antonio and “King FM” in Seattle. He is actively involved in musical outreach for under-served communities, as well as educational events for young musicians with more than 10 outreach recitals in Texas and Washington, and gave more than 35 presentations and masterclasses for elementary, middle and high school students. His first LP on the “Orpheus Classical” label was released on all the major streaming platforms, followed by a second album released on decentralized music streaming service “Audius” making him the first classical pianist that is streaming on a blockchain.
