April 8, 2004 SELINSGROVE, Pa. – One of the most talented virtuoso pianists in the world today will present a recital in Susquehanna University’s Degenstein Center Theater on Tuesday, May 4, at 8 p.m. Yefim Bronfman’s commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts have won him consistent critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences worldwide, whether for his solo recitals, his prestigious orchestral engagements or his rapidly growing catalogue of recordings. A Grammy winner, he has recorded works by Prokofiev, Bartók, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and others, and has performed with the world's top orchestras and conductors. The recital will be presented free of charge as a gift to the community by the Stella Freeman Weis Cultural Endowment, which annually sponsors critically acclaimed artists in performance at Susquehanna University. It was established in 1976 by Robert and Patricia Weis of Sunbury in memory of his mother. Members of the general public and the university community are invited to attend. Seating will be on a first come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Bronfman has given numerous solo recitals in the leading halls of North America, Europe and the Far East, including acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall in 1989 and Avery Fisher Hall in 1993. In 1991, he gave a series of joint recitals with Isaac Stern in Russia, marking his first public performances there since his emigration to Israel at age 15. That same year he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given to American instrumentalists. During the 2003-04 season, Bronfman has performed with a dozen or more symphony orchestras in major U.S. cities as well as with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the Lucerne Festival. He appeared in October at Carnegie’s new Zankel Hall, with Elena Bashkirova and the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, and in April 2004, will perform there with Emanuel Ax and artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Summer engagements have regularly taken him to the Aspen Bad Kissingen, Hollywood Bowl, Mann Music Center, Mostly Mozart, Salzburg and Tanglewood festivals. An exclusive Sony Classical recording artist, Bronfman has won widespread praise for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings. He won a Grammy award in 1997 for his recording of the three Bartok Piano Concertos with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His discography also includes the complete Prokofiev Piano Sonatas, all five of the Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3, and recital albums featuring Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky works. His recordings with Isaac Stern include the Brahms Violin Sonatas from their Russian tour, a cycle of the Mozart Sonatas for violin and piano, and the Bartok Violin Sonatas. His performance of Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2 is featured in Disney's Fantasia/2000. He performed the piece live at gala screenings of the film in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles. A devoted chamber music performer, Bronfman has collaborated with the Emerson, Cleveland, Guarneri and Juilliard quartets, as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also played chamber music with Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Lynn Harrell, Shlomo Mintz, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pinchas Zuckerman and many other artists. Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, and made his international debut two years later with Zubin Mehta and the Montreal Symphony. He made his New York Philharmonic debut in May 1978, his Washington recital debut in March 1981 at the Kennedy Center and his New York recital debut in January 1982 at the 92nd Street Y. He was born in Tashkent, in the Soviet Union, on April 10, 1958. In Israel he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro and the Curtis Institute, and with Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher and Rudolf Serkin. He became an American citizen in July 1989. Contact: Betsy Robertson 570-372-4119 #br#2703#