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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE SOUTHEASTERN PIANO FESTIVAL AND TO CONGRATULATE ITS PARTICIPANTS AND ORGANIZERS UPON THEIR FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CULTURAL SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM.
Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly is pleased to learn that the 2017 Southeastern Piano Festival will celebrate its fifteenth anniversary from June 18 through June 24, 2017; and
Whereas, the festival annually provides a high-level training platform for young pianists from across the country, presents world renowned and new concert pianists and master teachers, advocates for new piano music, and enables artists to explore the different roles the piano plays on stage and beyond; and
Whereas, each year some of the best precollege pianists take part in a rigorous program of daily lessons with the University of South Carolina's (USC) School of Music piano faculty, as many as five hours of daily practice, and master classes with internationally acclaimed guest artists, which culminates with the Arthur Fraser International Concerto Competition, adjudicated by a distinguished panel of judges; and
Whereas, winners of the competition are rewarded with cash prizes and the opportunity to perform with the South Carolina Philharmonic, but music lovers across the State benefit as well from the nightly festival concerts performed by world-class pianists; and
Whereas, artists for the fifteenth anniversary concert series and master classes include Boris Slutsky, first prize winner of the Kapell International Piano Competition and head of piano studies at Peabody Institute; internationally acclaimed pianist Frederic Chiu; 2013 Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medal Winner Vadym Khlodenko; Steinway & Sons Artist Ilana Vered; and the Steinway & Sons Piano Duo of Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe; and
Whereas, Marina Lomazov, the festival's organizer and artistic director, has established herself as a world-renowned concert pianist, achieved the title of Steinway & Sons Artist and the Ira McKissick Koger Professor of Fine Arts at the USC School of Music, and acts as a vital part of the state's vibrant arts culture; and
Whereas, a world-renowned concert pianist as well, Joseph Rackers, the festival's program director, has also achieved the title of Steinway & Sons Artist and is an associate professor of piano at the USC School of Music. He and his piano duo partner and wife, Marina Lomazov, are a driving force in classical music today; and
Whereas, the opening night Piano Extravaganza will feature USC's School of Music faculty members Marina Lomazov, Joseph Rackers, Charles Fugo, and Phillip Bush in a presentation of pieces ranging from "Clair de Lune" to the music of Bruno Mars, finishing with fifteen pianists and an award-winning choir from Miami, Florida, featuring Carmina Burana, all backed by five Steinway & Sons grand pianos; and
Whereas, the concert showcases its longstanding partnership with University of South Carolina School of Music, the South Carolina Philharmonic, Steinway & Sons, and Rice Music House; and
Whereas, although not funded by the USC School of Music or any state funds, the program has grown each year, bringing recognition to the State of South Carolina and to the USC School of Music; and
Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly values the outstanding contribution that Marina Lomazov, Joseph Rackers, and the generous donors and sponsors of the Southeastern Piano Festival provide to the cultural life of South Carolina and looks forward to enjoying the fruits of their labor in the lives of the young artists participating in the Southeastern Piano Festival. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor the Southeastern Piano Festival and congratulate its participants and organizers upon their fifteenth anniversary of the cultural success of the program.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the organizers of the Southeastern Piano Festival.
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