The Hope College Great Performance Series will feature Van Cliburn Piano Competition finalist Oleksiy Koltakov on Thursday, March 6, at 8 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
The first half of his appearance at Hope will include Chopin's "Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53," and "Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58." In the second half of his concert, Koltakov will perform Liszt's "Sonata in B minor," and the Liszt-Horowitz creation, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2."
By the time Koltakov reached the finals for the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he had already toured the United States twice and been a featured guest in a number of other countries. He was 23 years old.
"Koltakov may not look the part, but he's another exemplar of the powerful Russian sound," writes James McQuillen of "The Oregonian." "His high-octane recital was a blistering demonstration of how many notes can fit into 75 minutes."
Koltkaov was born in Lugansk, Ukraine, and at 13 he became a student of the legendary Victor Makarov. He received a full scholarship to the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney at the age of 22, and continues his studies there with Makarov.
Koltakov has been a featured guest artist in international music festivals in Baden-Baden, Germany; Colmar, France; Kuala-Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia; Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel; China; and Australia; as well as throughout Russia and Ukraine. As a teenager, he toured the United States, including Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Koltakov was also featured in a critically acclaimed documentary on the Eleventh Van Cliburn Competition, "The Cliburn: Playing on the Edge," directed by Emmy award-winner Peter Rosen. As a finalist of the Eleventh Van Cliburn International Competition, Koltakov was awarded two years of concert engagements and career management.
Tickets for Koltakov's performance cost $14 for regular adult admission, $12 for senior citizens, and $5 for children 18 and under. Tickets will be on sale on Tuesday- Thursday, March 4-6, at the theatre lobby box office in the DeWitt Center, which can be called at (616) 395-7890, and will also be available at the door.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located on College Avenue at 12th Street.